Best Practices for Managing Team Meetings and Enhancing Collaboration
Effective team meetings are crucial to any organisation’s success, but the approach you take can make a big difference. Whether you're running a routine status update, a strategy day, or a team-building event, understanding the roles involved and the process at hand is key to getting the best results.
In this blog post, we'll break down some best practices for managing meetings, and explore different facilitation techniques to improve team collaboration, efficiency, and effectiveness.
1. Clarify the Role of the Meeting Chair
A successful meeting starts with effective chairing. The chair of a meeting is responsible for creating a structured environment where the right people are in the room, the agenda is followed, and the discussion stays on track. Whether the role is formally assigned or informally assumed by the team leader, the chair must:
Ensure the right attendees are present.
Set clear expectations for what each participant should bring to the meeting.
Keep the discussion focused and manage time.
Capture actions, decisions, and next steps.
By holding the "container" of the meeting, the chair ensures that the process stays productive, leaving participants free to focus on the content and ideas being discussed. A well-structured meeting is one where everyone knows their role, the time allocated, and the expected outcomes.
2. Facilitate Complex Strategy Meetings Effectively
When it comes to more complex sessions, such as strategic planning or away days, the stakes are higher. It's not just about ticking off agenda items—these meetings are often key to making decisions that can affect the entire organisation. For these meetings, a skilled facilitator is vital.
A facilitator—typically external to the team—plays a crucial role in managing the process. They focus on:
Ensuring everyone is engaged and has an opportunity to contribute.
Managing the energy levels of the group.
Keeping the discussion on topic, possibly using techniques like a "parking lot" to address off-topic ideas without derailing the main conversation.
Applying structured exercises to help the group think creatively and focus on the desired outcomes.
Having an external facilitator means that the group can focus on the content without the distraction of managing the process. It can be a game-changer, particularly in high-stakes situations like developing a multi-year strategy.
3. Rotate Facilitation Roles When Necessary
Not every team can afford an external facilitator. In these cases, rotating the facilitation role within the team can help spread the responsibility while maintaining focus on the process. However, it's important to recognise that facilitating and contributing to a meeting simultaneously is a difficult balance to strike. Often, one role will take precedence over the other.
If you're rotating facilitators, make sure that everyone understands the importance of sticking to the process and the value that the facilitator brings to the table. Clear expectations and support from senior leadership are essential for making this approach work.
4. Focus on Skills Development Through Training
When the goal is to improve specific skills—whether in leadership, technical knowledge, or interpersonal communication—training is the way to go. Great training sessions go beyond simply delivering content; they focus on real-world application, discussion, and reflection.
To maximise the effectiveness of a training session:
Have a clear objective for what you want participants to learn or achieve.
Include exercises that allow participants to apply what they’ve learned to scenarios that mimic their day-to-day work.
Encourage collaboration and sharing of knowledge within the team, allowing for peer learning and feedback.
A key aspect of effective training is recognising that participants come with varying levels of expertise. The best trainers will build on existing knowledge, guiding less experienced participants while offering a "refresh" to more skilled individuals.
5. Leverage Team Coaching for Long-Term Effectiveness
Unlike training, which focuses on specific skills, team coaching aims to improve the overall dynamics of the team. It helps the team look inwards, examining how they work together, the beliefs and assumptions they bring to the table, and the behaviours that contribute to their success or hinder their progress.
In team coaching, the focus is not just on the task at hand but on how the team operates and interacts. Some key elements of team coaching include:
Improving communication and collaboration.
Addressing underlying conflicts or trust issues.
Identifying and resolving any cultural or interpersonal barriers to success.
What makes team coaching distinct is its ongoing nature. Unlike one-off team-building events, team coaching sessions often take place over time, allowing the team to work on continuous improvement. This is an intentional, structured process that aligns the team’s behaviours with their goals.
6. Distinguish Between Team Building and Team Coaching
While team building is often seen as a fun activity to enhance relationships, team coaching goes much deeper. Team-building activities, such as group outings or "ice-breaker" exercises, can improve interpersonal relationships but don’t always address the underlying factors that make a team effective. These events can sometimes miss the mark, especially if they don’t accommodate the diverse needs and preferences of the team.
Team coaching, on the other hand, focuses on understanding team dynamics, improving communication, and aligning the team’s behaviour with its broader objectives. It is much more purposeful and ongoing, ensuring that the team’s processes evolve to meet their goals.
7. Adapt to Your Needs: Flexibility is Key
One of the key takeaways from managing team meetings is that the roles and techniques you use are not fixed. Depending on the situation, you may need to wear different hats—facilitator, chair, coach, or trainer. The flexibility to adapt to what’s needed at any given moment is crucial for success.
For example, during leadership development events, you might blend training with facilitation, depending on the need for content delivery versus discussion and decision-making. By being mindful of the roles and how they overlap, you can ensure the meeting is as effective as possible.
Conclusion: Striving for Balance and Effectiveness
In conclusion, effective meetings and team collaboration require a balance of structure, process, and content. Understanding the roles of chair, facilitator, trainer, coach, and team builder is key to successfully navigating different meeting types. By carefully considering the approach that best suits the meeting’s purpose and the team’s needs, you can maximise both engagement and productivity.
Always remember that improving team dynamics is a continuous journey, and the best results come when everyone is clear on their roles and expectations. Whether you're tackling a routine status update, a complex strategy session, or working on long-term team effectiveness, using the right approach at the right time will help you achieve better outcomes.