Is your department overwhelmed by weekly meetings that disrupt their productivity? According to a study by Atlassian, 78%* of people feel overwhelmed by the number of meetings they’re expected to attend, and 51%* end up working overtime to accommodate meeting overload. The message is clear: we’re spending too much time in meetings.
Whether you’re a team leader, manager, project manager, HR professional or department head, you’ll be no stranger to the weekly team meeting. And we’d be surprised if you haven’t come across complaints about meeting overload during your time in a leadership role, given the statistics above. But you must have weekly meetings, right? Otherwise how else will your employees stay informed?
In this blog post, we’ll explore the benefits of switching to bi-weekly meetings. This idea is growing in popularity, and is one way to maintain effective communication without unnecessary disruption. This guide will help you determine if meetings every other week will be more successful for your team than weekly or monthly meetings, and get the most out of the time you have with your staff members.
Why consider bi-weekly meetings?
We’re a business, and we get it – regular meetings are one of the best ways to help your employees stay informed and connected. You can send out all the memos and bulletins you like, but there’s nothing quite like face-to-face catch ups to ensure messages are clearly received and understood. It’s an opportunity to ensure everyone is on the same page in terms of projects, goals and results, and it’s the perfect platform for your associates to share ideas and concerns.
For some teams, weekly meetings are simply too much. When workloads are high and schedules are packed, weekly catch-up meetings can seem like nothing more than a chore, possibly even an inconvenience. You run the risk of people struggling to concentrate and focus during team meetings, because they’re worrying about upcoming deadlines and priorities. They may even decline the meeting altogether.
And yet, a monthly meeting might not seem quite right either – so much can happen in a four-week period, and a month’s worth of updates can be a lot to deliver and absorb in one meeting.
Benefits of bi-weekly meetings
A bi-weekly meeting can provide similar structured updates, allowing members to share their progress on projects and initiatives, keeping everyone else informed about any changes or important updates.
Bi-weekly team meetings are a great way to encourage collaboration, brainstorm ideas and explain new concepts, and an effective way to do this is via a whiteboard. This paperless communication tool is simple yet powerful, whether you opt for a large wall-mounted or smaller portable option for your office space.
Organising your team meeting every other week instead of weekly can help ease time pressures on your staff, freeing them up to spend more time striving for their goals. And opting for bi-weekly meetings over monthly meetings ensures your employees are still hearing essential information in a timely manner, without the risk of news being almost four weeks out of date.
How to run an effective bi-weekly meeting
Now that we've covered the advantages, how can we ensure these meetings are productive?
If you’re switching from weekly to every other week, you’ll be delivering more information in a similar time frame, so staying on track is key. And don’t feel the need to extend the time of the meeting, just because it happens less often – this is counterproductive. Aim for no more than 60 minutes – better still, 30-45 minutes. Be prepared with the right tools to keep everyone focused, such as a large, good-quality flipchart. This is essential for tracking project timelines and tasks visually.
Team meetings often happen in different office spaces, so using a portable solution like the Nobo Move & Meet Mobile Magnetic Flipchart Easel allows for flexibility, enabling you to transfer between office spaces and meeting rooms with ease.
Depending on the nature of your team meeting, it can be important to take time to reflect, and flipchart pads are a useful way to do this. And don’t forget to follow up by recapping key points and recirculating notes and action points.
Best practices for running effective bi-weekly meetings
If you’re opting for bi-weekly meetings, you’ll need to use your time well, so organisation is crucial. Come prepared with an agenda, written up on a visual aid like a whiteboard or flipchart, so that every attendee is clear on why they’re there and what they’re going to learn during the meeting. Some people are visual learners, whilst others are more auditory focused, so it’s best to have both bases covered to enhance understanding whilst catering to diverse types of learners.
Stay on track and stick to your agenda – it shows you respect everyone’s precious time and busy schedules. Having a clear (and visible) agenda will help you remain accountable for the discussion, and keeping things running smoothly. We all know how frustrating it is when a meeting runs over – worse still, when it’s a recurring meeting!
For those longer team meetings, keep everyone engaged and lift the energy in the room by including group activities with interactive tools, like the Nobo Whiteboard Accessories Kit Bag. Complete with handy elements such as multicoloured whiteboard pens, magnets, magnetic writing squares, gridding tape, mini whiteboards and mini whiteboard pens, it’s perfect for encouraging productive teamwork – which often equals excellent output.
Should your company introduce bi-weekly meetings?
If you want to keep your employees up to date without putting pressure on their time, then the answer is a resounding yes. With benefits such as maintaining effective communication without unnecessary disruption and offering a regular platform for your associates to share ideas and concerns, we’re confident a bi-weekly approach is an efficient way for you and your team to stay connected.
Why not take some time to evaluate your own team dynamics and communication needs? You may find that meeting every other week is the solution your business needs to enhance communication and performance without running the risk of burnout.
Still unsure? Consider a trial period of bi-weekly meetings to see how your team responds. Gather feedback and adjust accordingly to ensure you’re meeting everyone's needs. You’ll soon have your answer.
