12 Apr Team Briefings
Team Briefings are used to outline the objectives of the team, assess past performance and discuss any possible queries the team may have. It is also an opportunity to communicate wider organisational messages to your team members. Briefings should be undertaken regularly in order to stay on top of all projects and all team members should be present. Conducting a team briefing can be a daunting task but it is an important skill for any leader, we have set out the important guidelines below.
Firstly, it is essential team objectives are outlined in the briefing. This includes the aims of the team, and how it aligns to the organisation’s overall goals, as well as individual responsibilities. Once this has been done it is also important to listen to feedback from the team about past projects and the new objectives. Listening and reacting to the needs of the team and subsequently tailoring future plans is the key to effective leadership. Another key skill in these scenarios is to ensure all members are involved and make equal contributions. It is common that some individuals will be less keen to voice their concerns, while some may speak a lot, the skill is to distribute the talking time across the group. Briefings can be an extremely powerful tool in motivating your team members and aligning the organisation’s objectives with your teams’.
Businessballs have some excellent resources on this topic for further reference:
http://www.businessballs.com/teambriefing.htm
http://www.businessballs.com/freepdfmaterials/team_briefing_guidelines_MU.pdf