Event Solutions All Hands Meeting: The Driving Force for Growth and Mutual Cooperation
Meetings remain one of the best ways companies share useful information in person. When carried out the right way, such companies will be able to drive significant transformations and improvements. There's no denying that all-hands meetings have become a regular thing in many companies recently. As a result, they are able to achieve alignment and transparency within their team. In another way, they are able to foster their company culture.
In general, an all-hands meeting creates an avenue for all hands to be on deck. It is an all-inclusive gathering to discuss the company's current state and hear from the organization's leaders. For effective communication to have a place in an organization, this gathering must be given priority. Event Solutions recognizes the key impacts of this technique and uses it to cultivate a sense of community and build trust with employees.
As the company continues to grow, there's often a pressing need to hear from the leadership team and CEO and be on the same page about direction and strategy. From interns to VPS, we create that chance for everyone to voice concerns, ask questions, and showcase individual teams' victories. Perhaps there are individuals who don't enjoy working together; our engaging all-hands meeting will foster a feeling of connection on both professional and personal levels.
However, since everything takes place via a video call, it's somewhat challenging keeping an all-hands meeting focused and streamlined, absolutely void of surprising eye-rolling among the participants. At Event Solutions, we ensure that every all-hands meeting is an improvement on the former, with extra bells and whistles to keep things fresh, fun, and memorable.
For every individual and company looking forward to hosting a remarkable all-hands meeting, this is the right place to get exposed to it. Contained in this comprehensive piece are the different things that make our all hands a beauty to behold.
Our All-Hands Meeting Goals
Whenever it comes to an all-hands meeting, it's not too early to start running one. Once it's becoming quite a big task getting everyone in the company to be on the same page, then it's time. While we ensure timely and seamless all-hands meetings, we hold the following goals dear.
Share various developments that took place in the previous quarter or month.
Celebrate achievements and individuals who made them possible.
Foster alignment around organization strategies and mission.
Create a room for individual participation by asking questions
The Sections and Structure of our All Hands Meeting
There's no actual number of hours used in running the meeting. However, we ensure that it doesn't last beyond an hour and a half. Although it sometimes goes a few minutes over, there are critical subjects to be discussed in such cases. There are a number of fundamental factors that make up the content of each meeting. They include:
Icebreaker Question while Everyone is Getting Together
Employees need to get along for every all-hands meeting. The best way to do that is by introducing an interesting and light icebreaker question before the time scheduled for the meeting. Every participant air their views, and from there, a healthy discussion builds up. Alternatively, good music can fill in during the gathering time.
Celebrations
This is where it all begins. To engage every person's attention, we begin the meeting by celebrating the milestones since the previous sync. This can take about ten to fifteen minutes. We take our time to celebrate teammates' new engagements, homes, marriages, pets, and several others. Usually, people need such positive notes to build their energy and set the tone for the big deals.
Leadership Team Update
Lasting for about thirty minutes or more, this is often the most crucial part of the sync. It's that section where the team knows what the CEO and general leadership team have on their minds. It sets the pace for where Event Solutions is heading.
Departmental Highlights
These highlights are scheduled to last for about five minutes. During this time, every area of the company shares details about some remarkable events that have taken place within their department. They can as well provide full details about the updates on certain initiatives and projects.
Breakouts
An all-hands meeting cannot be complete without setting apart a time for chats in smaller groups. These breakouts occur within the space of five to ten minutes.
It is worth mentioning that things might not flow in this particular order. The overall tone we intend to achieve dictates the course events are likely to take. Perhaps things are more celebratory and light; the order and flow should follow the same mood. And if the updates are a bit intense, the same rule applies. The general rule here is that we try as much as possible to improve on what didn't work the last time.
What We Do Behind the Scene: Proper Preparation, Planning, and Practicing
The processes of an all-hands meeting should be engaging. We put a lot of work into play to achieve that. Some of the steps include:
Creating an all-inclusive Agenda
This happens some weeks before every meeting. We put all the necessary ideas together and create an agenda. As the showrunner for the gathering, we put up a detailed guideline and schedule of how long each section will last and who passes the mic to the next person.
Since the meeting allows every area of the company to share details about what its latest developments are, the meeting cannot be smooth and successful without getting every individual actively involved. Thus, all speakers have the agenda at their disposal to plan their portion and make reference to during the meeting.
Tow weeks before the meeting, we ensure the presenters already have a copy of the agenda. This is so that there can be a logical flow and minimal digression from the main objective of the meeting. We can often put a different teammate on the line to be the host and emcee.
Zoom Trial Run
Zoom remains the best platform for the meeting. This is because it allows the events to be recorded for individuals who might need it for later reference or missed it due to one reason or the other. For individuals who will be speaking or screen-sharing during the meeting, we put up a pre-show run-through for them.
Meetings like these often have myriads of moving pieces; hence, it is important that short trial runs are performed. Every teammate tests their Wi-Fi connection, video or audio they intend to play, and others. The zoom trial gives presenters the opportunity to fix an early deadline to create a much more interesting experience overall.
