It is easy to feel like faculty meetings are a time suck. Why would you waste time on these meetings when you can do your job instead? The problem is that a typical session does not have the right focus. So, how do you lead engaging faculty meetings?
Your meetings’ priority needs to ask your front line, the teachers, what they need. Your school has the most significant operating potential when the people feel appreciated. Also, schedule your meeting during times where your staff is most awake, not at the end of a long day.
In the rest of this article, we will dig into direct methods you can use at your school. With enough effort, you won’t feel a lack of engagement at your school.
Five Strategies For An Effective Meeting
If you want your faculty meetings full of engaged participants, your first effort needs to come through on the schedule. To prioritize this, you need to think about the following:
- The right time of day
- The right day of the week
- A good place
- With thoughtful gestures
- No distractions
Let’s dig into the details:
Best Discussion Period
To have an engaging meeting, you need to take advantage of the highest point of productivity. According to Accountempts, a staffing agency, they found that they received the most productive during the morning.
While we all know that faculty member who says, “you can’t talk to me without my coffee.” But the majority of teams operate better by handling things in the early part of the day.
Meetings Early in the Week
Members of staff create weekend plans to enjoy themselves. Those same teachers and students are waiting for the bell to ring, eager to decompress.
Members of the administration make the mistake of assuming that the latter part of the week is their best meeting time. Meanwhile, Jim is thinking about the fun inter tubing trip he has planned with his family.
If you want engaging meetings, schedule them for Monday or Tuesday. A fresh mind is more likely during the early parts of the week.
Pick The Right Location
Conversations and essential announcements are best in an office environment. While your team might respect a Starbucks trip, the potential distraction will take away from the mission of the meeting.
Also, the behaviors of your teachers may change with the surrounding environment. They may see it as more of a treat and a chance to talk to each other. While it is excellent to build camaraderie, improper expectations may cause teachers to glean nothing from the meeting.
Thoughtful Gestures
While taking them to Starbucks may be off the table, other actions may be more appropriate when keeping people on task. Don’t be afraid to tweak your approach to meetings to ensure everyone has a say. With this, issues that you would not usually discuss will come up.
Allowing people to speak is essential, but it’s also an excellent reason to put snacks on the agenda. Speaking of the minutes, offering a copy of those to each participant will allow them to review points. By encouraging them to develop a response after the fact, less bold staff members may share unique perspectives.
No Distractions
A weekly staff meeting is comfortable for most people to ignore. Many faculty members will be entering with other things on their minds. At this point, you might be likely to see smartphones come out.
Try and ensure that your part of the building doesn’t have office noise. Try and pick a room without a telephone or computer. You can also establish a “no smartphone” rule, ensuring that the focus area is central to the meeting.
While some members of your faculty might feel singled out with this, most staff in this situation will have an understanding. Also, everyone can survive 30 minutes without their phone.
Focusing On Meaningful Items
Schools have a terrible habit of using faculty meeting time to discuss housekeeping items. Topics may include a reminder of staying focused, not stealing lunch from the fridge, and other exciting topics.
It would be best if you focused on ideas that resonate with essential topics in a learning environment. School staff meetings need to be about students, professional development, and important decisions. Below are a few critical keys to mention:
What Does Your Teacher Need?
A meeting is an excellent opportunity to ask your staff about their classroom needs. Always set aside some time needed to ensure your team understands that this is a platform for teachers.
Discuss Student Engagement
Your faculty’s responsibility is to provide acceptable practices to ensure that their children have a culture of support. With practical teaching, programs, and tools, your people may focus on areas of importance.
By focusing your efforts on improving the student experience, school decisions can come from reality. This focus ensures that the objective of the school is grounded in the most crucial area. This area is where teacher effort may be translated to student success.
Put Less Emphasis on Housekeeping
The discussion of minor problems is not what builds effective meetiprngs. Discussing events, scheduling problems, feedback, and other little items can be handled through short emails. Do not waste your time discussing these minor problems.
Have A Goal
Planning in anything is a sure way to find success. For example, if the meeting’s goal is to prioritize topics of teacher development and get their perspective on the action, be sure to have a defining moment of discussion. Your minutes need to state when this is discussed.
Keep Them Short
A meeting that lasts two hours doesn’t involve a lot of staff engagement. That’s because your sessions’ benefits start to wane a bit once you get past a specific set of minutes.
Break down your discussion so that they focus on the most critical areas of debate. Once you get those out of the way, you can open the floor, but try and keep people on track through gentle reminders.
Conclusion
Great monthly meetings have the potential of addressing faculty improvements. With a focus on your staff’s areas of interest, you won’t have to worry about handling meaningless housekeeping items. As a learning environment, your faculty wishes to be challenged. By doing so with the right time, place, and suitable topics, you will create an engaging experience.
