Having meetings from time to time can ensure the smooth running of an organisation. How you conduct these meetings is important to ensure employees do not find it meaningless.
Small scale meetings:
It is important that when you are holding a small meeting, all participants make a contribution.
Here are some ways you can ensure that all participants contribute:
- Do not be dominant as this creates the impression that only your ideas are important. Perhaps let three people speak before you.
- Re-visit important points they have made to demonstrate that all ideas are important and thank them for speaking.
- Tell employees that all ideas are important and valuable and invite them to comment.
Town hall meetings:
A town hall meeting can be effective when managers want to speak to all employees.
By gathering everyone together it can convey the importance of an issue and effectively communicate the message to all employees. While some may state that town hall meetings are some of the least effective, it should not dissuade you from holding them.
To make these meetings more productive:
- Make sure your message resonates among staff by explaining what is in it from them.
- Resist using PowerPoint presentations and make it more of a personal presentation.
- Engage your employees in communication and do not take over. Try to include other staff in the presentation.
These steps can lead to your meeting being more productive.