When you think of a meeting, do images of a stuffy conference room filled with just barely awake attendees come to mind? Do your eyes glaze over? Do you feel the immediate need for some form of caffeinated beverage?
You’re not alone. Not many people actually like meetings. Preferences aside though, meetings are a fact of life. Sometimes the only effective way to disseminate information and share ideas with a group of people is to get them together.
Meetings are just as important in a pharmacy or retail setting as they are in a corporate environment. However, the logistics might just be a little different.
Here are 5 essential types of meetings and some tips that will help you make each efficient, effective, and maybe even enjoyable.
The Daily Huddle
The daily huddle is a way to bring your team up to speed quickly on important news and goals for the day. This meeting only needs to include the staff that’s there for the day and should take up 5 minutes of time or less. Include topics like what team members should be doing if there’s down time (run recovery on the gift department if the front register is slow) any updates (we just got in this new product) or goals (I’d like to sell this many gift cards today). Make this meeting a ritual and you’ll keep everyone informed and prevent a ton of little things from piling up
The Team Meetings
Full team meetings are exactly what they sound like. Gathering everyone together in one space (in person or virtually) to discuss important topics that impact everyone. This does mean that you’ll have to bring some employees in outside of their normal hours and their may be some extra pay or overtime required. It’s no ones favorite thing, but it is a necessity to keep everyone on the same page. Plus, you may be surprised at how many amazing ideas come to light when your whole team can collaborate. Try to have team meetings monthly or quarterly and keep them to under an hour. Set an agenda before the meeting so you make sure to cover everything that needs to be discussed. Also consider bringing snacks if you’re bringing your team together in person during off hours.
The Employee Review
Constructive feedback is important to the success of your employees. They need to understand what improvements they can strive for, and most importantly, be acknowledged when they exceed expectations. Schedule regular one-on-ones with your team. They can be formal reviews, more casual check-ins, or a combination of both.
The Training Session
Ongoing training keeps your business running smoothly. Make time for training on a variety of important topics. Compliance, technology, customer service, policy, and products are all topics that you can touch on. Some training might be individual and some of it might make sense to do in a more formal group setting.
The Team Builder
Sometimes a meeting is just for fun. To relax, connect with co-workers and blow off a little steam. This is the team builder. This meeting isn’t formal, there’s not an agenda, it doesn’t need a set schedule. But it is important to get your team together every once in a while to thank them for all the work they do. This can be a holiday party, a summer barbeque, or mid-spring pizza and karaoke. There’s no rules, except that you need to have this meeting somewhere on your calendar for the year.
Want more meeting and business management tips? Watch our interview with Professor of Business Emily Cannata. Click here to see it now!
