Tips for more productive staff meetings

Through a special arrangement, presented here for discussion is a summary of a current article from Retail Contrarian, the blog of the Dynamic Experiences Group. I'm a big proponent of regular staff meetings. Whether they're weekly or monthly, regularly getting the entire team together is extremely productive — if, that is, the time is used wisely. Two ways to drive more productive store meetings: Practice/role play. Whether you're rolling out new products, teaching the staff how to deliver a better service experience, calling customers, or looking to improve your sales approach, taking the time to show — not just tell — how to do something makes a big difference. Brainstorming. Associates have a lot of great insights, but you probably won't hear them if you don't ask. Spend 10 to 15 minutes brainstorming forward focused questions such as:

• "What else can we do to increase the number of visits by our regular customers?"
• "What actions can we take to increase our average sale by $10?”
• "What actions can we take to make our customers feel even more special?”

Two all-to-common backfires driving less productive meetings: Lecturing versus teach and engage. Passive listening to information that could have been communicated in an e-mail or memo is not a productive use of payroll or the staff's time. Staff meetings should be looked at as an investment. Use this time to develop your team and improve your store experience and results. Focusing too much on the negative. Because this is one of the few times everyone is together, leaders can find themselves talking too much about little things that are wrong. Again, this is information that can often be covered in a memo. If you need to have this type of conversation, make it quick and move on to more productive topics.

• Tips for a more productive staff meeting - Retail Contrarian