Team Building Tips

We've all been in them. We've all had good ones and unbearably boring ones. We've been participants in ones where amazing things were accomplished. And we've left ones shaking our heads and wondering why we were even there. Meetings can either be the bane of existence to an employee or group or a valuable tool in meeting goals and objectives.

The meeting structure:
 Creative thinking that works with problem solving skills to produce solutions is the" what" of a meeting. The "why" of the meeting is to address issues or concerns that require the input of more than one person's current information can address. The outcome of the meeting should be solutions or direction specific to the issues or concerns presented at the beginning.

If the meeting is nothing more than rehash [in most cases, rehashing something means that a solution is not, at that time, required or desired] or general conversation, it wasn't a meeting at all...it was a social occasion. Human groups, no matter what the setting, have a need to socialize.

Schedule social gatherings:
 To satisfy the need people have to socialize one with another To satisfy the need people have to rehash something for the purpose of feeding the need to be heard

Social gatherings should be an important part of the life of a company. There are some types of jobs where the individual employees rarely interact with others in their divisions or departments. Social meetings give people an opportunity to feel as though they are valued and a part of the greater whole.

Meetings should be:
 Specific to a particular issue or concern Should either be scheduled to: (a) problem-solve and seek solutions to specific issues or concerns; (b) disseminate specific information to a specific target group; (c) ask for feedback when such feedback is desired in an in-person setting rather than asking for and receiving feedback via a non-personal method such as e-mail; this type of meeting is for those times when it is expected that questions will be asked or immediate feedback is desired from the members; (d) solicitation of responses from a target group - some people will only respond to some issues when in a group situation [they may ignore requests done by e-mail or form letters], also, this type of meeting can sometimes give those employees who rarely are included in other kinds of meeting settings an opportunity to share their opinions or ask questions Should include only the participation of those in the group who can bring the requisite information that will aid in generating creative thinking to lead to problem solving; or in the case of a dissemination-type of meeting require the specific information being presented Should include those participants who have problem solving skills and can facilitate the group towards solutions Be time limited - a couple of points: (a) in a business where individuals are required to attend multiple meetings per day, a timeframe allows for scheduling needs; (b) if the discussion of the issue or concern reveals that it is too broad to be concluded in the current meeting, then it should be broken down into parts and subsequent meetings set up to work on each of the parts; (c) ignore the scheduled time: continue the discussion regardless of the published timeframe to reach a satisfactory conclusion [identify the solution] if the facilitator and the group agree to that advantage; (d) end the meeting when the business at hand has been satisfactorily concluded...as example, if the timeframe was a scheduled one hour, but it took only fifteen minutes to identify the problem and agree upon a satisfactory conclusion, then disband the meeting...don't use the time simply because it's there - people should feel as though their time is valued

Don't call a group meeting:
 That is trivial - when information being presented or asked for can better be handled in a non face-to-face way If the information can better be given or asked for in a one-on-one situation That wastes people's time. When people feel their time has been wasted they also feel a sense of being devalued as a member of the team, group or company. 

It is the skillful leader and manager who knows when to call a meeting and when one is not necessary. Meetings are tools that can have great value for any size business.

Linda C Smith, author and owner of a home-based business. I write a business blog at http://intlnat.com where you can also find links to my business. My joy in business is sharing my passion for my products as well as showing others how they can enjoy the benefits of a home business.