I’m a big fan of team huddles where you bring everyone on your team together (face-to-face and/or virtually) to quickly touch base. It’s typically a 15 minute stand up meeting that is held first thing every morning, once a week or at the shift change. Facilitated by the “huddle master” to keep it moving, there are 8 core elements:
- Music. Get together and start off the meeting with a fun upbeat song.
- Attitude of Gratitude. Everyone has the opportunity to share something that they are grateful for or to thank someone. (Note, some teams like to start out with this!)
News Flash! Share any news items that need to be shared- Focus on the Figures. Take a look at the dashboard – how are we doing?
- Focus for the Day. Each person on the team shares one task that is the focus for the day. This is a great way to keep others informed on what’s going on.
- Any Stucks? Sometimes, a team member gets “stuck” and needs some help/advice. This is the time to ask for help – and anyone who can offer help lets the team know. It is NOT the time to offer the help – you do that AFTER the huddle!
- A-Ha’s. Anyone can offer up anything that might be of interest to the team such as a discovery, a factoid, a customer comment, an observation, a trend.
- Next Huddle Master. Everyone should have the opportunity to be the huddle master, so rotate that role among all team members.
You can follow this order, move the elements around, or add/delete/modify to suit your team. The key is for the huddle master keep it moving and energizing: Jazz it up with upbeat music while people are coming together. Use a “talking stick” concept (or throw a nerf ball) to engage each person. Have team members to update the dashboard. You get the idea!
I encourage you to try this quick, 15 minute ritual – it will go a long way to build team trust, focus the team, and encourage team camaraderie.
Kristin Arnold is a professional meeting facilitator who is passionate about teamwork, hence founding Quality Process Consultants, Inc. a consulting firm focused on building extraordinary teams in the workplace. You can read more of her work in one of her books Team Basics, Email Basics, Team Energizers, or Boring to Bravo.
Related articles:
10 Ways Team Leaders Can Encourage Robust Dialogue
Team Building Activity: You are the expert!
What Makes a Team Extraordinary?
Photo cred: morgue file.com
