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We all know there’s a price to pay for a making bad first impression: A limp handshake conveys low confidence; a wrinkled suit makes you seem lazy; oversharing comes across as emotional instability. But do you ever think about the first impression your meetings make? Frequently restarting meetings for stragglers sends the message that participants have more control than you do. Issues opened for discussion with no clear purpose get hijacked by participants with a clearer agenda than yours. Monologues validate everyone’s fears that your meeting is going to be about as valuable (and as scintillating) as watching an hour of C-SPAN.
If you want to have a more productive meeting, focus on a strong opening. A good start to a meeting is like an overture: It sets the tone, introduces the major themes, and provides a preview of what you can expect. Here are some best practices for starting your next meeting:
Make the purpose of the meeting clear. It’s amazing how much time gets invested in meetings where no one really knows why the meeting is happening. Remember to state the purpose of the meeting in the agenda and then reiterate it at the start of the meeting. Differentiate between idea generation sessions and decision-making forums; separate meetings driving long-term strategic thinking from those driving short-term action and accountability. (For more on how to create fit-for-purpose meetings, see “A Step-by-Step Guide to Structuring Better Meetings.”) While you’re at it, talk about what the meeting is not about. “This is our monthly capacity-building session. We’re working on the business today, not working in it. Any tactical issues need to be tabled until Wednesday’s ops review.”
Be specific about the purpose of each agenda item. Although the types of agenda items in any one meeting should be similar, they might be at different stages and therefore require a very different conversation. Before each agenda item, take a moment to clarify the goal. If your goal is idea generation, say so, and facilitate the discussion appropriately. Don’t allow action-oriented team members to converge too quickly if you’re trying to foster original thinking. In contrast, if an item requires a decision, be clear on the decision criteria and the process. Specify whether everyone gets to vote or whether one person owns the decision and is looking for recommendations. “Barb owns this decision, so I’m going to ask Barb to halt the discussion when she has what she needs to make the call.”
Ask people to filter their contributions. Another way to set the tone at the start of a meeting is to tell people what level of engagement you expect from each of them. You can cite the MIT research that found that a team’s collective intelligence is predicted by how equally team members participate. Ask participants to modulate their contributions (either up or down) so that they take up about as much airtime as everyone else. Ask that participants refrain from simply agreeing with one another. You can say: “I’m looking for different perspectives and new ways of thinking. I’m going to move on if we’re all in agreement.”
Reiterate any important ground rules. If your team has spent time developing ground rules (which I highly recommend that you do), use the time at the beginning of the meeting to remind everyone about any that are still aspirational. Too many teams go to the effort of defining ground rules and then never speak of them again. Don’t overdo it, but pick one ground rule that you think will be particularly salient for your discussion. For example, say, “I know we’re talking about some sensitive issues today. Just a reminder that we’ve all committed to starting with a positive assumption.”
Head off passive-aggressive behavior. One reason that meetings are so abhorred is that they tend to go on and on, but don’t expose the real problems that need to be solved. Many teams use the meeting-before-the-meeting and the meeting-after-the-meeting to surface the prickly or unpopular issues. That makes the meeting itself a complete waste of time. Address the risk of passive-aggressive behavior explicitly by asking that issues be addressed in the meeting, not after it. It’s not a fail-safe approach, but calling out difficult or contentious discussions at the start of a meeting, and asking for people to share their points of view candidly, will increase the likelihood that you get the issues on the table rather than leaving them for hallway gossip later.
Decide whether to roundtable. I would be remiss if I did not weigh in on the controversial topic of roundtables. By roundtable, I mean the portion of the meeting where each participant shares a status update. Roundtables are notoriously bad for sucking up time, adding little value, and providing a platform for nervous team members to justify their paycheck. If that’s what’s happening at your roundtable, get rid of it. If, in contrast, you’re willing to redirect your roundtable to selectively address issues related to the agenda topic, then have at it. Just be strict on the time limits and stop anyone who goes off topic: “It’s our quarterly strategic meeting, so the topic of the roundtable today is the one trend that is either exciting or frightening you.”