Real-Time Coordination via Slack
The behind the scene plans and preparations come in handy with slack: an efficient tool for coordinating events. Through the slack channel, we are able to keep a tab on how the meeting is going in real-time. We remain on the same page with the teammates. In addition, we can celebrate a meeting well done and speed up to hit the target by using slack.
The Extra Bells and Whistles
The aim has always been to create an in-depth understanding of what is going on around Event Solutions. We ensure that every teammate leaves the meeting with a greater sense of purpose. To complement that, it's a top priority that the teammates have a bit of fun.
During such gatherings, maximum and infinite attention cannot be guaranteed. So, the talks don't last for long. For more dimension and engagement, there should be a break up in the stream of information. Some of the ways we do that have been highlighted in the paragraphs below.
Deploy Multimedia
It is often good to go beyond sharing some written notes with the team. We've challenged our scheduled presenters and leaders to do this and think more of multimedia. As a result, we came up with an innovative combo of pre-recorded updates, special projects, and product demos from every teammate across Event Solutions. We were able to get more engaging content and fresh new voices through this initiative.
Gentle Stretching or Meditation
During heavier and intense sections, the role of gentle stretching or meditation cannot be taken lightly. It goes a long way to get teammates relaxed. And in almost every all-hands meeting, we don't fail to incorporate one. Let's say we are fortunate to have some gifted and bighearted teammates at our disposal who are often willing and ready to lead these sessions. We ensure that each session doesn't last for too long. Three to five minutes is enough to regain focus and replenish energy.
Lightning Talks and Learning something New
To learn from Event Solutions teammates, we create a friendly atmosphere through the lightning talks. They are short presentations that only last for a few minutes. It can be a talk on:
Positioning and copywriting
Evaluating the story behind a side project
How to communicate with reporters
Productivity hacks and tricks
Decision journaling and several others.
While some of these talks relate to work at Event Solutions, the chances are that others don't. Either way, teammates have the opportunity to sharpen their public speaking skills and share interests.
Enhance the Group Chat
To get the best out of every Zoom meeting, participants must mute themselves, except it is their turn to speak. But to motivate teammates to ask their questions, air their views, and give virtual applause for a brilliant idea, we ensure the chat function remains active throughout the meeting. This way, the comments, questions, and emojis can all come in.
Those who will be watching the meeting later can have something to count on because we export the chats after the meeting and include them in the records.
Smaller chat Sessions During Breakout
The difference in time zones and locations has necessitated the need to set aside some time for small chat sessions. This is to help everyone get together and stay connected. We devise topical issues relating to the updates shared in the meeting for each breakout group. Sometimes, it can be something else, not necessarily about the company. It can be about the world in general since it's a free form of conversation.
We ensure that the grouping is carefully done. We make it cut across every social group, bridging the wide gap between introverts and extroverts. Each group can consist of three to five teammates. Although the discussion doesn't flow as expected, especially at the beginning, it often becomes engaging and energizing at the end. The Zoom breakout room feature makes this easier. It helps to determine the number of teammates per room and groups in total.
Polls
Polls are incredibly interactive and fun ways to break up intense sections or presentations. It even becomes much easier with such a tool as Zoom. It allows companies to prepare their questions ahead of time. Through polls, we have been able to get feedback on how we can make our pair call process better. Polls can also be to catch some fun, too.
We often use a technique where teammates are asked to pick between two alternatives. For instance, they can be asked to puck one between tea or coffee, Mac or Windows PC, mountains or beach, etc. For each question, they have about ten seconds to provide an answer. We discover there is an equal split among our teammates in most cases.
Why We Run All hands meetings
There are several reasons we chose to include all-hands meeting in our company calendar. Some of these reasons are:
Give every teammate a voice
Foster our company culture
Keep everyone aligned and updated
Celebrate teammates and their successes
Connect HQ and leadership team with remote employees and other offices
Give Every Teammate a Voice
During a time like this, people often look forward to giving their opinion on a particular project or subject. We create that opportunity. We are not a fan of silence; hence, we devote about 20 percent of our meeting agenda to Q&A. To every critical question raised, answers flow in to ensure we all remain committed to achieving the same goal.
Before the meeting, we collect questions from everyone. This does not entirely rule out instances of impromptu questions. During live meetings, we attend to such unexpected concerns. And this has helped us to foster transparency and uncover burning issues in the company.
Foster Our Company Culture
Perhaps there is a way companies can demonstrate and strengthen their cultures; all-hands meeting is an effective avenue. It is an important avenue to review how the company is doing concerning accomplishing its goals. Through these meetings, we emphasize our values talk about the company's mission and vision. Beyond that, we create the inspiration and let our teammates understand that other than revenue, there's a greater purpose behind their work.
