Improve Engagement (And Save Time!) During Your Next Team Meeting

• Are you wasting time in your team meetings?

• One thing you might consider is that some of your meetings may not be necessary at all.

• In the American workplace, we sometimes confuse meetings with getting things done.– If you can’t quickly and easily articulate the reason

and goal of your meeting, then it probably doesn’t need to be held.

Engagement is Essential• Engage your team members.

• If they’re actually involved with what you’re discussing on every level—if they’re not just hearing but actually listening, and contributing as well—then every minute you spend in that meeting is going to be, on some level, valuable.

• Building engagement takes some time and some effort—but with the right strategies, it’s possible!

Making Your Meetings More Engaging

• Frame your meeting as a chance to solve problems.

• Meetings that lack focus will also lack engagement. – State the specific problem that your team is facing,

and ask for any suggestions for improvement.

• Start with something positive.

• Before you get into problems and solutions, talk about something that’s going right for your team.

• Ask team members for some reflections on what they think is going right.

• Encourage everyone to participate.

• You might even go around the room in order and ask everyone to voice an idea—no matter how big or small, how rough or how precise.

• Just be comfortable with a few moments of silence as people think—and remember to be supportive of all ideas voiced!

• There’s no room for harsh criticism in a brainstorming session.

• Break down into groups.

• Divide your team into sub-teams of two or three people, and have them do some brainstorming together before reporting back to the group.

• Show respect.

• If you want your team members to be engaged in your meetings, you’ve got to convince them that their ideas will be respected, not mocked, dismissed, or picked apart right in front of them!

PRODUCTIVE MEETINGS ARE POSSIBLE—AND THEY START WHEN YOU GET ALL YOUR TEAM MEMBERS INVOLVED AND ENGAGED.

About Dr. Rick Goodman• Dr. Rick Goodman CSP is an authority in the world of leadership and

is known as one of the most sought after team building experts in the United States and internationally.

• He is famous for helping organizations, corporations, and individuals with systems and strategies that produce increased profits and productivity without having the challenges of micro managing the process. Some of Dr. Rick’s clients include AT&T, Boeing, Cavium Networks, Heineken, IBM, and Hewlett Packard.

• For more information on Rick’s speaking programs, audio programs, and learning programs, contact (888) 267-6098 or Rick@rickgoodman.com, or visit www.rickgoodman.com.