Informal meetings have become a staple of the work process, and they are extremely valuable. They allow your team members to hold each other accountable on a weekly or daily basis. Working is a collaborative experience and these settings allow people to plan their own work schedules and project management effectively. This also enables good governance as you open up the possibility for issues to be caught early on. 

We have put together some top tips to help you improve your informal meeting process:

1) Organise A Time:

This may seem obvious after months of remote work but with more of us returning to the office or developing a hybrid form of work it is important to still schedule all forms of meetings. Your colleagues may be focusing on a task or have another meeting that could clash so it is still necessary to schedule meeting times. 

Organising a time also requires organising a finishing time! This means you are less likely to overrun or get sidetracked. It is better to focus solely on a topic for half an hour rather than many for an hour or two.

2) Make Sure The Meeting Has A Point:

Even if it is just an update on the projects everyone is working on, it is important to have a vague agenda for the meeting! This does not have to be written down, it can be a mental order of events, but it is crucial that everyone is on the same page as to the discussions to be had at the meeting. 

3) Treat Your Team: 

An informal meeting is the perfect situation to improve team morale. From time to time, or if there has been a success, treat your staff to some coffee or donuts! If you can’t afford this, then praise can also work!  Just make sure you are not favouring one employee over another; a competitive environment can be good for some organisations but not all. 

4) Pick The Right Setting:

Firstly, you need to decide if your meeting will be remote, hybrid or in-person. Remember that not all of your employees may yet feel comfortable coming back into the office! If you do decide to have in-person meetings, choosing the right room is essential. 

To state the obvious, there should be enough space and chairs for everyone to attend. It is also helpful if there is a desk for those who may want to take notes. A screen may be useful for demonstration purposes, but is not a necessity. You should try to have as much natural light as possible in your meeting room. This is good for your mental health!

5) Invest in Software: 

Software is an essential part of every business stage, this includes the informal processes. You can easily improve your hybrid and remote meetings with the right software provider. Even your in-person meetings can be aided with technology. As a Board Portal provider, we are experts in the meeting process.

You may already be using a Board Portal for your formal meetings but you can also use them for much more! They can be really useful in informal meetings because they are an end-to-end solution.

How Can Convene Help With Your Informal Meetings?

Convene is an award-winning Board Portal designed to streamline your meeting process from beginning-to-end. In fact, our wide-range of features go beyond just the actual meetings. Our new integration with Convene in Teams is particularly useful for informal meetings.

You can use our Agenda Builder to create a structure for the meetings and then easily assign Action Items as tasks to be reviewed at the next meeting. You can also use the agenda to take down notes so then your meeting notes are easily accessible in the Document Library. 

Convene in Teams fully integrates all of these features with your Active Directory, meaning that you can easily select an appropriate time for everyone to meet. 

There are many ways in which you can use Convene to benefit your organisation’s meeting process. To learn more please contact us or book a free demo today!