7 Tips for More Effective Team Meetings in the Busy Run-Up to Christmas

As Christmas approaches, life can get chaotic for us all. Work deadlines loom, priorities shift, and everyone is doing their best to juggle everything this time of the year throws at them. Meetings can either be your team’s secret weapon for staying on track or a frustrating drain on precious time. 

To ensure your meetings add value and not stress, here are some practical tips to make them count during the Christmas rush.

Set an agenda

The foundation of any productive meeting is a clear agenda. Before scheduling a meeting, outline its purpose and key discussion points. Share this agenda with attendees in advance so they can prepare. A focused agenda helps avoid off-topic discussions and ensures the time is used effectively.

Keep meetings short and sweet

Everyone’s tight on time during December. It’s a good idea to set strict time limits for your meetings, 30 minutes or less is ideal, you can always schedule a follow-up for after Christmas when workloads may ease.

When’s the right time

In the run-up to Christmas, personal and professional schedules can clash. Avoid scheduling meetings at the end of the day when fatigue sets in. Research has proven a sweet spot falls between 10am and midday for maximum engagement, just don’t schedule one during the school nativity play!

Rethink who needs to attend

Remember not everyone needs to be in every single meeting. Invite those whose input is essential and provide follow-up notes to others who may need them. This will avoid jamming up diaries and will help keep meetings shorter. 

Do you need to meet? 

Ask yourself the question….does this need a meeting? Perhaps an email update, or a quick one-on-one conversation could achieve the same outcome. Rely on meetings for collaborative brainstorming or decision-making, where team input is crucial.

Why not try some festive cheer 

Tis the season after all, why not inject some festive cheer into your meetings! This will not only boost morale but will also set a positive tone, helping to create a collaborative culture during a stressful and busy time for your team. Perhaps end the meeting with a quick festive quiz or sharing everyone’s favourite Christmas tradition sounds trivial but you’d be surprised what this small gesture can do. 

Have a plan of action 

End each meeting with clear objectives and take aways. Who is responsible for what? By when? Document these outcomes and share them afterwards. Accountability is key to ensuring outcomes of the meeting come to fruition. 

None of this is rocket science but hopefully these tips will help and perhaps by rethinking how you approach meetings, you will make them a tool for productivity and connection rather than another item on people’s to-do list. And who knows you might even manage to spread a little Christmas cheer along the way! Get in touch with me here if you have any questions!