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38 Top Opening and Closing Remarks for Meetings

By: Grace He | Updated: March 18, 2024

You found our list of opening and closing remarks for meetings .

Opening and closing remarks for meetings are statements that introduce and wrap up workplace get-togethers. The purpose of these remarks is to set the tone of the subject matter and summarize topics covered during the meeting. Examples of opening and closing remarks for meetings include quick welcomes to attendees, announcements explaining the reason for the meeting, and conclusions that wrap up the content covered.

Utilizing opening and closing remarks is among the top public speaking tips for employees . You can use conference jokes or conference quotes as your opening or closing remarks. These icebreaker jokes are a great addition to your conference agenda .

This list includes:

• short opening remarks for a meeting
• opening remarks for a virtual meeting
• chairman opening remarks in a meeting
• opening remarks for a seminar
• sample closing remarks for a meeting
• sample closing remarks for an event
• simple closing remarks

Here we go!

Short opening remarks for a meeting

• Welcome, everyone. Thank you for taking the time to attend our meeting this morning. This meeting will address some announcements we think you will find interesting. We have a lot to cover, so we will get started without further ado.
• Good morning, folks. We appreciate you blocking out your calendar so we can discuss some important topics with you. We promise to get through this as quickly as possible so you can get back to your day.
• Hey, everyone! Great to see so many shining faces in the room, especially for the early hour! Apologies for calling this meeting on such short notice. We have some significant announcements to make, so we will get right to it.
• Hi, team. Thank you for making an effort to be here today. Some serious developments occurred over the weekend, and we wanted to inform you of the details before you heard any worrisome rumors. Here is everything we can tell you so far.
• Hello, all! Glad you could make it on such short notice. We have some exciting news to share, and we just could not wait to spill the beans! Rather than wasting any time, we can get right to the good stuff.
• Good afternoon. Thanks for making time to be here today. As you know, we hit some important milestones this week. We thought sharing the success and discussing what comes next would be helpful. Away we go!
• Greetings, everybody! Here we are at another super exciting monthly meeting, our chance to share the highs and lows we all have been through since the last time we met. Would anyone like to get things started for us?
• Well, hey there! It has been a long time since our last meeting. We have all been quite busy, as you know. We have a lot to catch up on, so how about we jump right in and get started?

Opening remarks for a virtual meeting

• Good morning to everyone on our video call today. We have participants joining today from locations all over the world. Before we get started, we would like to take a moment to share our appreciation for everyone lining up their schedules across the time zones in this way. We understand how difficult it was to coordinate this meeting so all major stakeholders could attend. We promise to make it worth your while. If anyone on the call knows of a colleague who cannot attend, please feel free to share our discussion with them when you can. You should have a meeting deck in your email to help you follow along. Feel free to open it, and we will get started.
• Cyberteam: Assemble! Cheers to our remote crew, tuning in from the various workspaces around town and throughout the country. It is truly incredible that technology allows us to get together, even if only in digital form. You may have heard about some developments across several departments. We will address those topics and field any questions or concerns you may have. We will also discuss future developments in as much detail as possible. Much of what we will cover is still in the works, so we do not have as much information for you as we would like. However, we promise to do our best to get you up to speed and keep you informed as we learn more.
• Good afternoon, team. You may have seen the email announcing our new project calendar. This timeline includes tasks spanning multiple teams, so we have a coordinated effort. We wanted to get everyone on a call to brainstorm ways to approach our rollout of various tasks. Depending on the needs, you may find your name on multiple lists, or you may not appear on any lists. Our hope is to distribute the work as fairly as possible among the team to minimize potential overload. Because you are the players involved, we want you to have a say in how we assemble the list.
• Hello, everyone. Thank you for firing up your cameras and getting online this morning. We have a few special announcements to go over as well as updates on items we left in limbo during our last meeting. We also have a special guest joining us today. This guest speaker has information about making the most of your remote work experience. I know we have discussed workplace wellness in the past, and I thought we should hear from an expert on the subject. They will hop on for the last 30 minutes, which gives us the first 30 minutes to cover everything else. I will dive right in so we can have time for Q&A before our guest appears.
• Hey, crew! We have gotten away from our meeting schedule as of late, and for a good reason. Great job on catching up on the backlog! Now that we are ahead of the curve again, I would like us to pick back up on our semi-monthly schedule to stay informed in a more unified setting. I think it is also a good idea for us to see one another’s shining faces every so often so we can remember what we all look like! More sincerely, our remote team needs face-to-face interaction, which is what these meetings are all about. I will put new items on our calendars to keep us on track through the end of the year.

Chairman opening remarks in a meeting

• I am pleased to be speaking to all of you today. As the leader of this board, it is my duty to bring us together when necessary. This task can be challenging, considering our other obligations. I would like us to take this opportunity to review developments that occurred since our last meeting and cover several lingering action items.
• Good morning, fellow board members. It is a privilege to address you all this afternoon for such a fortunate occasion. It is not often that the board has the opportunity to honor the accomplishments of its own members. Today, we will celebrate the successes of a long-standing trustee who has reached the pinnacle of personal and professional achievement. Before we start, please join me in welcoming our esteemed member with a round of applause.
• Thank you all for attending. As chairman, I would like to begin this meeting by reviewing the minutes from our last session before covering our new agenda. You all know how quickly the new corporate strategy is unfolding. We have a growing list of issues to address, so we should get started.
• I would like to extend a warm welcome to all in attendance today. As your newly appointed chairman, I think it best to begin this meeting by introducing myself and explaining my background before having each member do the same. Once introductions are complete, we will review the charter and attend to any new business.

Opening remarks for a seminar

• Welcome, everyone, and thank you for being with us today. For those who may not know, this seminar is our opportunity to share our latest developments and explain how this progress will lead us into our next phase. We have laid out a roadmap that puts us on solid footing the whole way through. We are eager to share the details and get your input on what improvements we can make. As key stakeholders in the business, your viewpoints count as much as anyone on the team. We hope you feel comfortable sharing your thoughts.
• There are few moments in which our group can assemble for a subject as important as improving our culture. We feel the need is critical enough to halt operations and bring us all together. This company remains dedicated to the well-being of every employee, but dedication means nothing without action. We have created a seminar-style meeting that presents information intended to help make the most of your experience in the workplace. This is your space, after all, and we will do all we can to create an enriching culture for all of us.
• I can think of few workplace developments less stressful than learning new software. Unfortunately, we have outgrown our old platform and have no choice but to move to a bigger and better model. After a great deal of deliberation, we have chosen a package that will make your current work much easier while also accommodating future growth. To get a head start on learning, we have put together this seminar with a representative from the software company. This speaker will provide an overview of the system and its functions before going into detail about how each feature fits in with our current system. Please feel free to ask questions and share your insight as we proceed.

Sample closing remarks for a meeting

• We have covered a lot of material in a short time. If you need more details, you can schedule one-on-one time with your supervisors, who will have additional information shortly. Please write down any questions that arise so you can get answers and feel settled about our next steps.
• I hope you enjoyed our brainstorming session. We are off to a great start and should have a great second meeting. I will add an item to the calendar to continue with our planning phase. If everyone will kindly send me their notes, then I will create a master folder we can all access. I will also email today’s meeting minutes out so we can create a living document as we go. More to come!
• As you can understand, this meeting is only a first step. We will continue business as usual until we receive further word about new developments. Once we know more about the acquisition, we will put together another meeting for updates. You may have questions and concerns before then, which you may discuss with your manager, of course. To avoid creating unnecessary anxiety, we would ask that you refrain from speculating on details we have yet to disclose. I appreciate your cooperation.
• I hope you can all agree that it is important for our team to spend quality time together outside of our usual tasks. These team building meetings are a perfect forum for showing off other sides of our personalities and connecting in fun and exciting ways. This meeting is the first of many! To ensure everyone feels a sense of ownership, I would like you all to send me your ideas for events we can include in future meetings. If you know of any games or icebreaker activities we should include, please send me a note or drop by my office to chat. The more input we have, the better variety of activities we can draw from.

Sample closing remarks for an event

• We hope you enjoyed attending our event as much as we enjoyed putting it together. As always, we are ready to assist our clients in any way possible. If you have concerns after you head out, please get in touch with your account manager or a supervisor and let us know how we can help. We truly appreciate serving you and cannot wait to see where we go together next. Thank you for coming!
• Thank you for coming to our get-together. We know breaking away from your busy day can be challenging, and we do not take it for granted. That said, it is always great to see our team come together for time away from the daily grind! We would not be able to do what we do without you. You are all integral to this organization’s success, and we are grateful to have you.
• We have come a long way since the last time we were all together. The organization has grown considerably, and we know more growth will come. We hope we have clarified what comes next for this company and how we intend to achieve our goals. The agenda may seem ambitious, but we have no doubt that the people in this room are the right people to make the effort successful. Thank you, as always, for your continued support and dedication to our cause. We hope to see you again next time.
• Before we all head out, I would like to thank everyone who showed up tonight. You really came through and made this event a smashing success! I would also like to give a shout-out to our event team, who put together everything from decorations to catering without falling behind on their daily tasks. This team is phenomenal, and the credit for such a winning event goes to them. Please join me in showing our appreciation for all they have done.

