As we all continue to adapt to our remote workplace in 2021, coaches find that our clients confide worries and challenges about virtual meetings to us.
So, meeting leaders, here are easy ways to enhance your team’s morale and productivity :
- Give them a break. Some team members feel like it’s a luxury to visit their own bathroom or grab a yogurt, as close as they may be. Encourage 15-minute breaks every ninety minutes or two hours and discourage back to back meetings. Speaking of meetings…
- Make it easy to ask questions. Team members miss informal chatter, laughs, and learning from others just by hanging out. One financial analyst shared that he avoids asking his manager a simple question since it seems “so formal” to schedule a call.
- Remember that fun builds trust. Make time for rituals and some crazy moments. Getting those positive hormones going is bonding—and bonding builds morale. Back in November, I asked a bank CIO to share the highlight of his past week. The enthusiasm in his voice and body language was better than ever when he shared that he organized a Halloween costume contest. This C- Suite Dracula had forty team members enter with just a day’s notice.
- Create an inclusive meeting mindset. McKinsey, the top consulting firm, recently reported engagement and performance correlated with how “included” an employee feels.
(https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/organization/our-insights/understanding-organizational-barriers-to-a-more-inclusive-workplace)
I’m currently helping meeting leaders/facilitators to ensure that participation is as equal as possible, that leaders aren’t doing all the talking and that even the quieter folks are adding value.
Try a few easy tweaks, such as doing a “round-robin” after a question is posed to the group.
One of my favorite quotes: “Everyone is wearing a sign—make me feel special.”
Laurie Schloff, Executive Communication Coach, The Speech Improvement Company
