When it comes to getting more work done faster, it seems like there are always new trends popping up. Huddle rooms for focused discussion; flex working for improved employee happiness; phone booths for privacy – and these are only just scratching the surface. If it means expediting the same quality of work or better in a way that’s optimized, by all means, business should jump on the bandwagon and see what works.
Some of the obstacles any type of team faces, whether start-up or enterprise, includes gathering team members for a quick sync or virtual meeting. It’s not uncommon to plan a meeting in advance when it comes to big brainstorming sessions and evaluations, but it’s the smaller meet-ups that tend to fall to the wayside. And they’re just as beneficial! The smaller syncs to share progress, remove roadblocks and to stay aligned require mental bandwidth and physical (or virtual!) presence too. Letting them fall through the cracks can be more detrimental to the health of your business than you realize.
Enter, stand-up virtual meetings. Get a feel for the pulse of your company by having infrequent, smaller and casual meetings with colleagues while literally standing-up. Sometimes, there’s no need for formalities. When in a stand-up meeting, the tone is more fluid, less intrusive and can be far more enlightening without having to sit down and make it feel stuffy. Here are a couple of the do’s and don’ts to implement next time you have a stand-up meeting.
Do Turn On The Camera
Usually, there’s at least one person present with their laptop or a desktop nearby. Keep remote employees in the loop by inviting them into the stand-up and making it a virtual meeting. With video conferencing and screen sharing capabilities, it’s easy to join via a meeting link and make them feel present.
Do Stay Standing
Alright, this might be obvious, but staying true to this rule makes all the other ones easier to follow. Standing during a virtual meeting keeps speakers focused and prevents them from droning on. Remove chairs or push them to the side of the room or have your sync in a more casual setting.
Don’t Let Team Members Ramble
It’s easy for a thought to become a runaway train, but with stand-up meetings, keep it succinct. If it’s not valuable to everyone in attendance, refrain from saying it. Or keep a time limit for each speaker.
Do Keep Stand-Ups Infrequent
These intimate virtual meetings should only happen when necessary, therefore a regimented flow that requires everyone to meet at the same time on the same day isn’t necessary, unless your workflow calls for it.
Do Go For Short And Sweet
People are standing, therefore the very nature of this sort of virtual meeting is brief. Important updates should be shared without the details. Think of it as the highlight reel since the last stand-up – no longer than 15 minutes and more details can be included in a follow-up email.
Don’t Wait For Your Team
Start on time. Anyone who misses it or shows up late will try their best to make it next time. This helps to keep everyone’s schedule running smoothly.
Do Maintain Structural Integrity
Informal, quick, but laser focused, a stand-up virtual meeting shouldn’t veer too far from team members sharing progress updates, current work status and where they’re getting stuck.
Do Keep Your Project Management Tool On Hand
Pull up the Online Whiteboard or share files instantly so everyone is on the same page with the flow of projects. Reviewing what’s on the go, pending or needs to get started helps the team to see the bigger picture.
Do Stay Goal-Oriented With 3 Questions
Not sure how the stand-up virtual meeting should flow? Get each team member to answer the following questions to maintain productivity:
1) What did you achieve since the last stand-up meeting?
2) What do you have on the go until the next stand-up meeting?
3) Are there any blocks or challenges preventing you from accomplishing what you’ve set out to do?
Don’t Try To Introduce Fresh Ideas
Stick to the 3 questions instead. Bringing up a new idea will divert the rhythm of the stand-up virtual meeting and make it longer for everyone. If inspiration strikes, mention it in a follow-up email.
Do Encourage Other Forms Of Team Communication
The stand-up is advantageous for top line communication, but shouldn’t be the only way the team touches base, especially for remote workers. Keep everyone in the loop via longer more detailed sessions, or through text chat through the work week.
Let Callbridge facilitate the means for your team to maximize their time. A stand-up virtual meeting using high quality audio and video capabilities, better sharing features and convenient connection with zero downloads brings the team together as a whole. Get a better view of the project or workflow with video conferencing software that works with you.
