Last time we offered some tips for leading team meetings. Here are a few more.

1. Thank people and recognize them for their contributions. If you are leading the meeting, then you are in the role of leading. By being mindful and respectful of others, you can demonstrate your leadership potential and likability even in these smaller occasions.
2. Plan ahead. Make sure people are on the same page BEFORE the day of the meeting. Are there any unmet deliverables? Any needed props or charts? Check in with people with enough advance time to ensure the most stress-free meeting as possible.
3. For longer meetings, see if the company will sponsor a lunch, breakfast or light snack if this has not been customary for “standard” team meetings. Do this everyone once in a while for special circumstances. People are more pleasant with a full stomach.
4. Don’t be afraid to interrupt people (graciously when possible), especially if they are long-winded or tend to be domineering. Remember, it’s your responsibility to control the time and others will appreciate it.
5. Don’t forget to wrap up. Command of navigational language will be a strong element in how well you control this meeting. Leaving the meeting knowing what was covered and what each person is required to do after will be the best indicator that the meeting was effectively carried out.

Are these tips helpful? Write a comment and let us know. Thanks!

Leading meetings can be stressful in any language or culture. While having a stronger command of English would no doubt improve your capabilities, there are some good general rules to follow:

1. Please prepare an agenda, even if it’s 3-4 scribbled-out half sentences on a large post-it note. Whether your “English issue” is related to vocabulary, using too many filler words (such as ‘uh, ‘um’, and ‘err’), introducing information in linear fashion, or all three, it’s good to anchor yourself with something tangible, visible, and logical.
2. Address team members by name, even once or twice throughout the meeting. People like to feel recognized and respected—being addressed by name (except in negative situations) is usually well received.
3. Be conscious of time. Keep your watch or a clock in eye sight. Your colleagues will be grateful for this and will probably prefer meetings with you over those with well-spoken but long-winded counterparts.
4. Warm up with being real. Let people relax into their seats and start up with something not related to the meeting if time permits. Humor always helps. Try to learn something new from a different member with each meeting, even if it feels weird at first.
5. Assign someone to take minutes. You must be able to delegate if you want to lead well also. If it’s more comfortable, perhaps ask them beforehand and guarantee that they can distribute them after the meeting within negotiated timeframes as well.

You may be surprised at the seemingly obvious nature of these tips, but it’s amazing how easy they can be neglected. The real beauty lies in their focus on mindfulness of human interaction and the external factors that tend to affect communication– more than people realize. So as teams become more culturally diverse and preconceptions are carried in, it will become more important to be mindful. If you’re neglecting any of these steps, try them and let us know how it goes.