HOW TO RUN A STAFF MEETING IN YOUR BUSINESS

Staff meetings can be useful if they are not too regular, or boring.

1. Meet maybe a couple of times a year. 
2. Keep meetings under 30 minutes.
3. Involve everyone who works in the shop.
4. Have an agenda.
5. Know what you want as an outcome.
6. Don’t meet unless you know what you want as an outcome.
7. Leave time for people to raise any topic.
8. Note: all opinions are valuable and valued, open communication is safe.
9. As a tradition, always end with all participants sharing a good customer story.

The goals of meetings like this are to have everyone on the same page, focussed on the success of the business and contributing their ideas for the benefit of all. A side benefit can be you retain good staff, identify possible leaders and learn yourself things you didn’t know.

Here’s a simple agenda for one meeting you could follow:

1. New products just in;
2. What we’re pitching from the counter;
3. How to help a customer without getting in the way;
4. Do we sell congratulations on getting your driver’s licence cards?;
5. What is special about xxx product?;
6. How to set the front of the shop up in the morning;
7. Open forum – any topics.

Key to the success of stand-up staff meetings is regularity. Once you start them, don’t stop. This encourages engagement.