9 pages, to download and share.
Download the PDFThere are several kinds of team meetings, each with its own purpose and objectives. This guide focuses on weekly and monthly team meetings.
- Daily stand-ups, to energise the team.
- Weekly team meetings, to sync.
- Monthly team meetings, for more strategic topics.
- Team offsites.
1What a team meeting is for
Energise and create movement
These meetings are a time to get energised as a group and move team projects forward. A time to bond and make progress on team goals or OKRs.
Create alignment and cohesion
It is the only time when every team member hears the same thing: when they leave, everyone has the same level of information. It is also a good time to strengthen solidarity and help everyone find their place in the team.
Grow individuals and take the pulse
People learn from each other here: good practices, original approaches, new ideas. It is also a chance to feel the atmosphere in the team and see whether some people are withdrawn. Managers and team members must be attentive to others.
2What makes a team meeting successful
Define and achieve your goals
A meeting is successful when it meets the objectives you set for it: generating ideas, making decisions, building engagement. Check that these objectives are clearly defined. Everyone should leave knowing what they must do, individually and for the team.
Leave with more energy
How do you feel when you leave the meeting? More or less energised? If people come out jaded, heads down, there is a problem. If they feel good and want to come to the next one, the meeting was a success.
Let everyone speak
Balanced speaking time is a good marker. If everyone could speak freely and the floor wasn’t monopolised by one or two people, you have created a healthy, positive environment. Letting everyone speak out is a great way to strengthen the team.
3The three elements of a successful team meeting
Preparation
Success depends largely on preparation. Is there a structured agenda? Was it prepared asynchronously by the team members? For the manager, 1:1 meeting notes are a good starting point. Team members should be prepared on their own topics, and on those driven by others.
Interactions
The facilitator plays a key role: keeping to the timing of a well-structured agenda and ensuring balanced interactions. Everyone having spoken, and every topic covered without the meeting running over, are the signs of a successful meeting.
Focus and tempo
Vary the rhythm: share information, spark debates, ask questions. Avoid information tunnels and make sure everyone feels free to speak up. Focus only on topics that concern everyone, and avoid at all costs a round of individual status reports.
4The manager’s role
Make yourself dispensable
This meeting is not designed for the manager: it must have value for the team even when the manager is absent. Making yourself dispensable also means the meeting’s facilitator doesn’t have to be the manager.
Cascade key information
This is a good time to share information from leadership, pass on important news and, if needed, make administrative reminders. Sharing information also means listening to reactions, answering questions, and clarifying what you say and what the news means for each person.
Bring energy and look after team culture
It is up to the manager to set the right level of energy. The manager’s energy spreads very quickly to the rest of the team, for better or worse. The manager also makes sure the meeting reflects the company’s values: shared speaking time, respect for others and for everyone’s point of view.
5Practical tips
Build these meetings together
So that everyone feels involved, define the objectives and structure of the meetings together. A good way for the manager to do this is to use 1:1 meetings to collect each person’s feedback:
- Out of 10, how would you rate our team meeting?
- What should we do to reach 10 out of 10?
Adopt good practices
A rotating facilitator, a quick icebreaker to start, the “parking lot” technique… Many practices give your meetings more energy and quality. The icebreaker builds a climate of trust. The parking lot, noting on a real or virtual sticky note a topic to come back to later, helps you stay focused on what matters most.
Good equipment, especially for remote attendees
With hybrid work, this is far from a detail. Cameras on and working for everyone, and good audio, are what make the meeting work for people in the room and remote attendees alike.
The recap checklist
If you don’t tick every box, you know what to do next.
- The objectives of the meeting are clear.
- The format is well defined (length, frequency).
- The meeting is a source of energy, not the other way around.
- Everyone speaks freely.
- The meetings are prepared.
- There is a facilitator.
- The topics concern everyone.
- The timing and the agenda are respected.
- The equipment is good.
- The meetings give rise to feedback.