Simple closing remarks

• Thank you all for coming. Enjoy the rest of your day!
• This meeting went quicker than expected, so I will give you 30 minutes back.
• Apologies for this meeting taking longer than scheduled. I appreciate you taking the extra time needed to finish up.
• If you have any questions after the meeting, please feel free to come to my office.
• Anyone needing more information can reach out to the contacts listed on the calendar item for this meeting.
• We have much more to discuss, so I will schedule a follow-up meeting for a week from now.
• As you can see, we have some serious challenges ahead of us. But I know that our usual team spirit will help us rise to the occasion.
• This topic is highly sensitive, so we ask that you treat it with the proper discretion.
• As a thank-you for your time and attention, there are treats in the breakroom. Feel free to drop by and grab a few!
• You all put the “dream” in “dream team.” Thank you for your incredible effort and amazing output during such a demanding time!

Preparing opening and closing remarks will provide definitive starting and ending points for your meetings. You can set the tone while alerting attendees to the main topic as well as sharing a list of agenda items. These remarks also create an opportunity to open your meeting with a warm welcome and close on a note of gratitude and encouragement.

Next, read about virtual workshop ideas and virtual brainstorming ideas , and team meeting tips .

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FAQ: Opening and closing remarks for meetings

Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about opening and closing remarks for meetings.

What are opening and closing remarks for meetings?

Opening and closing remarks for meetings are introductions and conclusions that bring a sense of organization to your agenda. You can use opening remarks to announce the topic of your meeting, while closing remarks will provide a wrap-up and alert attendees to any follow-up meetings or actions needed.

Why are good opening and closing remarks important?

Good opening remarks are important because they set the tone for the meeting, set goalposts, and keep listeners engaged. Similarly, good closing statements summarize essential topics, establish goals for future sessions, and provide calls to action.

What are some good opening statements for meetings?

Some options for good opening remarks include quick reasons for the meeting and brief rundowns of topics you will cover. Choosing an opener that matches the tone of the topics you want to address is essential.

How do you create good closing remarks for meetings?

Preparing good closing remarks can be as simple as reiterating information already covered and assigning the next steps. Additionally, these remarks should leave meeting attendees with a sense of understanding and accomplishment. Examples of some good closing remarks include thank yous to workers for attending, confirmations of the following steps, and reminders of follow-up items.

Author: Grace He

People & Culture Director at teambuilding.com. Grace is the Director of People & Culture at teambuilding.com. She studied Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University, Information Science at East China Normal University and earned an MBA at Washington State University.

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People & Culture Director at teambuilding.com.

Grace is the Director of People & Culture at teambuilding.com. She studied Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University, Information Science at East China Normal University and earned an MBA at Washington State University.

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38 Top Opening and Closing Remarks for Meetings

Meetings are more than just gatherings; they're opportunities to inspire, engage, and leave a lasting impression. Your choice of opening and closing remarks can make a significant impact on the success of your meeting. In this article, we'll explore 38 top opening and closing remarks that will help you set the tone, convey your message effectively, and create a memorable experience for your attendees. From professionalism to warmth and from motivation to gratitude, we've got you covered.

1. The Warm Welcome

A warm welcome sets the tone for a positive meeting. Begin with a friendly greeting, acknowledge the importance of the gathering, and express your enthusiasm for the discussions ahead. Make your audience feel appreciated and comfortable.

2. The Purpose Statement

State the purpose of the meeting clearly. Explain why everyone is gathered and what you aim to achieve. This helps attendees focus on the main objectives and ensures a productive discussion.

3. The Icebreaker

Break the ice with a light and relatable anecdote or trivia related to the meeting's topic. Icebreakers help create a friendly atmosphere and encourage engagement.

4. The Quote of Inspiration

Incorporate an inspiring quote that resonates with the meeting's theme or objectives. A well-chosen quote can motivate and set the right mood for the meeting.

5. The Agenda Overview

Provide a brief overview of the meeting's agenda. Highlight key topics, speakers, and the expected flow of the discussion. This ensures that everyone is on the same page.

6. The Call to Order

If you're chairing a formal meeting, a simple "I call this meeting to order" is a professional and effective way to start. It signals the beginning of official proceedings.

7. The Gratitude Note

Express gratitude for everyone's attendance and contributions. Acknowledge the effort and time invested by participants, showing your appreciation.

8. The Vision Statement

Share the long-term vision or goal that the meeting aims to support. Aligning the current discussion with a broader vision can inspire attendees.

9. The Progress Recap

If it's a recurring meeting, briefly recap the progress made since the last gathering. It keeps everyone informed and engaged.

10. The Interactive Question

Pose a thought-provoking question that encourages participants to think and engage. This can be a great way to kick off discussions.

11. The Motivational Story

Share a brief motivational story or anecdote that relates to the meeting's objectives. Stories can inspire and engage attendees.

12. The Problem-Solution Framework

Introduce a problem or challenge that the meeting aims to address and then present it as an opportunity for solution. This framework fosters problem-solving and innovation.

13. The Empowering Statement

Empower your audience by reminding them of their roles and contributions. Let them know that their participation is essential for the meeting's success.

14. The Team Acknowledgment

Recognize the collaborative effort of the team. Highlight the strengths and skills of your group members and the importance of teamwork.

15. The Ethical Reminder

Reiterate the importance of ethical conduct and respectful interactions during the meeting. A reminder of professional conduct is always beneficial.

16. The Key Takeaway Preview

Give a sneak peek of the key takeaways attendees can expect by the end of the meeting. This keeps participants focused on the value they'll gain.

17. The Roadmap Presentation

Offer a roadmap of what to expect throughout the meeting. Outline the flow, segments, and breaks to keep everyone oriented.

18. The Participant Engagement

Encourage participants to engage actively. Let them know that their contributions are valued, and their involvement is crucial for a successful meeting.

19. The Appreciative Conclusion

End the meeting on a positive note. Express your gratitude once again, summarize the key points, and convey your confidence in the team's abilities.

20. The Future Vision

Share your vision for the future and how the meeting aligns with long-term goals. This provides a sense of purpose and direction.

21. The Call to Action

End with a clear call to action. Specify the next steps, assignments, or tasks that need to be addressed after the meeting.

22. The Reflection Moment

Encourage participants to take a moment to reflect on what they've learned or discussed during the meeting. This promotes mindfulness and retention.

23. The Pledge of Commitment

Ask attendees to commit to the meeting's objectives and put their best effort into achieving the desired outcomes.

24. The Professional Closure

End with a formal closing, such as "I now declare this meeting adjourned." It signals the conclusion of official proceedings.

25. The Gratitude Recap

Summarize the gratitude expressed throughout the meeting and emphasize the value of teamwork and collaboration.

26. The Personal Acknowledgment

Acknowledge each participant individually, thanking them for their contributions and involvement during the meeting.

27. The Challenge Statement

Challenge participants to apply what they've learned in their roles or departments. Motivate them to make the meeting worthwhile.

28. The Collaborative Pledge

Invite attendees to pledge their commitment to collaborate effectively and support one another.

29. The Milestone Celebration

Celebrate any achievements or milestones reached during the meeting. Recognize hard work and dedication.

30. The Action Plan Overview

Give an overview of the action plan that will follow the meeting. This ensures clarity and alignment on the next steps.

31. The Inspirational Closing

End with an inspiring quote or message that leaves attendees motivated and looking forward to the future.

32. The Decision Recap

Summarize the key decisions made during the meeting and emphasize their importance.

33. The Commitment Request

Request a commitment from attendees to actively participate in post-meeting tasks and assignments.

34. The Team Encouragement

Encourage your team by recognizing their dedication, hard work, and commitment to the meeting's goals.

35. The Progress Reminder

Remind participants of the progress made during the meeting and encourage them to maintain the momentum.

36. The Next Meeting Preview

Preview what attendees can expect in the next meeting. This keeps them engaged and looking forward to future discussions.

37. The Recognition of Challenges

Acknowledge the challenges discussed during the meeting and emphasize the team's ability to overcome them.

38. The Lasting Impact

End with a reflection on the lasting impact of the meeting's discussions and decisions. Inspire attendees to carry the meeting's significance with them.

In conclusion, your choice of opening and closing remarks can shape the outcome of your meeting. These 38 remarks are designed to help you inspire, engage, and make a lasting impression on your audience. Whether you're fostering teamwork, expressing gratitude, or motivating your team, there's a remark for every situation. Use them strategically to ensure your meetings are not only productive but also memorable. Make your mark, set the tone, and create exceptional meetings that leave a lasting impact on everyone involved.

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How to Conduct a Performance Review Meeting

A practical framework for performance reviews ensuring a sense of positive progress.

By the Mind Tools Content Team

Leading a performance review meeting with a team member who is, generally, performing well can seem like a fairly straightforward task. It is still important, however, that the meeting is well structured, productive and helpful for the employee. This guide provides a framework for conducting an effective performance review meeting with a good performer. [1]

1. Set the Scene

It is important to set the employee at ease at the beginning of the meeting. You can do this by:

• offering refreshments and taking a few minutes to make small talk before you start
• briefly explaining the purpose of the meeting, emphasizing the benefits: this is an opportunity to sit down uninterrupted for an hour or so to discuss the employee’s performance, development, strengths and aspirations and to share ideas about how to work together more effectively
• commenting positively on the employee’s overall performance (or specific aspects of it, if more appropriate)
• proposing the format of the meeting and establishing whether the employee has any specific issues they would like to discuss, so you can finalize the meeting agenda together

2. Invite Self-Appraisal

The aim of this part of the meeting is to encourage the employee to reflect on their performance since their last review meeting. It is a good idea to ask the employee open questions to help them do this. [2] For example:

• How have the last few months been for you?
• What have been the main successes?
• What tasks/projects have you found the most satisfying?
• What have you enjoyed the most?
• What have you found the main challenges to be? How/to what degree have these been overcome?
• What have been your main frustrations or disappointments?

