Making the most of team meetings

Published 08th Jul 2008 by sophieh
Making the most of team meetings

Team meetings are an ideal opportunity for you to get together share ideas, give constructive criticism and make sure that everyone has a clear idea of your objectives and is pulling in the same direction.

But for too many salon owners and managers team meetings are a wasted opportunity. Karrin Lawrence, managing director of Pure Clarity, a consultancy specialising in management coaching, offers her top five tips for how to make the most out of yours.

  1. Make sure you have a clear objective

    When you hold a meeting always have a clear aim of what you want to achieve. Objectives could include: troubleshooting systems that are in need of upgrading; brainstorming as a team; training for new products or services; or informing the team of new salon goals or health and safety regulations. It could also be a chance to congratulate those team members who have worked hard, completed training or been successful in a business-related way.


  2. Involve every team member

    To ensure a knowledgeable and informed salon that can promote all aspects of your business to your clients, the entire team should attend. A client will not distinguish between a first-year trainee, a junior stylist, or a receptionist. A client will assume any member of the salon team is aware and trained to offer advice and guidance.


  3. Always prepare thoroughly

    Preparation is key. As you go about your work, you will notice issues that need to be addressed. You will be thinking of ways to move the salon forward and create better customer care; you will be looking at the salon's productivity, and noticing where you need to build profitability, and you will be aware of the team's morale and if members need motivating.


  4. Prioritise points to raise

    Form your agenda, you must then prioritise your list and decide what topics need input from the team. It could be you just want to impart new information, but you may want the team to come up with ideas and brainstorm. Always allow your team to contribute, and if you can let them know the agenda prior to the meeting taking place, this allows members to think about and focus on what is coming.


  5. Hold meetings regularly

    Once a month is a good timeframe for team meetings, with at least one hour given to the meeting itself. It should be made clear that this is working time, and so it should be conducted within the working day. In my experience, if you have a meeting outside of working hours, you have people eating breakfast, and making cups of tea and coffee and it becomes a more relaxed and social occasion, rather than a time to focus the team on the business.
sophieh

sophieh

Published 08th Jul 2008

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