Team meeting

5 tips for your next team talk

Team meetings are an important part of our daily work. Sometimes as weekly jour fixe, sometimes as video calls with the remote team or even hybrid, when teams at different locations exchange ideas. Whether on site or virtually, planned or spontaneous - team meetings play a major role in almost every professional group. That’s why we have put together 5 useful tips on how to make your next team meeting even more effective.

Why are effective team meetings so important?

First and foremost, a team meeting requires a team and a meeting. So far, so simple. But for a good and effective team meeting, there are a few things to keep in mind to make the meeting a complete success. Not only because of their technical importance team meetings are an important part of daily working routine. The social component also plays a crucial role. In this way, team meetings contribute to quick decision-making, effective collaboration and profitable discussions. Each participant contributes useful expertise and knowledge while synergies are created. This drives innovation, increases teamwork and commitment, and strengthens the company or organization in general.

1. Effective team meetings thanks to KISS & GEMO

Productivity is an important aspect of any meeting. But how should you design team meetings to use time and resources effectively? The basic rule for meetings of any kind is KISS - "keep it short and simple". This motto does not only apply to speeches, but should run through the entire meeting structure. It also has an influence on the choice of media. It is much better to use a flipchart showing a few key points than a sprawling PowerPoint presentation with many slides. After all, the goal of every team meeting is usually the exchange of opinions and not the one-sided presentation of certain topics. In order to keep your team meetings "short & simple", the GEMO principle is recommended as well. "Good enough, move on" is the motto when the most important points have been clarified. Not every topic on the agenda needs to be discussed down to the last detail. Better concentrate on the essentials. If there is still a need to talk about a topic and it exceeds the time frame of your meeting, define a working group that will deal with the topic more intensively.

2. Increase commitment of a team meeting

The participation and commitment of all participants is a key success factor for team meetings. However, especially in virtual and hybrid meetings, it is sometimes difficult to get everyone on board equally. For this reason, it makes sense to involve the employees in the organization even before the team meeting. Preparing the agenda, sending out invitations, presentation of the meeting - all of this can be done by people from the team. It not only takes pressure off the team leader, but automatically ensures more commitment. The team gets more involved when topics relevant to them are on the agenda and they can actively participate. Another great advantage is that meetings can also be held without the team leader. It means that the team meeting does not have to be canceled due to vacation or illness, which in turn increases productivity.

3. Resolve conflicts in a team meeting

Team meetings are also perfect for effectively addressing and resolving conflicts or disagreements within the team. The larger the team, the more impersonal the atmosphere often is. Important topics with conflict potential are usually bypassed and left unsaid. In a team meeting, there is room for all the things that concern the employees. It is of utmost importance that problems are addressed openly and honestly and that solutions are sought together. In this way you build team spirit which has a positive effect on the motivation of all team members. However, rule no. 1 also applies here: keep the exchange "short & simple" and end the discussion when everything essential has been said. Act according to the guideline "done is better than perfect" and don't get lost in the search for better solutions if a solution to the problem has already been found together.

4. Define goals & strategies of a team meeting

Team meetings are the right setting to communicate and update team goals and strategies. A team meeting creates transparency and ensures that all employees are provided with up-to-date information. Discuss the most important KPIs and goals for the future together. In this way, each team member can better understand her or his part in the big picture and is more motivated. It is also important that non-specialist topics in particular are presented in an easily understandable manner. Once again, the slogan is: "keep it short & simple". The following questions are fairly useful to provide a brief overview: where do we stand as a company, where do we stand as a team, what are our priorities, where do the individual projects stand, what is coming up soon and who is doing what.

5. Document results & decisions of a team meeting

The best and most productive meeting is worth nothing if the results and tasks are not backed up by proper documentation. It must be ensured that all team members are on the same information level after the meeting and can start implementing the tasks. A complete documentation (including minutes and to-do list with details of people and times) makes teamwork easier and prevents misunderstandings. Thanks to the meeting’s minutes, no important message will be lost and team members who are not present also get an insight into the meeting. As a consequence, tasks and measures should result from the conversation so that the effect of the productive discussions does not come to nothing. It is particularly important that it is already determined in the team meeting who will take care of it and by when. When creating the to-do list, the following questions can be used as a guideline: what was the problem, how are we reacting, who will take care of it and by when.

Gurgl Carat Congress Center in Obergurgl.

Team meetings in the mountains

A change of location brings a breath of fresh air to team meetings by promoting creativity. Especially important project meetings, multiple teams or onboarding meetings are more effective if they are held away from the actual place of work. This way, all participants can fully concentrate on the meeting. During your team meeting at Gurgl Carat, the focus is only on the meeting while the expert Carat team takes care of the organization. Thanks to the all-in-one service, you don't have to worry about catering, hotel bookings or side programs. What’s more: The fresh mountain air of Gurgl’s alpine world provides both inspiration and thriving discussions. A true "Alpine space for inspiration".