Whether your sign shop consists of two or twenty, regular staff meetings are vital to the growth of your organization. They provide a forum wherein goals are set and ways to reach those goals are devised. But these company communication sessions should follow guidelines to be effective and no business should hold regular meetings just because other companies are doing it. That's because meetings cost money!

If you assume 8 people will each be in attendance at a regular staff meeting for 30 minutes, that works out to 4 hours weekly. Now, take that 4 hours and multiply it by 48 weeks. (Remember, you'll have a few weeks a year that will be affected by holidays, vacations, etc…) The 192 hours taken yearly to hold meetings times the amount you pay your 8 employees hourly ($10? $15? $20?) equal a pretty tidy sum. Not to mention the loss in sales revenue or production time! So regular staff meetings, although essential, need to be productive and effective to realize their investment. Let's see how they can be.

1.2 ~ Have a Compelling Agenda

You probably know that it would be worthwhile to list a few topics of consideration in advance. But did you know that if these topics could be handled with a short memo or with a one-on-one conversation, they are not significant or compelling enough to be included in a regular staff meeting? Simply using meetings to distribute information is inefficient and costly. That could and should be done beforehand. (More about that later.)

An agenda should contain the opportunity for employees, team leaders, and managers to express viewpoints, initiate concepts, and develop policy. What that means for a sign shop is that all parties should have a chance to express how they feel the company is servicing customers, what products and services they would like to see included, and what problems need to be addressed along with possible resolutions. Then with a united effort, goals can be set and ways to reach those goals can be devised.

1.3 ~ Distribute the Agenda

So you've thought of a few compelling topics that need to be addressed. Don't wait until the regular staff meeting to bring them up! Information dealing with what will be discussed should be available to all that will attend - beforehand.

Make the upcoming agenda accessible by distributing the subject matter a few days in advance. This gives everyone an opportunity to think about possible resolutions, conceive innovative ideas, or shape informed opinions, making the regular staff meeting productive. It also saves time and therefore saves money. (What would that extra 15 minutes a week multiplied by 8 employees per year cost you?)

1.4 ~ Follow Up on the Agenda

After the regular staff meeting, don't wait until the next appointed time to see whether everyone understood what was covered. In the next 24 hours, follow up on the agenda by a distribution of the meeting's minutes. Then any questions or clarifications can be immediately addressed. Additionally, those designated to tackle problems or to resolve issues can make sure they are beginning to take necessary action.

Continue the follow up by briefly including previous topics when distributing the next session's agenda. This serves to give everyone a 'second chance' to fulfill their obligations.

1.5 ~ Occasionally 'Hold' the Agenda

Once you start having those regular staff meetings, it could be hard cancel them when there isn't much on the agenda or there isn't a majority in attendance. Occasionally 'hold' the agenda when negative factors outweigh positive ones.

When there is no compelling reason to hold the meeting or if too many employees are out of town, it's best to postpone the session. Likely, the next regular staff meeting will be more productive and lively.

So whether your sign shop is small or your organization is extensive, regular staff meetings are a requisite for growth. They encourage the setting of goals and speed their achievement. And whichever style you choose, formal or informal, company communication sessions provide opportunity to exchange information and resolve problems. Just remember to make them productive and effective!