If the employee introduces issues here that require further discussion, avoid getting bogged down in detail at this early stage of the meeting. Instead, you can advise the employee that you will add the issue to the agenda and address it in more detail later on in the meeting.

3. Jointly Review the Employee’s Personal Objectives

The next part of the meeting should focus on the employee’s personal objectives. Following these steps will help you to ensure that you cover off all the necessary points during this stage of the meeting:

• If you have not already done so, quickly establish if the personal objectives agreed in the employee’s most recent performance review meeting are still current. If one or two objectives have been superseded, acknowledge this early on to prevent the employee from worrying needlessly that they haven’t been achieved.
• Address one objective at a time. Invite self-appraisal from the employee first, before giving your own feedback, remembering to focus on the positives. If you feel the need to brush up on your feedback skills before conducting the performance review meeting, you will find some useful resources in the Feedback topic to help you do this.
• Ensure an appropriate balance is achieved between discussing successes and challenges/disappointments. Spending a disproportionate amount of time focusing on one or two shortfalls or frustrations could distort a relatively positive performance meeting. If you do discuss problems or challenges that require more thorough analysis, it is a good idea to set up an additional meeting with the employee to focus on these issues in closer detail.

4. Jointly Review the Employee’s Personal Development Plan

The next stage of the performance review meeting should address the training and development activities in which the employee has participated since your last performance review meeting. You might find the following questions helpful:

• How useful did you find the training/development activity?
• Did it deliver the desired results?
• Did you gain any additional benefits?
• How appropriate was the training method for you?
• Is there any further action or support that you feel you need?
• Is there anything I can do to help you develop more in this area?
• Are there any changes we could make as a team that you feel would help you?

If you have observed an improvement in the employee’s performance since they took part in a training and development activity, then this stage of the performance review meeting provides you with the ideal opportunity to feed this back constructively . You might also be able to comment on improvements you have noticed in the employee’s confidence, interpersonal skills, technical competence, knowledge or approach to their work since they took part in the training and development activity.

If at this stage of the meeting it transpires that the employee has a new training and development need, or one that has not yet been met by the activities already undertaken, you should discuss the best way forward . Is there a training course the employee can attend, or would they benefit more from being coached or mentored by you or a colleague? Alternatively, would this development need be better met by self-study? If this is the case, how could you support this?

5. Encourage Upward Feedback

If the employee has not already provided you with upward feedback by this stage of the meeting, you should encourage the employee to do so now. Topics you can ask for feedback and ideas on include:

• improvements that could be made to organizational systems and processes
• how work could be delegated more effectively
• what level of supervision is appropriate for the team
• how you can both work more effectively together
• how well you communicate with the individual and the wider team

6. Agree Next Steps

Some organizations close the performance review meeting at this stage and establish a time in the future for the manager and team member to meet again to agree on a set of future objectives. If this is the case in your organization, then you should now draw the meeting to a close. The 'conclude the meeting' section of this guide provides some advice on how to do this effectively.

However, in other organizations the manager and team member agree on future objectives as part of the performance review meeting. If this happens in your organization, at this stage you should ask the employee to suggest a set of future objectives. These should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound (i.e. S.M.A.R.T). Discuss each of their suggestions and agree on the objectives that meet these criteria.

If the employee fails to identify an objective you feel is particularly relevant, or is struggling for ideas, you can contribute your own suggestions, but it is important that the employee is given the chance to suggest their own set of future objectives in the first instance.

7. Conclude the Meeting

Bring the meeting to a close by:

• asking the employee if they have any additional questions and address them if they do
• summarizing their key achievements and thanking the employee for their contribution to the team and wider organization
• confirming the areas of improvement that have been agreed and how these will be taken forward
• summarizing any housekeeping details such as how you will record the main discussion points and when

[1] Some organizations may refer to this element of their performance management system as a performance appraisal, or development meeting. For the purposes of this article, we shall use the term ‘performance review’, but the information relates to any organizational process in which a manager facilitates a structured discussion with team members about their performance and development, and agrees upon a set of objectives, next actions and training needs.

[2] Open questions are, as the name suggests, open-ended, and can prompt a range of potential responses. They cannot be answered by saying ‘yes’ or ‘no’, and usually begin with words such as ‘how’, ‘what’, and ‘why’.

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How To Plan, Organize, & Run a Management Review Meeting

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Are you preparing to run a management review meeting? If so, it’s important to know what’s involved and how to make the most of it.

In this post, we’ll walk you through the basics of planning, organizing, and running a management review meeting. We’ll also share some tips along the way on how to make the most of the review, so that your next meeting is a success.

What are Management Review Meetings & Why are They Important?

Management reviews are an essential part of any company’s management process. Reviews are formal meetings with your manager(s) to discuss the processes and procedures currently in place within your management system and how to improve them.

The objective of this type of meeting is to allow upper level managers to identify problems within the system and provide feedback on how best those issues could be resolved.

These meetings also help create updated strategies for optimizing managerial processes.

Keep in mind, management meetings and reviews can be very different things. A typical management meeting would address day-to-day operations, sales progress or production issues, while a review focuses primarily on managerial system requirements.

Review meetings are particularly helpful when it comes time to reassess policies, procedures, structures, trends/patterns, or performance against key business objectives.

Before The Review

Running a review meeting correctly is an important step in your company’s development. It ensures managers are doing their jobs, helping to create a shared mindset for the direction of your business and it provides you with valuable feedback on where your company should be focusing its energy. If any problems are identified, then appropriate actions can be put into place to correct them.

But before everyone gathers for the meeting it’s important to consider a few things first…

Consider frequency

How often do you want to hold a management review meeting? The simple answer is, it all depends on the needs of your business.

Generally, it’s best to start off small with one review meeting per quarter. Yearly, is the next best option. However, if you’re in the process of making big changes to your company, then it may be best to hold management meetings more frequently in order to iron out any kinks before they become too problematic. Just be sure to avoid overloading your managers with too many meetings.

Business owners who have numerous meetings in a year may benefit from breaking down each meeting into smaller components, such as safety procedures or quality control concerns, rather than having them all lumped together for a single review.

Another scenario for multiple meetings is if you have more than one type of store within the company; then we would recommend holding separate sessions for reviewing the performance of each branch.

Consider the attendees

Who should attend a review meeting? It really depends on what you need from it. Start with your top management team and go from there based on the needs of your management process. Too many people can water down the purpose of a review meeting.

The meeting will be most effective if it is led by someone with the overall responsibility for your management system. They should identify those members of senior management who are needed at this event so that things run smoothly and without any hiccups.

Create Agenda

The following are some of the topics that should be addressed during a management review:

• Issues and problems – What issues and/or problems have arisen since the last meeting?
• Changes – Transitions within the management system that might need updating.
• Analysis of the system trends – Which parts are working well? Does anything need updating or changing? Your management team should be identifying the trends that correlate with the overall management system. Look at sales growth, product improvements etc.
• Actions – What are you going to do about problems or issues that have been identified? Who is responsible for each action? When will the actions be completed by? Set a deadline in order to have an action plan.

Running the Review

Now that you’ve got everyone together, it’s time to start…

Step 1: Open the meeting

The first step in conducting a successful meeting is to start off with an acknowledgement of why and what you’re aiming to achieve. It’s important that everyone understands their role, so there can be no confusion about the tasks at hand or any other issues related to them.

Step 2: Review the System

When reviewing your systems as a whole, you should be looking at them from different angles, so that each member of the management team can contribute their expertise in identifying strengths and weaknesses.

The weaknesses are often highlighted by those who have been directly affected by them, therefore it’s important that those with perspective have a chance to speak.

Here a few topics your meeting should cover:

• Operational function – How the system has performed day-to-day.
• Human Factors – Which people within your company are important to your management system’s success? Who needs to be involved on a daily basis? What can you do to better utilize these people and how will that benefit the business as a whole?

It’s worth noting that not all of these questions need to be answered, however it’s a good idea to look at them from the perspective of those who are affected by your management system.

• Specific Risks – Have there been any events or incidents? Who was involved and what happened? Why did the incident happen and how could it have been prevented
• Noteworthy trends – Whether they occur inside or outside of you company, trends give insight into what needs changing about processes. Inside the business trends include sales, product changes or observations about your internal processes. Outside trends include factors like legislation changes and competitors moves.

Step 3: Develop an Action Plan

Once you’ve figured out where the management system is heading, it’s time to establish some goals for what needs to be achieved…

• Set deadlines and obligations for each person on your team.
• Make a list of everything that must happen in order for your system to improve.
• Ensure that all members of your leadership team are aware of their responsibilities.
• Answer the following questions: What has to be done? What should be changed? Who is responsible for each action?
• Make sure that you review your action plan with each management review meeting. This will help to increase accountability and insight into the efficacy of what is being done in regards to achieving goals or objectives.

