If you are a team leader, you know firsthand how crucial internal business meetings are for increasing teamwork and overall business management.
Having extensive experience in the business world and specifically in the demands of those who lead, we get a lot of feedback from clients who are not satisfied with the group meetings they organize.
Because some members tend to monopolize the conversation, while others do not seem to be engaged at all. On the other hand, team members complain that the owner usually does all the talking, which usually sounds like preaching.
Leaders need to think about whether they listen profoundly and honestly to their teams. Often when we listen, we think of ourselves. We use our brains to create quick answers and strong arguments based on our own point of view and rarely empathize and really listen to what is being said.
Personnel management: 3 reasons for the ideal design of internal business meetings
There are many reasons for carefully designing listening sessions.
- To create deep psychological safety where everyone can be included and where nobody is threatened, judged, or embarrassed.
- To facilitate insight and make associations that deepen our understanding. Insights are moments of energy where our brain creates new maps (neuroplasticity). Insights are powerful tools that can lead an employee to be intrinsically motivated.
- To encourage action so that all the good ideas are executed. It is essential to be in a reward state so that we share our thinking. Threat triggers should be minimized.
Business meetings: How to conduct them properly
The development of a business is directly related to the productivity and the smooth operation of the team. Increasing teamwork is a significant factor that promotes the development and should be one of the key goals in staff management.
Internal meetings often referred to as team meetings, are an element that can and should promote teamwork. But in order to be effective, some principles and some tactics must be followed.
The business meetings must first have a clear purpose and certainly include the following aspects:
- A clear topic or problem
- Discussion
- Decision
- Consent and alignment
Apart from these, each team manager must also keep in mind the following:
Listen Deeply
“Listen with the intent to understand, not with the intent to reply”.
Stephen Covey
Listening Deeply demands a growth mindset and an increased level of concentration, focus, and perspective in our leadership style. Even if what we are hearing is triggering a threat response in our brains, we should continue to listen carefully and then try to deal with the feelings and responses.
Listening with empathy, not sympathy. When listening with empathy, our mirror neurons light up to reflect what the other person is saying without being involved as we would be with sympathy. That helps not to judge or be biased and to use our brain more than our heart in accessing the information.
Listening circles
“The single most important problem in communication is the illusion it has happened.”
George Bernard Shaw
In listening circles, everyone can speak in turns, and there is no judgment, no interruption. No one is allowed to speak twice if everyone else has not spoken. Relatedness is enhanced, and the members start to feel in-group.
Leaders should speak first and use genuine language to show vulnerability which will allow others to reduce stress levels.
We know a listening group is going well when people feel safe and share their experiences and thoughts. Leaders prioritize listening and learning instead of speaking and graciously receive any difficult feedback. Attendees leave the session, and they feel heard and understood. Leaders provide certainty as to what employees can expect going forward.
A charismatic leader applies all of the above without difficulty. The tactics over time become spontaneous, always maintaining the leadership style and understanding the different professional personalities, and ultimately organizing productive business meetings effortlessly.
If you, too, want to develop your skills as a manager, understand your potential, and develop your leadership profile and behavior, start with the Quintax® Psychometric Test or book a free consultation with Jennie Kamaradou, job psychologist and business consultant.
For any other questions, do not hesitate to contact us through the website www.jenniekamaradou.com.