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When conducted well, pre-shift meetings have the potential to boost staff productivity, improve customer service and increase sales. These briefings should take place every day before each shift, with the aim of informing, instructing and motivating the team.
However, many managers' pre-shift meetings fail to hit the mark. If you want your pre-shift meetings to be effective, they need to be interesting enough for your team to listen and take note. Here are some essential do's and don'ts:
Don't forget to plan
It's important to plan your meetings as this will help you stay on track. Many managers find it beneficial to use a briefing template, which they fill out before each shift. Topics you should be covering include a summary from the previous shift, daily specials, aims for the day, goals for certain areas, etc.
Do K.I.S.S
K.I.S.S = keep it short and sweet. And when we say 'short' we mean five minutes maximum. For your pre-shift meetings to be effective, you need to maintain your team's full attention throughout. If you start to ramble, you'll start to lose impact.
Don't be negative
Your aim is to motivate and energise your team for the shift ahead - don't bring them down by focusing on negatives.
Do hold multiple pre-shift meetings
Make sure you include all front and back of house staff in your meetings. You might find it beneficial to hold small pre-shift meetings for different areas. Here at HospitalityGEM HQ, for example, we have departmental scrums each morning, followed by a manager scrum to enable us to get a good overview of what our teams are up to each day.
Don't do all of the talking
Pre-shift meetings are a chance to open the lines of communication between you and your team, so engage with them instead of talking at them. Give them an opportunity to respond to your points and ask questions. Finish by nominating two members to re-cap the meeting, as this will help to reinforce all that was discussed.
