Teamwork + Planning = Business SUCCESS | SoundConnect ...

By: Ryan ? SoundConnect

From Weekly Progress Updates to a Large Annual Meeting, Small and Medium Size Businesses Should Always Keep Up Communication

The key to a successful business is having a set agenda for projects and clearly defined & communicated goals you would like to reach as a company.

SoundConnect recently held its quarterly meeting in Charleston, SC to discuss future plans, review past ideas and complete team building exercises. The team at SoundConnect utilizes web and video conferencing to host regular daily meetings and also to conduct weekly recurring meetings where team members discuss their progress and provide updates on projects they are working on. Having separate offices in different areas of the United States can sometimes take away that personal feel you get from working in the same office with someone. It is great to be able to come together in person to strategize, review, and get to know one another better.

Team building activities are a great way to emphasize the importance of everyone working toward a common goal and a great break from the standard meeting. In our recent meeting, we participated in an activity where the objective was to walk around a room while each team member held a portion of a bandana balancing a cup with a marble on top. Everyone quickly realized they had to evenly support their share of the bandana, while at the same time communicate all movements with their teammates to avoid the marble tipping too far in any direction.

This is a very important lesson when it comes to teamwork. You must all be working seamlessly together to reach your individual and team goals. Furthermore, team members must effectively communicate, lead, and take direction to keep from dropping the ball. The ball is symbolic of your team/company goals, the customer, or any project within your company that requires the support of a team to achieve.

It is very beneficial to have regular meetings with your team to review their goals, challenges, and projects they are working on.

If you are working in a small business, you know how important it is to make sure communication is constantly flowing from the top down and from the bottom up.

Checking in at these weekly meetings will give you and your coworkers a better understanding of where everyone is with their progress on tasks. Having checklists and planning sheets for individual projects can provide a timeline for your team to follow.

Using helpful planning sheets can make scheduling a project especially easy. It?s nice to break down your assignment with a daily list of steps that, once completed, will also render your project finished. Sometimes it can be difficult to actually take time aside and do the PLANNING for your project. It may seem more efficient to have a general idea and start working without any real direction or format. Common problems with not taking time to plan your project are getting behind on your progress, wasting valuable time with tasks not directly related to your goals and letting down your teammates. Another benefit to implementing planning sheets the efficiency and ease of tracking & reporting the status of your progress toward any specific goal.

Meeting in a team setting can also give your small business the opportunity for everyone to say where they might need assistance or support from co-workers or management. The right environment and opportunity for discussing any and all challenges will clear potential obstacles between you and your goals. During this time, you may find out that one employee?s weakness is another?s strength. Fully understanding everyone?s strengths and weaknesses ensures you have all the right pieces in the right places and provide everyone with the knowledge of where to seek assistance when they hit a road block.

In order to expand the company and keep on track, your company should have regular meetings and status updates. When your small business schedules will not accommodate an in person meeting or do not need to spend the extra traveling time & expenses, it?s much easier to take your next meeting online through services such as web, video or audio conferencing.

One of the most popular services is using audio conferencing. This uses toll free numbers and a hosted conference bridge to give everyone a crystal clear audio conference call. The other options, such as video and web conferencing mix the features used in audio but also add a visual element to your meeting. Using screen and document sharing in web conferencing can make it very easy to go over a project agenda and collaborate on other important documents. These features really give your meetings a personal touch and can sometimes make you forget your coworkers are hundreds of miles away from you!

Does your team meet regularly as a group either in person or using online meetings? Or do you mainly focus on individual progress using one-on-one meetings? All tactics may work well based on your company or team dynamics, but I highly recommend incorporating a monthly or quarterly in person meeting with all employees. Obviously the more employees you have and the more geographically dispersed your employees are, the more difficult it is to host the meeting. . Don?t allow the logistics or the travel cost deter you from these valuable meetings. The ROI on these meetings is outstanding!

Have a company with independent workers scattered in different countries?

Then you can take advantage of web casting and webinars to get your message to your employees. These services take video coverage of whomever you want and broadcast it to any computer or smart device with Internet access. Often your provider will also allow you to record your session, sometimes with an additional fee. This feature really adds convenience for making sure everyone gets the new business strategies even if they are unable to attend the live event

Our quarterly meeting in Charleston, SC was once again a tremendous success from an employee, team member, company, and personal level. The interaction, discussions, and ideas expanded on the camaraderie. Everyone left the meeting feeling a closer bond and a better understanding of how their role contributed to the entire team!

I can?t wait for next quarter?s meeting!!

Source: http://www.sound-connect.com/blog/teamwork-planning/

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