Do you feel like your staff doesn’t enjoy office meetings? Often times, they think staff meetings feel like they’d be better communicated via a quick email. You’ve probably noticed people zoning out, on their cell phones, talking amongst themselves, etc. How do you take back control of your the room?
Sol Operation Solutions knows how. We’re here to help you effectively plan, conduct, and implement the new content discussed in your staff meetings! You may feel like you’ve tried everything, but you might not have realized a few simple tricks and tips to taking back control of the staff meeting.
First, plan your meetings according to the pertinent information affecting your day to day operations. Then move on to big picture items. Reason being, staff can have a tough time grasping the big picture. They will be more receptive to big picture items if you start off with items that will improve their day to day work or that make sense for their immediate job function.
A good example comes from a recent experience I had. My staff begged me to get the doctors on board with taking a clerical task off their plate. The task was something simple but time consuming done solely to make the technicians’ and doctors’ work ups a few minutes quicker. Meanwhile, the doctors wanted me to implement a whole new frame of mind amongst my front desk staff. (Improve customer service.) I went to the doctors and approached them directly with an inquiry about taking the clerical task off of their plates, and promised doing so would definitely (if even only temporarily) improve their morale. So when they agreed, I was able to start my front office meeting with good news about the task being lifted, and I could ease into the emphasis on customer service without them getting defensive or feeling like I was attacking them. I was right, morale immediately boosted. You can do this in the smallest ways! You just have to listen to your people and be creative with solutions. Sol Operation Solutions can help you contextualize the changes you want to make and implement the new procedures necessary to improve your practice!
Another way to take control of the room is to make sure the content of the meeting pertains to everyone involved. Keep it brief, keep it relevant, and keep it simple. Make sure your staff understands what you’re saying. Make sure it matters to them. Know the content of the meeting inside and out and be prepared to answer any questions they will ask, and be excited about your message!
Sometimes people plan meetings every two weeks or every month whether they have anything pertinent to say or not. This is counterproductive. Only schedule staff meetings when you need to get through to your team about something that will not be effectively received via email. Important topics discussed in meetings can always be reiterated via email later on. Send out meeting minutes immediately following the meeting, and reminders throughout the weeks or months or quarter to help staff maintain that original excitement and eagerness to improve.
You can also ask your staff for feedback or items to be added to agendas. Allow your employees to plan to cover certain topics with you and to prepare to lead discussions! Meetings are important so that your staff can communicate their concerns or get things off of their chests. Allow the staff to plan discussions so as not to derail the meeting with a lot of unnecessary commentary that seems to come out of left field.
And one last silly tip: food always helps!! Your staff is always a little less annoyed about meeting over lunch or before or after work if you bring them a meal to soften the blow. I usually do my doctor meetings before work over breakfast, and my staff meetings over lunch with pizza. (Yes, even your doctors/office managers appreciate being fed at a meeting.)
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