Step 4: Closing the Meeting

Close off by reviewing any action plans that have been put in place at this meeting and identify whether they will be a priority for everyone, then provide a timeline on when to next meet.

The review meeting doesn’t end here, review and reflection should carry on afterwards. It might be a good idea to set up some follow-up such as email threads, group chats or maybe even reaching out individually.

There’s no perfect management review meeting but you should aim for an effective one that moves your business forward and gives you some key insights on how your management systems can get even better.

Step 5: Sending out Meeting Notes

It’s absolutely essential to document the meeting. Make sure to send these documents to all attendees so they are aware of what was decided and when actions will take place.

This simple act functions as a reminder, gives everyone clarity, and gives the meeting attendees the satisfaction that their input is now documented and trackable .

If you’ve been managing a company for any period of time, there will be processes within the managerial system that need updating. That’s why management review meetings are a good way to keep your management system relevant.

Remember, a management review meeting is not just about finding the weaknesses in your system, it’s also about finding the strengths and capitalizing on them. Look at what you’ve done right, look at what you can improve upon and look at how to get from one point to another.

It’s a simple process that can have a huge impact on the future of your company.

Remember, to refer back to this article as needed when planning your next meeting.

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How to Conduct a Monthly Business Plan Review Meeting

Posted june 21, 2021 by noah parsons.

Most people think that meetings are a waste of time. They’re right.

The fact is, too many meetings are run poorly, have no real objective, and waste employees’ time — which kills productivity.

I absolutely encourage you to be ruthless in your pursuit of fewer and more efficient meetings. There’s tons of advice out there on how to run better meetings and cut down on useless touch bases that waste time and make your organization move slower.

For example, here at Palo Alto Software , we’ve found one meeting that is simply indispensable. It only takes an hour each month, keeps the management team up to speed on everything that’s going on in the company, and helps us plan and manage in a quick and effective way .

This meeting is our monthly plan review meeting. 

What is a plan review meeting?

A monthly review meeting is a time for you and your team to review current progress against your ideal performance. This one-to-two-hour meeting should be spent dissecting parts of your strategy, reviewing financials, and making adjustments based on overall performance. It has been a fixture of our management strategy for years and is simply one of the most effective ways for us to continue to grow the company and adjust our course as necessary.

For us, business planning isn’t just a one-time or annual event. Instead, it’s an ongoing process where we are constantly reviewing and adjusting course as necessary while ensuring that we’re staying on track toward our larger goals .

Why is it important to conduct a monthly plan review?

Every business of any size can benefit from a calculated time to stop, review and revise. When done correctly, this meeting can help you focus on what’s vital for your company, identify what data you need to accurately measure it and how to best present and review these results. Additionally, your monthly plan review process can help your business in the following ways.

Commits your business to learn and act

It can become very easy to let operations and processes become stagnant and standard. Without a regular performance review, any potential problems may remain to fester well beyond when they are first identified. You don’t want to waste company time and resources on things that are ineffective, but it’s difficult to change course without first processing it.

By setting aside this monthly time, it provides the opportunity to commit to learning and adjusting anything and everything. This isn’t based on off-hand information but on solid information and data that helps you identify and evaluate what’s most important for your business. 

Engages individuals across your entire business

Depending on how you present this meeting, it has the potential to pull in greater insight from across your business. Whether you’re sharing information company-wide or sticking with select leaders from each department, it immediately expands the scope of expertise. 

The more that every leader and employee knows what’s going on with everyone else, the better you can align and produce effective goals . It also provides the opportunity to identify potential solutions or issues from outside your core team’s responsibilities. Maybe your product team sees a potential gap in your marketing messaging. Or someone in HR sees a potential work/life balance misalignment in the sales team. None of this would come to life without a core review meeting like this.

Influences better business conversations

Engaging more people across your business and providing more detailed information typically leads to more fruitful conversations outside the core meeting. Yes, the meeting itself is vital for actively reviewing and adjusting your strategy at the moment. However, this information being top of mind means that potential issues or innovations will be dealt with outside of the planning meeting. This is due to your employees having a clear direction to reference in the day-to-day. They know the strategy and data are up-to-date and that it serves as a north star for their own projects and initiatives.

How to run an effective monthly plan review meeting

We treat planning not as a document, but as a management tool that helps guide decisions and strategy. It’s this mindset that helps our team run these monthly meetings successfully. We have a strategy in place, steps to walk through and key objectives we expect to find.

Here’s a quick overview of how we structure our monthly plan review meetings and what’s worked well for us over the years. 

1. Review your financial statements

We always start with the numbers first . How did we do last month compared to our forecast ? How did we do compared to the same month last year? What does our year-to-date performance look like?

What financial statements to review

Ideally, you’ll have the opportunity to review all relevant monthly financial statements. At a minimum, you should review your Profit and Loss Statement , Balance Sheet, and Cash Flow Statement . These will provide a high-level overview of your financial position and help identify any obvious anomalies. If possible, it’s valuable to look at these all together through a business dashboard , that way you can immediately start making connections.

With that top-level exploration in mind, you can then start looking into your budget, financial forecast scenarios, and any specific elements that may seem relevant. This may include things like your expense categories, accounts receivable/payable payment schedules, etc. 

Look beyond top-line performance

We always spend time drilling into the numbers, beyond the top-line revenue and expenses to better understand what the drivers were behind our performance. Did all product lines perform well? Or did some underperform? Did we spend as planned or were there some areas that we overspent in?

Most importantly, we review our cash position and cash flow . Did we collect money as planned? What does our cash flow forecast look like for the next few months?

There are benefits to looking at financials together

While financial reports can be reviewed outside of a meeting, reviewing them together as a team encourages questions and discussion around our revenue and spending. It also helps you uncover specific issues or opportunities that you may miss on your own. And of course, gives everyone a voice to determine the next steps for the company as well as their specific teams.

Of course, we use LivePlan to review our numbers because it’s much easier than drilling through exported reports from QuickBooks . But if you’re not ready to make that jump, you can always start out with a simple cash flow template in Excel.

2. Reevaluate your milestones

Once we review our financial performance, we review our “ major milestones ”—the big tasks we had hoped to get done in the past month and our plans for the next month.

We discuss how various teams might be working with each other on different projects and talk about the specific milestones that we have planned. Are these still the tactics that we want to work on that will help achieve our goals? Do we need to shift priorities? Is there new learning and information that would have us change our schedule?

By reviewing major initiatives on a monthly basis, we can stay agile and make changes as needed. That’s also why we review them after parsing through our financials, to determine if our current milestones should still be a priority. As we learn more about our customers and our market , we might shift strategies and develop new milestones .

3. Review your long-term goals and strategy

Next, we review our long-term strategic goals. While this doesn’t change too often in our situation as an established company, new startups might shift their strategy frequently as they search for a business model that works.

For those early-stage startups, this step of the meeting may be the most important step and often takes the longest. For more established companies, this part of the meeting might typically only take a few minutes. This is where having a brief and functional business plan can really help speed up the process.

Instead of delving deep into a 40-page business plan document to review our strategy, we review our our one-page business plan (in LivePlan, it’s called the Pitch ). It covers our company identity, the core problem we solve for our customers, our solution, competition , and sales and marketing strategy . It’s all on one page so it’s easy to read, review, and change quickly .

4. Provide time to discuss any company issues

Finally, anyone on the team can bring forward any issues that they want to discuss. This could include new opportunities to consider, prioritization of product features, potential partnerships, or internal HR issues.

Everything is fair game and we try to come up with resolutions and next steps for any issue that’s brought up.

We’ve found that this type of open-ended discussion really helps generate new ideas and brings different perspectives from managers of different teams.

5. Set meeting guidelines

I believe that all companies would benefit from a monthly review of their business. These types of meetings keep everyone on the same page, help share information about progress, and turn planning into a tool that helps teams make informed decisions. 

But in order to run these monthly meetings successfully, you’ll need to do some preliminary work to keep you and your team on track. Here are three tips to successfully establish your monthly business plan review.

Put the meeting on the calendar

It’s important to make it a formal event that’s on the schedule. It can’t be optional and it has to be at a regular time so that everyone always knows when the meeting is.

For us, we started out with the meeting on the 3rd Thursday of every month. As our bookkeeping and accounting processes have become more efficient, we’ve been able to move our meeting to the 2nd Friday of the month.

Follow a repeatable agenda

While different topics will come up for discussion, it’s important that your plan review meeting has a repeatable agenda. Not only does it provide structure, but it gives your team specific action items to review beforehand.

That means making sure that you have your numbers ready for review and that your team has updates on their goals. Try to set time limits for each section if you can, and overestimate the length of the meeting with the full intention of finishing earlier than planned. This part will be a continuous work in progress and you and your team will gradually improve your efficiency with each subsequent meeting.

Be prepared to change the plan

These plan review meetings aren’t just about staying the course and blindly following the plan. Instead, they are about adjusting the plan. Perhaps you’ll discover that you should be investing more in marketing, or that you’re going to be able to expand and hire faster than you originally planned.

The plan review meeting is about making adjustments to your goals and strategies based on what you’ve discovered in the past month.

Use your monthly plan review to redefine how you do meetings

Keep in mind that running your meetings more successfully won’t just happen overnight. It takes time to develop a structure that works best for you and your team. As I outlined in this article, the best place to start your meeting restructure is with your monthly plan review meeting.

