5 Simple Ways to Improve Your Team Meetings

CULTURECOLLABORATION

3/15/20253 min read

We’ve all been there too many times: the complete-waste-of-time meeting. The bane of adulting and the fodder for all those tragic on-screen portrayals of office life. Let’s hope it’s never a meeting we’re leading…right? Well, you’re in luck: I’m here to sprinkle a little office magic over your next meeting.

Try on these 5 simple ideas to make your team meetings more productive and enjoyable.

Start with connection before content.

Humans are hard-wired to seek connection. Getting to know our coworkers beyond their roles as fellow task rabbits builds trust and better working relationships – not to mention more fun at the office. A check-in question at the start of each meeting can have a big impact. It can be a quick and cheesy icebreaker like, “What superpower would you most like to have and why?”, or an opportunity for celebration with, “What is something you’ve been proud of this week?”. If you have a little more time and group willingness, the most impactful question I’ve experienced is, “What was a time, either personally or professionally, when you had to make a difficult decision, and what did you learn?” Even a simple question has amazing power to remind us that we are connected to our fellow humans by similar struggles and joys.

Paint the successful outcome.

It is far too easy – especially with recurring meetings – to assume “checking in” is enough of a reason to meet. According to gathering guru Priya Parker, if you cannot define a meaningful purpose for your gathering, you should not hold it at all. She says in The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why it Matters: “Reverse engineer an outcome: Think of what you want to be different because you gathered, and work backward from that outcome.” Your purpose doesn’t have to be revolutionary, but it does need to be clear and directly related to your team’s goals. Perhaps it’s to brainstorm around a challenge and agree on how to move forward. Perhaps it’s to learn a new topic together, or to strengthen your team through better understanding of how each person’s role contributes to the whole. Communicate the meeting purpose up front and align every agenda item toward this north star.

Draw out quieter voices.

How often have you suffered through a meeting dominated by one or two very loud voices? Not only does this cause others in the room to disengage, it prevents the best solutions from developing from a diverse blend of ideas. Don’t be afraid to say, “I want to make sure we hear everyone’s perspective in order to make the best decision. Does anyone who hasn’t shared yet have something to add? Kristy? Mike?” When you foster a meeting culture that genuinely values inclusion of all voices, and sets the expectation of participation, people will more willingly engage. Appreciating people who speak up in disagreement is also important in creating a safe space for authentic sharing of ideas.

Mastermind your time.

Not every meeting has to be an hour just because we live our workdays in this bizarro matrix of one-hour blocks. Schedule your meeting length intentionally based on its purpose. Help yourself to manage the meeting flow by assigning time limits for each agenda item. Show respect for everyone by ending on time.

Anchor your work with next steps.

One of my biggest pet peeves is the meeting that is forgotten ten minutes later, never achieving impact other than lost time because the discussion lacked accountable next steps. We get sucked into immediate needs back at our desk and our best intentions for follow-up evaporate. Prevention of this problem is so simple! Set aside the last 5-10 minutes of your meeting to establish group agreement on next steps, people responsible for each and timelines. Schedule your next meeting then and there or agree on a follow-up method to hold everyone accountable.

Our workplaces will never escape the inevitable parade of meetings. But with a bit of intention and planning, meetings are great opportunities to solve challenges, build team capacity and collaborate for greater impact. Let’s create a world of better meetings!

Coalesce Consulting

Organizational Culture Development · Team Facilitation · Strategic Planning