Keep Everyone Aligned and Updated
Every member of the company needs regular updates about everything business-related. From NPS and net retention to revenue and sales, a proper review of all metrics can be achieved through an all-hands meeting. It is a medium to share company-wide information. Also, it enables companies to align their employees on the organization's strategies and goals. Through all-hands meetings, we are able to point our teammates in the right direction.
Celebrate Teammates and their successes
We understand the roles of our teammates. In fact, each all-hands meeting is about them and for them. So, while we provide them with the latest business updates, we also take our time to celebrate them for their time and commitment to the company's goal.
To teammates who have pulled great stunts in the past, we give them special celebrations. We congratulate teammates who have passed their three to five years anniversary. For those who have reached the ten years mark, we can create a short yet exciting video of their moments with us.
For new hires, we put their photos, names, and locations on display. Those with rare talents and gifts among us, who make such sessions as breakouts and lightning talks fun, are not left out. So, our poets, dancers, beat-boxers, singers, and quasi-comedians always get a shout-out in return. These celebrations are essential, especially when things become overwhelming. It will boost their morale and keep them on their feet.
Connect HQ and leadership team with remote employees and other offices
In today's fast-evolving world where companies have branches in different countries across the world, the all-hands meeting brings teammates together and fosters a great sense and feeling of belongingness.
With our extensive number of employees scattered across the different countries and regions of the world, we bring everyone together via all-hands meetings. Everyone meets and connects with the leadership team. Perhaps there are some questions they intend to have answered by the leadership team; they can air them during the meeting.
Key Elements of Our All hand Meetings
To drive home our points, we hold three elements dear. This has helped us remain focused on our goals. By keeping these elements in mind, we have been able to get the best outcome from each meeting we've had. These elements include:
Purpose
Logistics
Information
Purpose
There's always a purpose behind every action. Before scheduling a meeting, there's a purpose we intend to achieve. At the apex of these purposes is the need to share vital info that affects our teammates. On a regular basis, we provide an update about organizational change and offer new details about a product or service. We ensure that every teammate is abreast with the latest happenings and developments.
Logistics
This is another element that we haven't failed to implement over the years. The availability of teleconferencing software and tools has aided the success rate of our all-hands meeting. Through this software, we bring every employee together, whether they are working in offices or remotely. Regardless of the differences in location and time zones, these tools allow us to bridge a connection.
The advent of technology has made everything easy and stress-free. And with the technological innovations and advancements that have plagued the world in recent times, it can only get better. We adopt these new developments to our best use.
Information
Even when the purpose of a particular meeting is different, the information often follows a similar course. Some of the popular agenda of our meeting include:
Departmental Updates: each department has something to share. It can be information about an achievement or project. Similarly, it can be an update.
Company Overview: This is where the leadership team comes into the picture. It provides the employees with an overview of the organization's operations. Usually, it includes product development, company outlook, and financials.
Major Updates: Apart from the general overview, there can also be some updates the leadership team wants the teammates to be aware of. This might include a change in leadership or the introduction of a new product. We ensure these major updates are available to every teammate.
Milestones: It is no new news that we recognize milestones. This includes giving shout-outs and rewards to long-serving employees recognizing new locations and the number of products offered for sale.
Some Pitfalls We Try To Avoid During All-hands Meeting.
When an all-hands meeting doesn't go smoothly, the results aren't always good. And whenever there's a mistake, it doesn't take too long for the teammates to recognize it. So, we try as much as possible to avoid these pitfalls. Some of them include.
Sugarcoating Tough News: We ensure we don't roll out the spin machine. Instead of perceiving mistakes as an individual's fault, we take them collectively. We ensure that we are adults, collectively responsible, and honest.
One-way Broadcasting: This can pose a great threat to the success of an all-hands meeting. We ensure there is optimum audience participation. We consider our geographical distribution, size, and culture when implementing these gatherings. Instead of one-way broadcasting, we employ two-way dialogue. This is an efficient approach to get everyone talking.
Inside Jokes: Jokes like these can divide the company into separate groups, with one group hoping the meeting comes to an end sooner than expected. So, if at all there's a bike, we ensure that it doesn't hit anyone badly. About 99 percent of the company must be able to relate to these jokes and feel good about them.
Criticizing Competitors: This is something we do not encourage. We don't use our meetings to criticize our competitors. Taking such a competitive tone to address teammates can have adverse effects. Some of them will perceive it as ugly, immature, and unhealthy. Every agenda must be aimed at fostering healthy competition with other players on the field.
Under-preparing Presenters: We ensure our presenters are well prepared for the job ahead of time. How to cope with and address challenges such as A/V failures are all laid out. We plan everything beforehand to prevent stories that touch.
Wrap Up
Hearing from executives can keep employees on their feet. And although there are various means to do that, none has the potential to create an all-inclusive atmosphere like an all-hands meeting. To get employees connected to the organization's mission and vision, especially as the company evolves, an all-hands meeting has a huge role to play. At Event Solutions, we have adopted this technique to engage our teammates across the world.
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With all-hands meetings, Event Solutions has been able to get all hands on deck to increase productivity and boost individual participation.
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