Every practice needs staff meetings, but the way you manage your staff meetings makes a huge difference in their effects. They can be positive inspirations or turn into bitch sessions. It’s up to you to guide that meeting in the right direction.
Staff Meetings Must Enable Two-Way Communication
A staff meeting isn’t just a time to stand up and say, “Here are the upcoming events and here’s a policy that’s changing.” All the communication shouldn’t just flow in one direction from you to your staff. There needs to be collaboration and interaction.
For example, you might share this message with your staff during a meeting:
“The ‘percent of patient arrival’ statistic has been a bit of a challenge. Look at this graph. See it on the screen. We’re going to sit down together. We’re going to brainstorm together as a team and as individuals how we can all impact our percent of arrival. There are children we are not helping. How can we do better?”
That is a staff meeting that could generate new ideas, collaboration and inspiration for all your staff!
Use a Newsletter to Convey Announcements and General Business
Put all your announcements in a newsletter and require that your team read the newsletter. If they come back to you and they go, “Well, I didn’t know,” you can ask them, “Did you read the newsletter? Because it’s our policy that any email that comes out from the leadership team, you’re responsible to read and own that information.”
New policy changes they need to be aware of can be included in your newsletter, too. They don’t need to be presented at a meeting.
Make this change for your team. It will change the nature of problem-solving in your private practice.
Avoiding Bitch Session Staff Meetings
Staff meetings should never be allowed to turn into bitch sessions. Only allow positive, inspiring communication and problem-solving. As a leader, you need to know how to shut that down.
Here’s how you can do it: People start to complain in a staff meeting. You say, “Hold up, everyone! This is collaboration, not a communication that will bring people down. So let’s take these concerns out of this meeting. We will absolutely address those concerns that you have, but not here as a group. We’re problem-solving and coming up with solutions.”
Utilizing the Time-Saving Team Newsletter
Your newsletter is another way of communicating and it prevents you from wasting time in a meeting. A newsletter distributes announcements and updates to your staff. They can read it in their own time. They don’t need you to read it to them during a staff meeting.
However, you have to make them responsible for reading it. They cannot get too busy and fail to read the newsletter.
In all your staff communications, you’ve got to maintain a standard in your communication. Make your teammates responsible for knowing the information you distribute and using it. You’ve got to maintain that standard and make that part of your culture.
Need Help Making This Part of Your Culture?
I know it’s not always easy to take control of your practice communications like this. If you need help, check out our webinars in our Lemonade Library. Get logged in and look for webinars on building strong management skills. You can soon find yourself steering useful, productive and positive staff meetings!
About Diane Crecelius
Diane Crecelius is a physical therapist and founder of a multi-million-dollar, multi-location practice with well over 3,000 visits per week and 200 staff! In the past several years, Diane has worked tirelessly to support Peds-A-Palooza® Community & Conferences and the success of Private Practice Owners. Diane has presented at nearly every Peds-A-Palooza live and virtual conference since the first sold-out conference in 2018. Her extensive knowledge derives from her decades in practice and from being trained and consulted by Survival Strategies, Inc. She uses this training to help Private Practice Owners learn how to thrive and expand while keeping their stress low.