It’s a necessary review that can be consistently repeated, refined, and adjusted, which makes it the perfect testing ground for a new system. 

Editors’ Note: This article was originally written in 2018 and updated for 2021.

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Sprint Review Meeting: A Guide to Agile Demo and Feedback

Learn all about sprint review meetings. Understand the importance of scrums and more for product owners and stakeholders in improving efficiency.

What is a sprint review meeting?

A sprint review meeting is a crucial event in the Scrum agile methodology, marking the end of a sprint. It’s a collaborative session where the scrum team and stakeholders review the work completed during the sprint. The purpose is to inspect the increment of the product and adapt the product backlog if needed. The sprint review is not just a presentation but a working session where feedback is actively sought to guide the next steps.

It differs from a sprint retrospective, which focuses on the team’s processes, as the sprint review is product-centric. This meeting provides an opportunity for the product owner to clarify what has been “done” and what has not, and for the team to demonstrate the work they have accomplished. It’s an essential part of the sprint cycle, bridging the gap between what was planned and what was achieved.

Understanding the purpose of a sprint review

The primary purpose of a sprint review is to inspect the outcomes of the current sprint and determine future adaptations. This meeting allows the scrum team to present their completed work and gather feedback from key stakeholders, which is crucial for continuous improvement.

The sprint review is an opportunity to assess the progress towards the overall project goals and to align the team’s work with the product owner’s expectations. It ensures transparency and collaboration, as stakeholders get a clear view of the product’s development stage and can provide valuable insights for future iterations. The sprint review is fundamental in the agile approach, emphasizing inspection and adaptation for better product development.

Key stakeholders involved in a sprint review

In a sprint review, key stakeholders include the scrum team (comprising the product owner, scrum master, and development team), as well as customers, executives, and other interested parties. The product owner plays a crucial role in the sprint review, presenting the product backlog items completed during the sprint and discussing the product’s progress.

The development team demonstrates the work done and participates in the discussion. Stakeholders outside the scrum team, such as customers or executives, provide feedback and insights which are vital for the direction of the next sprint. Their involvement ensures that the product development remains aligned with user needs and business objectives.

The role of the scrum master in the sprint review

The scrum master's role in the sprint review is multifaceted, primarily focusing on facilitating the meeting and ensuring that it adheres to the agile principles. The scrum master ensures that the meeting is productive and stays within the time-boxed session, typically a few hours. They support the product owner in preparing for the review and guide the development team in effectively demonstrating the sprint’s achievements.

The scrum master also ensures that the discussion remains constructive and focused, facilitating an open and honest exchange of feedback. Additionally, they may assist in addressing any impediments that arise during the meeting, ensuring a smooth review process.

Agile principles in the context of sprint review

The sprint review embodies several key agile principles, such as transparency, inspection, and adaptation. Transparency is achieved as the team demonstrates real, completed work, providing stakeholders with a clear understanding of the project's progress. The principle of inspection is central to the sprint review, as both the scrum team and stakeholders examine the completed work and assess its alignment with the project goals.

Adaptation occurs following the review, where feedback and insights gathered are used to update the product backlog and inform the planning of the next sprint. The sprint review is a practical application of these agile principles, ensuring that the product evolves in response to stakeholder needs and market changes.

Creating a successful sprint review agenda

A well-structured agenda is key to a successful sprint review. The agenda should allocate time for the product owner to summarize the sprint goals and what has been accomplished. The development team should demonstrate the work completed and discuss any challenges encountered. Time must be set aside for stakeholders to provide feedback and ask questions, fostering a collaborative discussion.

The product owner also needs to present the updated product backlog and outline the probable items for the next sprint. It’s essential for the scrum master to ensure that the meeting remains focused and within the allocated time, facilitating an efficient and productive review. An effective agenda ensures that all critical aspects of the sprint are discussed, setting the stage for successful future iterations.

How does the sprint review differ from other agile activities?

Comparing sprint review vs sprint retrospective.

The sprint review and sprint retrospective are distinct Scrum ceremonies with different focuses. The sprint review is conducted at the end of each sprint to inspect the increment of the product and adapt the product backlog. It involves the scrum team and stakeholders reviewing the work completed (demo) and discussing the next steps. Key stakeholders provide feedback, which influences future sprint planning.

On the other hand, the sprint retrospective is an internal meeting for the scrum team, focusing on evaluating their processes, identifying challenges and successes within the team dynamic, and planning improvements for the next sprint. While the review is product and progress-focused, involving external stakeholders, the retrospective is introspective, aiming to enhance the team’s workflow and collaboration.

Discovering the intersection of sprint review and sprint planning

The sprint review and sprint planning are interconnected phases in the Scrum framework. The sprint review marks the end of one sprint and sets the stage for the subsequent sprint planning. In the review, the scrum team showcases the product increment completed during the sprint to the stakeholders. Feedback received in this meeting influences the product backlog, which is a critical input for the upcoming sprint planning.

During sprint planning, the team selects items from this adapted backlog to determine the goals and tasks for the next sprint. Thus, the outcomes and insights gained in the sprint review directly feed into the sprint planning, ensuring that the team’s efforts align with stakeholder expectations and project objectives.

Highlighting the unique aspects of sprint review within Scrum framework

The sprint review holds a unique place within the Scrum framework due to its focus on product demonstration and stakeholder feedback. It’s an informal meeting at the end of each sprint where the development team presents the shippable product increment to the stakeholders. This demonstration allows stakeholders to see tangible progress, unlike other scrum meetings that focus more on planning or process evaluation.

The sprint review is critical for maintaining transparency and ensuring that the product development aligns with user needs and business goals. It fosters collaboration between the scrum team and stakeholders, allowing for real-time feedback and adjustments to the product backlog, which is not a focus in other scrum events like daily stand-ups or retrospectives.

Understanding the sprint review’s role in the overall development process

The sprint review plays a pivotal role in the overall development process in Agile project management. It serves as a checkpoint to ensure that the product development aligns with the evolving needs of the business and the end users. By showcasing the completed user stories and product features, the sprint review provides a clear picture of the project’s progress.

This meeting allows for immediate feedback from key stakeholders, making it a vital step in validating the product’s direction and usability. The iterative nature of the sprint review ensures that the product evolves in a manner that is responsive to market changes and customer requirements, which is central to the Agile methodology.

Examining the stakeholder involvement in sprint review vs other agile activities

Stakeholder involvement in the sprint review is more significant compared to other Agile activities. The sprint review is one of the few scrum events where stakeholders outside the scrum team, such as clients, executives, or end users, are actively involved. They provide critical feedback on the product increment demonstrated by the development team. This direct interaction allows stakeholders to influence the project’s trajectory and ensures that the team’s work aligns with business objectives.

In contrast, other Agile activities like sprint planning, daily stand-ups, and retrospectives are typically confined to the scrum team, focusing on planning, coordination, and process improvement without direct stakeholder input. Therefore, the sprint review is a key ceremony for stakeholder engagement in the Agile process.

Photo by Paico Oficial on Unsplash

What are the essential components of a successful sprint review?

Identifying the purpose and goal of a sprint review.

The purpose of a sprint review is to assess the progress of a Scrum team towards the sprint goal and to adapt the product backlog for the next sprint. This meeting is held at the end of a sprint and is crucial for evaluating the work completed against the sprint's objectives. The primary goal of a sprint review is to inspect the increment and determine future adaptations.

It provides an opportunity for the Scrum team to demonstrate what has been accomplished and to gather feedback that will influence the next steps. This review ensures that the product being developed remains relevant and valuable. The sprint review serves as a platform for transparent communication between the Scrum team and stakeholders, reinforcing the principles of inspection and adaptation that are central to effective agile project management.

Creating a shippable product increment for sprint review

A key component of a successful sprint review is presenting a shippable product increment that reflects the work completed during the sprint. This increment is a tangible outcome of the Scrum team’s efforts and is aligned with the sprint goal set at the beginning of the sprint. The product increment should be in a state that it could be delivered to the customer if deemed appropriate.

The development team’s focus during the sprint should be on creating high-quality, potentially releasable functionality that meets the defined acceptance criteria. The increment presented in the sprint review provides a basis for stakeholders to provide feedback, making it a critical element of the sprint’s success and the ongoing development of the product.

Engaging the development team in the sprint review process

Active engagement of the development team is vital for a successful sprint review. The team, having worked on the sprint backlog items, is best positioned to demonstrate the product increment and discuss their approach. It's important that all team members have the opportunity to contribute and share their insights.

This can include discussing challenges faced, solutions implemented, and lessons learned during the sprint. The team’s involvement in the sprint review fosters a sense of ownership and accountability for the work done. It also encourages transparency and collaboration, as the team shares their achievements and receives direct feedback from stakeholders, which is invaluable for continuous improvement in subsequent sprints.

Evaluating the effectiveness of a sprint review through user story feedback

The effectiveness of a sprint review can be gauged by the feedback received on the completed user stories. This feedback, coming directly from stakeholders, provides insights into whether the sprint goals were met and if the increment meets user needs and expectations. A successful sprint review effectively communicates the progress made and elicits constructive feedback that guides future development.

This feedback should be specific, actionable, and relevant to the user stories demonstrated. The Scrum team can use this feedback to refine the product backlog and make informed decisions about the direction of the next sprint. Continuous improvement is a key principle in Agile, and user story feedback is a crucial element in this process.

