Communication in the Workplace- Meetings, Meetings and More Meetings

So far, we have reviewed the importance of face-to -face communication, and the benefits and risks of the various types of written communication. Now let’s review everyone’s favorite topic…meetings! I have attended more than my fair share of meetings in my career. Everything from one-on-ones with my boss to weekly staff meetings, management brainstorming sessions, annual kick- off meetings, quarterly business updates, meetings about disaster recovery, meetings announcing mergers and acquisitions, town hall meetings and meetings to plan everything from training classes to workplace celebrations. I have even had the ‘privilege’ of attending the meeting that informed me that my job, and the jobs of 900 others, had been eliminated. I’ve attended meetings that were facilitated in person, through conference calls, via video conference and through web meeting services. There seems to be a bazillion reasons to have a meeting and increasingly creative ways to host them.

Unfortunately, meetings have gotten a bad rap in the work world, and this is disappointing. Although there are leaders out there that seem to want to hold a meeting every time an employee gets a paper cut, effective meetings are an important method of communication when properly facilitated. Not only are meetings a great way to share critical information and encourage the sharing of ideas, but they are a great way to encourage socialization of a team. The better everyone gets to know each other and see how their peers think and work, the more cohesively the team will work together. Whether the meeting is with company vice presidents, or the crew that works in the mailroom, effective working relationships are critical to every company.

Let’s review some of the most common types of meetings that supervisors will attend and facilitate, along with the important elements of each:

STAFF MEETINGS
Ah yes, the dreaded staff meeting. Many people roll their eyes and sigh heavily when they hear the term. I believe when this type of meeting is facilitated correctly, it is one of the most effective communication vehicles for leadership and front line teams. The elements of an effective staff meeting are as follows:

Frequency- The frequency of staff meetings should be based on the employee’s role in their organization.

• Senior/Middle Managers- Most commonly, you will find that senior/middle managers typically participate in some type of weekly meeting in an effort to ensure all the leaders within a division, region or district are on the same page. It is a great opportunity to review the successes and concerns of key initiatives. It is also the time to review any cross-functional issues, as well as new programs that are rolling out to the organization. The senior manager can then determine how to best communicate to their respective teams.
• Supervisors- Weekly staff meetings can also be extremely effective for the supervisory ranks to ensure crucial information is disseminated to them and their teams in a timely manner.
• Front Line Employees- Staff meetings with the front line team are important to create a culture of strong communication and cohesiveness. Barring any unusual circumstances (new roll out, merger, acquisition, etc) a monthly staff meeting should suffice.

Length- One of the biggest mistakes that leaders make when it comes to staff meetings is not holding them on a regularly scheduled basis. This leads to a build-up of required communication and when the meeting finally occurs, it drags on for an extreme length of time. It is my experience that once a meeting goes beyond the two hour mark, attendees’ attention spans begin to drop. After six hours, the attentiveness of the participants plummets to the point that most are not retaining much of what is being covered. In my opinion, this is why meetings get such a bad rap. Scheduling a standard meeting time, and committing to a maximum meeting time, helps keep meetings a tool for effective communication. If there is only enough information to hold a 20 minute session, then a 20 minute meeting it is.

Content- I strongly suggest preparing a standard ‘high-level’ agenda for your staff meetings. That way participants will become accustomed to the topics that will be covered each meeting and can prepare information needed to have a valuable discussion on each topic. Make sure to cover key elements in most business environments like productivity, quality, service, profitability, new business/sales updates, new program roll-outs, etc

Setting Strong Ground Rules- All leaders need to set strong ground rules for their staff meetings. Everything from materials that need to be brought to the meetings, to the level of participation expected from participants and even how disagreements should be handled must be clearly defined for all attendees.

Leaders must remember that they can spend half their work life in meetings, but if they do not update their teams in a timely, accurate and thorough manner on the various topics reviewed in the meeting, it is all just a giant waste of time. Worse yet, the lack of information will erode the effectiveness of the team.


THE CONFIDENTIALITY FACTOR
Supervisors/managers should expect to be invited to meetings from time to time that deal with highly sensitive or confidential information. Although it is absolutely critical that you share whatever information you can with your employees, when that information is deemed confidential, you are bound by an ethical obligation to keep it to yourself until you are officially allowed to share. Although many leaders think they have employees or co-workers they can trust, understand the risk you are running if you violate confidentially and your confidant opens their mouth and shares it with their inner circle. And keep in mind, EVERYONE in the workplace has their own inner circle. Just remember, once the cat is officially out of the bag, it can most likely be traced right back to you. So know the real risks before you open your mouth!!

Beyond violating confidentiality, the other risk you run is fueling the rumor mill, and we all know the problems that can cause. You will quickly erode your employees’ confidence and trust if you are seen as someone who moonlights as the town crier.

Other meetings you will likely attend may involve discussions or brainstorming sessions on potential changes to your organizational structure or various process/procedural changes. Sharing information with team members about possible changes will just create unneeded stress, speculation and chaos. Remember, many employees do not like change, so sharing potential changes contributes nothing positive for your work environment.


ONE-ON-ONE MEETINGS
One-on-one meetings with your employees improve communication, and are a critical part of their development. The frequency of these meetings is often based on the employee’s role in the organization. Many managers have one-on-ones with their direct reports on a weekly basis. Supervisors may have a one-on-one session with each of their employees on a monthly or quarterly basis. These types of meetings should be used for the following:

• Following-up on any projects the employee is involved with

• Checking for understanding of any new processes, procedures or programs that recently rolled out

• Gaining an understanding of how the employee is feeling about their work environment

• Conducting career planning or development discussions


BRAINSTORMING SESSIONS
Brainstorming sessions are a great tool for instilling a sense of buy-in and accountability with your front line employees. Most companies roll-out new goals and expectations on an annual basis. Whether for that reason, or to just challenge your team to take a process to the next level, bringing your team together to brainstorm ideas builds enthusiasm and commitment; it can also fosters true team environment. Ground rules for brainstorming include the following:

• Make it a fun and enthusiastic meeting

• Create an environment where all employees are encouraged to participate

• Acknowledgement and encouragement for those who are participating in the session

• Ensure that everyone understands that there are no dumb ideas. The more ideas that are thrown out to the group, the more ideas spring forth

• Address any negativity that may arise

• Document every idea that is brought forward

• Work with the team to narrow down the ideas that have the best chance of making a positive impact on the environment and meeting the new goal or objective

After the brainstorming session has narrowed down viable options, schedule follow-up meetings to begin hammering out the details.


SUMMARY
You can’t necessarily do much about the meetings you will have to attend that go on for 16 hours regarding the most mundane and uninteresting topics imaginable. What you can do however, is make sure that the meetings you are planning and facilitating achieve the goals and meet the expectations of your employees.

Keep in mind that communication is the cornerstone of your success as a leader. You must be strategic about how your approach each element of the communication you will use with your team. I highly suggest you periodically initiate a little survey with your team to find out whether your communication skills (face-to-face, written, meetings, etc) are effectively supporting their needs. Be open to the results and try modifying your style if needed based on their recommendations.