No one likes sitting in a directionless, hour-long meeting while silently waiting for it to end. Meetings like these drain motivation and productivity, while wasting a company’s most precious resource: its employees’ time. Enter the stand-up meeting. While not meant to be a replacement for traditional sit-down meetings, stand-up meetings provide a fresh way for teams to check in with one another without breaking the time bank.
Why should your team think about implementing stand-up meetings? Here are the top five reasons your team should adopt this format:
Regular stand-up meetings should last no longer than 15 minutes. In order to accomplish this, members of the team are asked to remain standing throughout the duration of the meeting. Because no one is sitting and getting comfortable, the discussion is brief.
It’s important that major contributors on the team are present during the meeting. Having the entire team present allows all pivotal members to communicate the status of their projects and establish goals for the day ahead.
The nature of a stand-up meeting is quick, high energy, and supportive. If a stand-up meeting is facilitated well, team members should leave feeling motivated to start their day.
During a stand-up meeting, team members will discuss what they accomplished yesterday, what they plan to accomplish today, and any roadblocks in the way. By providing regular opportunities for team communication, stand-up meetings encourage team members to offer help and support, especially when two or more people share the roadblocks raised.
By creating a space to check-in regularly, stand-up meetings decrease the need for emails or walk-in interruptions. Additionally, problems are often raised early, and dealt with more effectively, when brought to the team as they occur. These subtle changes in team dynamics often lead to increases in productivity.
Share this article