Ensuring an effective sprint review through project management and stakeholder input

An effective sprint review requires careful project management and active stakeholder involvement. The Scrum master plays a key role in facilitating the sprint review, ensuring that it focuses on the sprint goal and the product increment. Effective preparation includes ensuring that all necessary materials and resources are available for the demonstration and discussion. Stakeholders, including customers and business representatives, provide essential input during the review.

Their feedback on the product increment helps guide the team's future work and ensures that the product aligns with business needs and user expectations. By integrating stakeholder feedback into project management, the Scrum team can ensure that their efforts are focused and aligned with overall project goals, leading to more successful outcomes in future sprints.

How to conduct an effective sprint review meeting?

Exploring the activities and discussions during a sprint review meeting.

An effective sprint review meeting involves a series of structured activities and open discussions aimed at evaluating the sprint’s outcomes. The meeting typically starts with the Scrum team presenting the completed backlog items, showcasing the potentially shippable increment of the product.

This demonstration is a key activity where the team highlights new features, capabilities, and any improvements made. Following the demo, stakeholders and team members engage in a discussion about what was delivered, focusing on the quality and completeness of the work.

This is a time to assess whether the sprint goals were met and to discuss any challenges or impediments faced during the sprint. The sprint review meeting provides a platform for transparent communication, allowing the team and stakeholders to collectively reflect on the sprint’s achievements and limitations.

Strengthening the communication channels with the scrum team and stakeholders

Effective communication is pivotal in a sprint review, as it fosters a collaborative environment where valuable insights can be shared. To strengthen communication, the Scrum master should facilitate an open and inclusive atmosphere where all participants feel comfortable sharing their thoughts. Encouraging stakeholders to provide honest feedback on the sprint’s deliverables is essential.

The development team should be prepared to answer questions and discuss the rationale behind their decisions. Clear and concise communication helps in understanding different perspectives, which is crucial for addressing any issues and planning future sprints. Regular and transparent communication between the Scrum team and stakeholders throughout the sprint also sets the stage for a more effective and efficient sprint review.

Ensuring a productive sprint review to meet the sprint's goal

To ensure a productive sprint review, it’s important to focus on the sprint’s goal and how effectively it was achieved. The Scrum team should be ready with a clear demonstration of the sprint backlog items and be prepared to discuss the progress made towards the sprint goal. It's beneficial to have a structured agenda for the meeting, allowing time for both presentation and feedback.

Encourage active participation from all attendees, ensuring that different viewpoints are considered. The sprint review should be a constructive session where achievements are acknowledged, and challenges are openly discussed. This approach helps in identifying areas for improvement and in making strategic decisions for future work.

Establishing the sprint review’s role in receiving feedback and making improvements

The sprint review plays a crucial role in the Scrum process by serving as the primary opportunity for receiving feedback and making improvements. This meeting is where the Scrum team and stakeholders collaboratively discuss the work completed, with stakeholders providing feedback on the product increment.

This feedback is essential for the Scrum team to understand the stakeholder’s needs and expectations. It also helps in identifying any issues or areas that require additional attention. The feedback gathered during the sprint review is instrumental in refining the product backlog and shaping the development team’s approach in upcoming sprints, ensuring continuous improvement and alignment with user needs.

Maximizing the value of a sprint review in shaping the next sprint planning

The sprint review is not only a reflection on the past sprint but also a crucial step in shaping the next sprint planning. The feedback and insights gained during the review should directly influence the prioritization and refinement of backlog items for the next sprint. The Scrum team, with input from stakeholders, can identify which features or improvements are most important and need to be addressed in the upcoming sprint.

This collaborative approach ensures that the Scrum team is working on items that deliver the most value. The sprint review sets the stage for a focused and effective sprint planning meeting, where the team can set clear goals and create a roadmap for the next phase of the project, informed by stakeholder feedback and the team’s own reflections.

Why is feedback crucial in a sprint review?

Understanding the impact of feedback from the sprint review on the next sprint.

Feedback in a sprint review is instrumental in shaping the trajectory of the next sprint. During the sprint review, the Scrum team presents the work accomplished over the sprint, and stakeholders review and provide their insights. This feedback is crucial as it informs the team about what went well and what didn’t, helping them understand the effectiveness of their work from the stakeholder’s perspective.

The product owner discusses the sprint’s outcome in the context of the overall project goals, and this feedback is used to adapt the product backlog. Adjustments based on this feedback ensure that the team’s efforts in the next sprint are aligned with user needs and business objectives, making each sprint more efficient and targeted.

Utilizing user feedback to drive continuous improvement in the sprint review process

User feedback is a key driver for continuous improvement in the sprint review process. When stakeholders, especially end-users, provide feedback during the sprint review, it offers valuable insights into how the product is perceived and used in real-world scenarios. This direct input from users helps the Scrum team to understand the practical impact of their work and to identify areas for enhancement.

The feedback might highlight new requirements or changes needed to existing features, influencing the prioritization of backlog items. Incorporating this user feedback into subsequent sprints ensures that the product evolves in a way that truly meets user needs and enhances user satisfaction, which is a core objective of agile development.

Highlighting the significance of stakeholder and scrum team feedback for a successful sprint review

Stakeholder and Scrum team feedback are both critical components of a successful sprint review. Stakeholders provide external perspectives on the product’s development, offering insights into market needs, user preferences, and business goals. Their feedback helps in validating the product direction and in making informed decisions about future features.

Similarly, feedback from the Scrum team about their experiences during the sprint offers an internal view of the project’s progress, highlighting challenges and successes in execution. This internal feedback is vital for identifying process improvements and for enhancing team dynamics. The combination of both external and internal feedback during the sprint review fosters a holistic understanding of the project, contributing to more informed and effective planning for future sprints.

Measuring the results of the sprint and gauging effectiveness through sprint review feedback

Sprint review feedback is a key metric for measuring the results of a sprint and gauging its effectiveness. During the review, the Scrum team demonstrates what has been achieved, and stakeholders provide their assessment. This feedback helps in determining whether the sprint goal has been met and to what extent the backlog items have been completed satisfactorily.

It’s a time to evaluate if the deliverables meet the quality standards and fulfill the user’s requirements. Feedback on the effectiveness of the sprint helps in understanding how well the team is adhering to the scrum methodology and meeting delivery dates. This evaluation is crucial for continuous improvement, allowing the team to adjust their approach and enhance their performance in subsequent sprints.

Implementing improvements based on the feedback received during the sprint review

Implementing improvements based on feedback received during the sprint review is a crucial step in the Scrum process. The sprint review provides a platform for stakeholders to voice their opinions and for the team to receive direct feedback on their work. This feedback should be carefully considered and used to update the product backlog and refine future sprint goals.

The Scrum master facilitates this process by ensuring that the feedback is clear, actionable, and focused on improving the product and the process. The team’s ability to adapt based on this feedback is a key determinant of their agility and effectiveness. Implementing these improvements demonstrates a commitment to the Scrum principles of inspection and adaptation, ensuring that the product evolves to meet user needs and project objectives.

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End of Year Review Meeting: What is It and How to Prepare For An Effective Review Meeting

Most organizations have a yearly review cycle to discuss the employees' overall performance during the year. These reviews are also called Annual Review or Year-End Performance Reviews. But how do you go about it? Read on to make the most of your year-end review discussion with the manager and direct reports.

As we draw closer to the end of the year, it always helps to sit with your team and discuss progress and blockers over the past year. Of course, most companies have systematic review meetings, but an end-of-the-year review is special as it puts things into perspective as to how far the team has grown over the span of a year. This post discusses everything you need to know about such end-of-the-year review meetings, including how to have a more productive review.

But before we get started, let's take a look at what is exactly meant by an end-of-the-year review meeting.

What is an End of Year Review?

Most organizations have a yearly review cycle at the end of which, the manager and the employee formally discuss the employee’s overall performance during the year. These reviews are also called Annual Review or Year-End Performance Reviews. In some companies, these review meetings are accompanied by an official performance rating and compensation or yearly bonus discussion.

What to discuss during year-end review meetings?

The annual review meeting aims to discuss the performance of the employee and identify growth opportunities that are aligned with their career aspirations.

Let’s go over the elements of an end-of-the-year review meeting in more detail –

1. Performance rating

Many companies have a pre-defined scale of formally rating all employees based upon their contribution to the organization, their achievements, and the overall performance of their peers. If your company has a similar rating process, start the year-end review meeting with this discussion topic.

Pro-tip for managers: Just sharing the rating isn’t enough! Take this opportunity to explain what the specific rating means for the individual and give an overview of how the ratings are finalized.

Pro-tip for employees: Most companies have reference documents explaining the rating process. Go over these documents ahead of the discussion. A few follow-up questions that you can ask your manager to better understand the rating –

• What does a rating of XYZ mean for me?
• How does this impact my bonus or compensation for the coming year?
• What could I have done better?
• How did I do compared to my peers in the last year?

2. Achievements

Performance rating discussion should gradually transition into going over the accomplishments. During any feedback discussion, it is always a good idea to start at a high note by discussing what the employee accomplished in the last year. Managers should highlight employees’ achievements like completed goals, development of skillsets, excellent project delivery, etc.

Pro-tip for managers: During the year, keep a running note of instances where your team members achieved their best. This is a great way to ensure that you are prepared to provide specific feedback during year-end reviews.

