Team meetings are essential to managing a business and individual projects. Part of effective meetings includes knowing Zoom background requirements, but the most important aspect of meetings is team engagement. Team engagement refers to participation. It is not enough for a couple of core members to lead with engagement. You want to ensure that every member is providing input and vocalizing their opinions and needs. However, as a manager, you also need to take into consideration individual members’ feelings and needs. Some members are more confident in sharing in a group setting, while others prefer to speak one-on-one.
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1. Create a Meeting Mission
Do not get caught up in designing a virtual office background with logo. While personalization can help team unity, a logo will not necessarily improve engagement. One of the best things you can do as a leader is to create a meeting mission. The mission will describe the purpose of the meeting. You can also itemize the focus of the meeting, specifying what will be discussed and in what order.
While some managers and leaders prefer to hand the mission out at the meeting, sometimes it is better to hand out the mission prior to the meeting. If the team members can have a couple of days with the mission or even an afternoon with it, they can better prepare themselves for the topics. The more time you allow your team to spend with the mission, the more time they have to prepare questions and insights.
2. Communicate Fresh Ideas
A Google Meet virtual background can offer some semblance of unity, but if engagement is key, you will want to focus on fresh ideas and brainstorming. One of the best ways to get people to participate in discussions is by forcing them to use their imaginations. For instance, when you hand out the meeting mission, ask each participant to come up with a few questions, ideas, or observations. When a member presents a question, open the room up for discussion and follow-ups. Additionally, when introducing new ideas, allow the group to critique them and share potential changes. Asking for input is one of the best ways to ensure engagement; it also helps to improve communication.
3. Ask Questions
While it is important for the group to ask questions, it is also crucial that you ask questions of the group. You want to ask a series of open-ended questions. Open-ended questions force team members to respond with full sentences and details, not just yes or no responses. Additionally, asking questions allows employees to feel like they are a part of the bigger company picture and culture. Asking questions can also encourage further discussion within the group because one team member’s response might elicit other responses and observations.
Team meetings are vital to organizational and project success. Unfortunately, if handled poorly, a meeting will not result in further understanding or an expansion of ideas. Innovation and growth require dialogue and participation. If you want to improve team engagement, contact a team development expert.
