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Emily Mason

Let’s Meetup: What Team Meetings Are and Why They Are Important

Updated: Aug 8


Team meetings. To some, these can feel like an inconvenience and a waste of time, but if done correctly, these get-togethers can be the key to a company’s success. To conduct a productive and impactful meeting for your team, you need to plan and account for the purpose of your meeting. No one wants to take time out of their day to attend a meeting that definitely could’ve just been an email. But how do you avoid this issue and host meaningful and engaging meetings for your team? Well, in this post we’ll show you how! 

 

What is the purpose of team meetings?  

 

At its core, the purpose of a team meeting is to share information efficiently and to provide a space where team members can have an open discussion about the topics being shared. The exact purpose of a team meeting is determined by the topics on its agenda. For example, you host a meeting to announce a new program that the company will be implementing in the following weeks. The most productive and effective team meetings have a clear purpose in mind. Be sure to identify the purpose of your meeting to ensure that the meeting stays on track and accomplishes its intended result.  

 

Team meetings also provide staff with an opportunity to spend time together and share what is on their minds. Here at STEPS, we begin our team meetings by sharing “wins”. These wins can be personal or professional but allow the team to bond and hear about the positive things that their coworkers are doing inside and outside of the workplace.  

 

The Types of Team Meetings  

 

As you can imagine, not every meeting has the same purpose. A great way to help you determine the purpose of your meeting is to review the 6 types of team meetings. Here’s a rundown of the 6 common types of meetings and what is involved in each.  

 

1) Status Update  

This is one of the most common meetings and involves giving a status update on a current project. Team members meet to ensure that they are on the same page regarding the next steps for a project. This type of meeting ensures that team members are aligned and can discuss any challenges or issues.  

 

2) Information Sharing  

At some point, a company will need to share information with their team. For example, company updates, training sessions, onboarding for new staff, etc. While some information can be communicated via email, it is important to share major changes in a live setting to help clarify any confusion or highlight key points.  

 

3) Decision Making  

This kind of meeting brings team members together to collaborate and make decisions as a group. Tasks involved in decision-making meetings include gathering and sharing information, evaluating and collaborating on solutions, voting on a course of action, etc. It is important to clearly define the purpose and desired outcome of this meeting so that team members understand the shared goal and stay on track. 

 

4) Problem Solving   

Every team will inevitably face problems. A problem-solving meeting is a great place to use out-of-the-box ideas and exercises. This type of meeting helps the team see a problem from a new angle and create strategies to deal with the issue. For example, staff come together to discuss how to handle recent complaints from customers about wait times.  

 

5) Innovation  

An innovation meeting gives your team the chance to be creative and bring new ideas to the table. Examples of these types of meetings include workshops, brainstorming sessions, design sprints, etc. These meetings give team members more freedom and allow them to implore their creativity when thinking about the company’s next steps and goals.  

 

6) Team Building  

Although they may not have an immediate influence on the company, meetings dedicated to team building are crucial to creating a positive company culture that promotes collaboration and productivity. You can host engaging activities and exercises that unify your staff and allow them to bond with one another. To learn more about some fun ideas to make team meetings more engaging, stay tuned for our later blog post.  

 

Why are team meetings important?  

 

Now that you know what team meetings are and what the different types are, let’s review why exactly they are important.  

 

It’s generally understood that teams want to be given what they need to perform well, remain aligned and be happy and productive. Team meetings are one of the most efficient ways to facilitate this and promote conversation, communication and innovation. This will also allow teams to frequently update one another on their goals, methods and outcomes.  

 

Also, in a highly virtual world, team meetings can be a great way to allow everyone to stay connected. Here at STEPS, most of our staff operate remotely and our monthly team meetings allow us to stay updated on what everyone is doing.  

 

As you can see, running team meetings in the right way can really make or break the success of your company. Making sure that everyone is on the same page is crucial to the outcome of goals and the productivity of your team. That being said, organizing a group of people is no small feat and hosting a meaningful meeting for your team can be difficult. Luckily, there are professionals that can help you tailor your meetings to best reach and engage your team members.  Here at STEPS, we offer small business support services and can work with you to create meeting agendas with your team’s specific skill sets and learning strategies in mind. Learn more about what we offer on the services section of our home page or reach out to us on our contact page.

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