Pro-tip for employees: Make a list of projects and deliverables that you are proud of. If your manager misses a few projects, feel free to highlight them. Share details on why you think that was a significant achievement for you. Your manager might not always have details on each project and sharing your hard work will help

3. Superpowers

Throughout the year, most people focus on learning and try to get better with every new project. A year-end review is a good time to pause and identify strengths, also known as superpowers. Discussion around employees’ strengths should be supported by specific examples. Employees can leverage their superpowers more often in projects.

Pro-tip for managers: Personalize this discussion by sharing what strengths stand out to you along with specific examples. This will help your employee understand what matters to you and what the organization values.  

Pro-tip for employees: Before the discussion, make a list of what in your opinion, are your superpowers. If you see a good overlap with what your manager has, great job on self-awareness!! If you see low overlap, bring that up during the discussion and get your manager’s perspective.  

4. Opportunities for improvement

A discussion on development opportunities should answer the following three questions –

• Are the manager and the employee aligned on existing gaps and growth areas?
• How can the employee work on the identified growth opportunities?
• How will the progress be measured?

Pro-tip for managers: Knowing your employee’s career objectives will help you curate more specific improvement opportunities for your team members. Leverage your regular career development discussion with your employees to plan and be prepared with specific projects/opportunities that the employee can own.

Pro-tip for employees: Prepare for the discussion by identifying growth opportunities for yourself. It can be something that you wished you had done better in your earlier project or a new skill that you would like to take up in the coming year. Don’t shy away from bringing up this list during your discussion with your manager.  

5. Career objectives

Taking this time to discuss short-term and long-term career objectives will ensure that both the manager and the employee are working towards a common goal. The career goals identified in this discussion should help guide the nature of projects and opportunities that the employee takes up. Knowing that they are working towards their career goals will keep the team motivated and engaged at work.

Pro-tip for managers: The discussions in   1:1 meetings with your direct reports will help you understand how your reports are feeling in their role and learn about their career aspirations. You can leverage this to identify growth opportunities for your report ahead of the year-end review discussion and be more prepared for the review meeting

Pro-tip for employees: Be prepared to talk about your short-term and long-term career goals and what keeps you motivated in your current role. Leverage our guide on career discussion with your manager  to navigate this discussion like a champion

End-of-the-Year Review Meeting Agenda

Use this meeting template to conduct your Performance Reviews

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End of year review meeting: tips for employees.

For employees to make the most of end-of-the-year review meetings with your team and manager, there are some tips that can help you be better prepared when you show up for such meetings. While the experience can be varied depending on what sector you work in, these are a few general tips that can help-

1. Carry out a personal annual review to assess your performance

Before you get on a meeting with your superiors or your team, it's important to carry out a personal annual review. This can be something as simple as sitting down with a pen and paper, and going through all the highs and lows of the past year, strictly in professional terms. Journaling helps you analyze how the past year has been, both in terms of successes and your failures. Personal annual reviews are not always easy, as it can be challenging to judge ourselves. But such reviews help you go better prepared to an end-of-the-year review meeting with you team.

If you know your successes and what can be improved, you can contribute more in such meetings. Self-awareness always helps.

2. Ask questions about how you can move ahead

Use the end-of-the-year review meetings with your manager as opportunities to know how you can advance in your career and contribute better to the team and the company. These end-of-the-year review meetings can also be clubbed with employee development conversations. Managers and team leads are always encouraged when the team members take up initiative to contribute better to the company's long-term vision. Your questions might help the team chalk out a plan for the things ahead that can help you learn better skills and make meaningful contributions to your team.

3. Avoid ambiguity in your words and actions

Whether you're reflecting on the year gone by or asking your manager a question, always be specific and pointed in your words and actions. Don't leave any room for ambiguity or misinterpretation. When you're specific with regard to what you need and how you can contribute better, your manager will be able to help and guide you better. A quick tip here is to go into all end-of-the-year review meetings with full preparation. Carefully list down all questions you'd like to ask and any clarification you seek from your manager. As the old adage goes, "Well begun is half done."

End of Year Review Meeting: Tips for Managers

When managers are addressing team members in end-of-the-year review meetings, it's important to keep the general best practices in mind so that the meeting is fruitful for all attending parties and also pushes the team as a whole closer towards the company's long-term vision.

1. Give positive feedback first

This is true for every meeting, but is specifically applicable to end-of-the-year review meetings with your teams. When you objectively analyze your team members' performances, focus on the positive aspects first. This sets the mood right for the meeting and makes your team feel their contributions to the company are meaningful. In case you have negative comments coming up later, starting with positive feedback first softens the blow and makes the tough conversations relatively easy.

2. Inspire team members to aim higher

Whether it's working closely with the company's mission fort he upcoming year or getting a step closet to their personal goals, end-of-the-year review meetings should be used as an opportunity to inspire your team to aim higher. This helps them end the year on a positive note and start the next year with renewed expectations and vigor. As a manager, if you can show your team you'll be a partner in their success, this sends across the message loud and clear that you're interested in helping your team members reach their full potential.

3. Clearly note the areas where improvement is needed

While positive reinforcement and goal-setting are important aspects of end-of-the-year review meetings, no annual review is complete without discussing the areas that have scope for improvement. Avoid coming off as complaining, but make sure you put forward your points with clarity and compassion. Delineate action items, goals, and to-dos for your team to tackle in the year ahead. Discuss potential blockers and how to move past them as a team. Remove all ambiguity from your words and deal with any contradicting ideas with civil discourse.

End-of-the-year review meetings are wonderful opportunities for the team to sit together and work on common growth andmutual alignment with the company's long-term vision. Summarizing, a great year-end review meeting should cover the following:

1. Performance rating (if applicable)

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Build Strong Teams Through Regular Team Review Meetings

In your day-to-day work, does your team ever stop to reflect on how you work together, what you’ve learned, and how you can improve? Just as the annual performance review is being replaced by frequent feedback and open communication between managers and employees, your team also benefits from periodic process reviews. These review meetings allow your team to reflect on how it collaborates, to learn from this reflection, and to get better at working together as a team.

What is a Team Review Meeting? Why is it Important?

A solid review lets team members individually and collectively analyze team processes and identify areas for improvement. Scheduling periodic team review meetings helps your team incorporate recent learnings, whether your work is project-based or not. Team review meetings (also known as after-action review or retrospective) allow your team to:

Collectively analyze which current practices work and which don’t.

Identify how to collaborate better in the future.

Learn from successes and failures.

Learn from peers, not just managers.

Establish concrete next steps.

Team review meetings are not to discuss sales numbers or other quantitative data, or to assign blame or critique individual performance. The focus is on process, not outcomes. At Meeteor, we have regular blog writing team review meetings which has sped up our internal process for blog article creation.

4 Main Areas for Reflection

We suggest four main areas for reflection in your team review meetings, each with a variety of questions. Use as many as you like to inspire a rich discussion that benefits the team!

Communication process

How do you communicate as a team? How do you use email, online chats and meetings to collaborate with each other? Are these practices helpful? What’s the quality and frequency of your communication? Should it be adjusted in any way? Do you encounter any communication challenges working with team members? Do people feel comfortable speaking up? Is the team inclusive in that it allows everyone to have a say?

Decision-making process

How do you make decisions? Are your current decision-making methods effective? Do you usually agree with the decisions the team makes? Does the team follow through on the decisions it’s made? How do you resolve conflict? Are boundaries clear on what decisions can be made by individuals and which require team input?

Alignment on Goals and Roles

To what extent is there clarity about the team’s goals and priorities? How do each team member’s tasks relate to each other? What does the workflow look like? Are there opportunities for individuals to grow and be challenged?

Information Sharing

Is information shared in a timely manner? Is information stored in accessible locations for all team members to access? Does the team collectively refer to previous information to stay aligned and on track?

Now that you know the purpose of team review meetings, let’s explore how to successfully implement them.

Set Clear Expectations to Create a Safe Space.

Clear communication is key to addressing potential resistance some team members may have to review meetings. You want to avoid people behaving defensively or arguing with each other. The goal is to make the meeting about process, rather than individual performance. Gear the meeting toward learning and developing action plans for the future. Include specific norms in the agenda so people know what behavior is expected during the review meeting.

A desired outcome of the meeting might be: “To improve the team's future performance by learning about how we work together.” Get even more specific with: “Identify 3 things we can change as a team going forward.”

Refer to the agenda template below for inspiration.

Gather Individual Reflections Ahead of Time

As prework, ask each team member to share their thoughts on a Google Doc prior to the meeting and to read others’ comments. This serves a couple purposes: 1) it makes it more likely that everyone’s voice will be included, and, 2) people might be more reflective because they have done the work in advance of the meeting, eliminating the performance pressure of thinking on the spot (which may be particularly helpful for introverts on the team.)

If your team prefers to comment anonymously, ask them to share their thoughts directly with the team leader or set up an anonymous survey. The team leader can then consolidate the results into themes and bring them to the meeting for discussion.

At Meeteor, we apply the ORID question model (Objective, Reflective, Interpretive and Decisional) to design the team review questions. These questions help people share concrete examples and reflect on past experience. You can adapt the questions to your needs.

What is happening compared to what is desired, and why?

What is successful and where are we missing the mark?

What is working well that you would recommend repeating, and why?

What is not working well or as planned that you would recommend changing, and why?

