“Communication”

One hour of personal communication with subordinates can replace weekly correspondence. Yes, technically you cannot meet at all. Gather in the office, look in the eye, talk about the tasks of the business.

If each meeting is like a blow to the head for employees, then such meetings will make little sense. The workers simply will not have time to prepare and will be weakly involved in the movement. Therefore, the holding of meetings should be as systematic as possible.

Work issues are best addressed personally by looking into each other's eyes. Yes, to communicate in a million ways like Skype or by correspondence in social networks is not a problem. But the leader, waving his arms and with fire in his eyes, is always more convincing than an impersonal voice on the phone, not to mention the dry lines of the message

At meetings, you can guess the mood of employees. They sit and joyfully nod their heads, which means that everything is in order and the atmosphere in the team is normal. Even the eyes of an experienced boss will immediately understand whether his messages reach subordinates or not.

More meetings discipline workers. If an employee knows for sure that once a week he will be asked for all the tasks assigned, he is much more responsible for their implementation. And getting caught up with everyone on the rug of the boss is much more offensive than on the phone. You stand, handsome and in a suit from “Brioni”, and you are being scolded as a first grader. No, it’s better to pick up all the tails before the meeting and proudly report on completed assignments.

Another important goal of meetings is to rally the team. When everyone is boiled in their own juice and does not have a platform for expressions - this is bad.

Meetings are scheduled and unscheduled. Scheduled meetings discuss current work issues. Just they are carried out according to a schedule planned in advance - hence the name. These can be daily five-minute planning hours, weekly and monthly meetings. Unscheduled meetings are convened to quickly solve a specific problem that has arisen here and now. May take place at any time.

Operatives should not become a formality like “Well, today is Monday, we need to get together and talk.” In order for the meeting to be useful, you need to prepare. Make a meeting plan. So you will not forget anything and avoid confusion when setting out tasks. No plan - no clear structure. You will swim, jump from one to another. You will be confused and bewilder the collective;

Make a list of employees to invite. It all depends on the subject and tasks. If you are going to talk with the heads of departments regarding increasing sales, you do not need to call an accountant. Define the timing. The optimal meeting time is from 30 minutes to an hour. If you communicate less, it is unlikely that you will be able to cover all working issues and give everyone their say. And take more than an hour - employees will start to yawn sweetly and lose the thread of conversation. You can not meet the hour - break the meeting into 2 parts with a short break - 5-7 minutes. Remember the last meeting. We recommend starting communication in order to go over the tasks set in the previous RAM. Let those responsible for their implementation report how things are going. Estimate the structure of the meeting. Put important and priority tasks in the foreground, and discuss all kinds of corporate parties and trips to nature in the end. Advance the staff you want to call in advance. Better in person or by phone. Make a newsletter - they will say that you did not have time to read the letter. Prepare the documents. If you need any materials - print them in advance so as not to rage at the last moment or, worse, to interrupt the meeting for this. Make copies for all employees who may need it;

ask staff to grab notebooks and pens. 90% of what will be heard at the meeting will be immediately forgotten. And what is written with a pen - you can’t cut it with an ax. Let them sit and make notes - then it will be more convenient for ourselves to remember what was said.

It is necessary to build the meeting in such a way as to work out as many different questions as possible. Break the meeting into parts:

Announcement of the meeting plan. List the items on the agenda first. Quite briefly - the details will begin during the discussion of the issues themselves.

Go over the last meeting. What tasks were set, how are they being carried out, what difficulties arise.

Start the discussion with important and urgent tasks, gradually moving to less significant ones.

Brainstorm if necessary.

Ask participants to ask questions of interest. Sometimes for them this is the only chance to do it. Perhaps not all those gathered see each other outside your office, but here, while everyone has gathered, you need to use the opportunity. Complete the meeting. In the end, as we already said, we can discuss issues that are not directly related to business: life outside the office, employees' birthdays, and so on.

During the meeting, do not forget to mark those who have done a good job. It motivates people to work better - this time. A person sees that his merits did not go unnoticed - these are two. And for others, a good example.

Do you know which claim is most common among subordinates? Nobody likes when the boss notices only flaws. Once in my life I did not pass the project on time - they will notice right away. And plowing from dawn to dawn - no one notices this and is taken for granted.

Do not go this way. Be fair - what could be easier. Did well and on time - praise, make a mistake - scold. Just do not make exceptions. To punish - so everyone, no pets and prejudice. If for one and the same offense one is deprived of a bonus, while the other is not even noticed, then something is wrong here. Employees very subtly feel discrimination and prejudice - and the conflict is not far away.

The meeting should not be a leader’s monologue, no matter how good a speaker. Therefore, always let everyone speak to everyone. Making it easier is simple: after each point of the meeting, ask those present if they have any questions or comments. In general, get people involved in the process as much as possible. Accustom them to the fact that questions can and should be asked.

If there are newcomers at the meeting, give them a little more attention than the rest. New employees may be embarrassed to express their opinion. And it can be very valuable - such employees have a fresh outlook on things, inaccessible to those who have been in business for many years.

A workshop is a very effective communication tool, if used properly. Make it a system and very soon you will feel the result.