It’s likely true that you attend too many meetings. It’s even more likely that you attend too many bad meetings. You can usually tell within the first two minutes whether the meeting is going to be a good use of your time. If you’re running the show, make sure your meeting makes a great first impression by focusing everyone on the unique value they’re supposed to be adding, emphasizing diversity of thought, and filtering out time-sucks. Do that and you’ll find that your meetings earn a sterling reputation and actually help get work done.
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Make a great first impression when you meet your new team.
As a manager, meeting a new team for the first time can be nerve-racking. You want to ensure that the meeting runs smoothly and that you establish your leadership, but you need to do this without destroying the team's culture or dynamic, or trampling on its achievements.
Being too heavy-handed can be disastrous, but not establishing the right degree of authority can be, too. However, when it's handled well, an informal introductory meeting can be a great opportunity to learn about your team, to build trust with its members, and to establish a climate of mutual respect.
This article will help you to prepare for your first meeting with your team.
Meeting a New Team For the First Time
The following five steps will go a long way to making your first meeting with your new team a success.
1. Find Out About Your New Team
If there's a company intranet with employee profiles, read up on your team's professional skills and accomplishments, and any other relevant information. If not, perhaps the organization's website has an "About us" or "Meet the Team" page. If appropriate, connect with team members on LinkedIn, in advance. Otherwise, try and talk to HR and see if it can provide you with any details about the team.
Try to memorize people's faces, names and hometowns. If you struggle to remember names, try using face association, in which you make a connection between a name and a unique characteristic. Make the effort to learn how to pronounce people's names correctly, too.
If possible, before you take on your new role, schedule an informal talk with your boss and the team's previous manager. You can gain the outgoing team manager's insights into the team in general, and learn about any conflicts that you need to be aware of.
Keep in mind your organization's wider corporate culture when preparing to meet your team, whether it's formal – with clearly defined channels of communication and decision-making processes – or more informal. This will help you to act appropriately in your introductory meeting, and communicate effectively. Again, if possible, talk to the team's previous manager about their take on the corporate culture, so you have an idea of the beliefs and behaviors that you'll likely encounter.
It's possible that the members of your new team are your former co-workers. Managing peers can be difficult, and you will have to reset your working relationship to do it effectively. But it can still be useful to have an introductory meeting with your colleagues so you all get "off on the right foot."
2. Prepare the Meeting Space
If you are meeting in person, choose a neutral space, such as a meeting room. Consider seating, temperature and lighting to make the room as comfortable as possible. This will help to reduce stress and to promote communication.
If you're meeting is virtual, get set up early so you've got plenty of time to check that everything is working, and ensure you've got the right link to the meeting and the correct software downloaded. Make sure that your internet connection is strong and that you've got everything you need, like a headset and charging point. Check your background in advance to make sure that it's appropriate.
3. Keep It Short and Informal
Before the meeting starts, let your team know that it's going to be a quick introductory gathering, so there won't be an agenda.
Once in the room, explain a little about yourself. Consider using business storytelling to communicate your values and what you're trying to achieve. At this stage, you needn't go into great depth about your plans – that can come later, at a more formal meeting.
Now that you've introduced yourself, explain that you'll be arranging one-on-one meetings with each member of the team, so that you can get to know them individually. Let people know that you'll schedule a formal meeting for the whole team after these one-on-ones have taken place.
Also, make it clear that you'll be spending the first 90 days learning all you can about the team and the way it works. Acknowledge that you may well want to make some changes, but you won’t be doing this until you know what is and isn’t working well.
It's common advice for new managers to look for a "quick win" shortly after they step into a role. By all means look for an opportunity to improve things, but try to do this without making sweeping changes to the systems or processes that are already in place – they might be there for a very good reason that's not yet clear to you.
Spend the rest of the meeting learning about your new team. Give people the chance to ask questions about you, too. Answer these fully, but try to show humility by guiding the conversation back toward your shared goals, rather than dwelling on your own accomplishments.
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