What new approaches would you recommend trying, and why?

What are the 3-5 learnings that this team or a future team should know about?

Is there anything else this team or a future team should know about?

Use “Start, Stop, Continue” Exercise to Identify Next Actions

Team review meetings are not just to learn and reflect, but also to generate specific actions. Prepare some post-its and ask people to write down what practices they think the team should start, stop or continue doing. Write one idea on each post-it and put everyone’s ideas on a whiteboard or flipchart under the categories “Stop,” “Start,” and “Continue.” Then group the post-its into similar themes. The team can discuss these ideas and decide on specific actions that address these concerns.

Virtual teams can type their ideas into an online shared document with the three columns. Project the results on the screen so everyone can see them clearly for discussion.

This exercise is especially helpful for ongoing teams to do periodically so they can continue to improve upon processes.

Capture Insights and Refer Back to Them Regularly

Excited to try these activities in your next team review meeting? Great! There’s one more thing to bring your meetings up a notch and make them more impactful -- capture the learnings and reference them periodically.

A Meeteor user shared, “Before we start any new project, we take time to review the Learnings that we captured across meetings so we can incorporate them into our project planning.” This is an ideal way to make the most of your review meetings over time.

How do you conduct your team review meetings? How do you create a safe space for everyone to share honest feedback?

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Welcome Speech for Meeting

When it comes to speeches , a lot of people, not only students but even employees and some employers, cringe or find the word scary. It does not have to be as long as you know what you are doing, how you are doing it, and what you are writing about. However, even with all that advice, there are still some people who do not want to be the center of making the speech and would want to find someone else to be able to do it. It goes without saying making a speech is the least worrisome thing you can do and you can present, especially if you know what you are talking about and what you are going to be presenting. If you know who your audience is, then making a speech is nothing short of a wonderful experience. 

As we all know, there are a lot of kinds of speeches, and one is  a welcome speech . When we hear a welcome speech, we think of something as easy as welcoming someone. But, it is not as easy as simply welcoming a person or a group of people to the place or to the event. Making a welcome speech has its own tips to get you started, and it has its own details that you need to look forward to in learning. So with that being said, here are your 10+ examples of a welcome speech for a meeting.

10+ Welcome Speech for Meeting Examples

1. welcome speech for governor meeting.

Size: 163 KB

2. Welcome Chairman’s Speech for Meeting

Size: 57 KB

3. Welcome Speech for Manager Meeting

Size: 31 KB

4. Welcome & Introduction Speech for Meeting

Size: 40 KB

5. Welcome Speech for University Meeting

Size: 269 KB

6. Welcome Speech for Remote Meeting

Size: 106 KB

7. Welcome Speech for Event Meeting

Size: 190 KB

8. Welcome Speech for Shareholders Meeting

Size: 210 KB

9. Welcome Speech for Meeting in PDF

Size: 116 KB

10. Welcome & Opening Speech for Meeting

Size: 28 KB

11. Welcome Speech for Bank Meeting

Size: 76 KB

What Is a Welcome Speech for a Meeting?

A welcome speech for a meeting is a kind of speech that is made useful to introduce , greet, and welcome important people or those who have higher influences in your company, group, or organization. This welcome speech caters to simply getting new people to be acquainted with the guests or the visitors. In addition to that, a welcome speech for a meeting is often only done when visitors like shareholders, managers, and governors are planning on attending an important event or an important meeting. 

The purpose of a welcome speech is to introduce to the public or to the crowd the names of the people present. It is to welcome them to the event and to be able for them to know who the rest of the people present are. In addition to that, the use of a welcome speech is to introduce the purpose of the meeting, for the people present and for the general public. 

How to Write a Welcome Speech for Meeting?

Making a speech may seem easy or difficult, depending on how you are going to look at it. But did you know that before you can make the speech, you have to write it down as well? If you think that is another difficult thing to do, think again. Here are some tips to help you get through that problem .

1. Remember to Take All Details into Account

The details of the welcome speech are basically the names of the people or the important people who are coming. This is the responsibility of the one who is assigned to make the welcome speech. Always make sure that all details needed are within your reach or that you already have them down as notes.

2. Write a Short Draft of Your Speech

Draft it out . It may sound as simple as that, and it really is, but to make a good welcome speech, one must at least learn to draft out what you need to say. Make sure that you know the theme, the people, the event, and the titles or the ranks of the important people, such as manager, the CEO, the president, etc.

3. Use Simple Words When Writing the Speech

If you think using difficult or unfamiliar jargon would impress your guests and audience, you may want to think again. Using jargon that is not familiar to everyone, in general, would only confuse them. Some may be able to understand it while others do not. To avoid this issue, it is best to use simple or commonly used words to write your speech. There are other ways to impress your guests, but using difficult words is not one of them.

4. Practice Pronouncing the Names of the Guests

Since this is a speech, the next best thing to do while you are also writing is to practice it out loud. Practice how you are going to say their names properly. Practicing helps by making you feel less nervous and less prone to forgetting the entire speech. In addition to that, by writing the names of your guests, you may also want to keep an eye on the spelling.

5. Revise If There Are Any Issues with It

Just as making the final output from the draft, it is always best to review, revise, and recheck if there are any issues you may have missed. Revising your work helps to maintain the flow of your speech.

What is a welcome speech for meeting?

A welcome speech is a kind of speech that anyone makes in order to welcome and introduce an important person to the company or an organization.

How do you write a good welcome speech for meeting?

To write a good welcome speech, all you have to do is to follow the steps found in the tips.

What should not be in a welcome speech?

A welcome speech is just a short speech to welcome people. What should not be in it is introducing every single person in the audience or writing a speech about you.

It goes without saying there is really nothing to fear when you are making or writing a speech. Writing a welcome speech is the easiest kind as all you have to do is to know who your honored guests are and the event you are going to be holding the speech in. In addition to that, writing a welcome speech only takes a few minutes especially when you already have a draft in mind. In this case, welcome speeches can be done by just about anyone: employees, students, teachers, and even employers. Anyone can write it; however, it takes good practice to write a very good welcome speech.

Welcome Speech Generator for Meeting

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Some attendees walk out over 'stump speech' at Association of Yukon Communities meeting

Some in attendance said the meeting was overly political.

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The annual general meeting of the Association of Yukon Communities (AYC) saw some people walk out of the Dawson City event over the weekend over what some called a political "stump speech."

Around 150 people, from all levels of federal, territorial, and municipal government, spent three days at the Palace Grande Theatre to hear speeches, presentations, and discuss issues what Yukon municipalities are facing.

On Saturday, one of the keynote speakers was Melissa Lantsman, the deputy leader of the Conservative Party of Canada.

"The 'Ottawa-knows-best' machine of how to treat addiction simply just hasn't worked," Lantsman said at one point. "To give up on the dignity of people to watch people squander opportunity to receive treatment is one of the saddest, I think most insane policies."

Lantsman went on to slam Ottawa's policies on gun control, public safety, the carbon tax, and housing.

Her words didn't sit well with many people in the room. Some even left the meeting entirely.

Whitehorse Mayor Laura Cabott told CBC on Monday that the she felt the speech was "overly politically partisan."

"This was something quite different. It really was a campaign stump speech," Cabott said. "It wasn't really tied into what we do here in the Yukon," she said. 

She said the meeting usually consists of ministers talking about what they've done over the years, with the opposition also getting a chance to speak. 

"We were caught off guard," she said. "It didn't resonate well." 

'A lot of people upset'

Keynote speakers included Olympic gold medallist Sami-Jo Small, and best-selling author and Humboldt Broncos bus crash survivor Kaleb Dahlgren.

Presentations on emergency preparedness and the Yukon's clean energy goals were also on the agenda. 

Liberal Premier Ranj Pillai said in the 15 years he has been attending AYC meetings he's never seen it get so politicized. 

"There's a lot of people upset from what they heard," he said. "A lot of people walking out. Yeah, sadly this morning was a lot more of division."

Kate White, leader of the Yukon NDP called Lantsman's speech "disturbing."

"I have to say that there is a lot to be concerned about if that's where politics in Canada are going," she said.

Dawson City's Mayor Bill Kendrick weighed in saying that the AYC needs to ensure it remains a neutral voice.

Jeanie McLean, Yukon's deputy premier, was not marked down on the agenda to speak but took to the podium to respond to what she heard from Lantsman's speech.

"I find this kind of politics from outside so troubling," McLean said. "These outside politics bring cheap slogans that make it easy to shout over those with whom you disagree."

"They bring political stunts instead of press conferences. And they make enemies out of those who disagree."

Outgoing AYC president Ted Laking acknowledged that some of Saturday's speeches were "coloured by some election stuff" but said he didn't notice anyone's discomfort with it.

"It's too bad to hear that some people felt uncomfortable," Laking said. "The AYC itself does not vet speeches. At the end of the day everyone in this room, and ... the AYC and our membership is here to put the Yukon first and to look at how we can make our community stronger." 

Laking said invitations to the meeting were sent to all three major parties. 

To make things even more interesting for attendees, telecommunication service in Dawson City was cut after a fire impacted a stretch of fibre optic line near Fort Nelson, B.C.

The service lapse which began Friday night, lasted 24 hours and was eventually restored Saturday evening.

Out with the old, in with the new

Earlier this month, Laking announced he wouldn't be running for a second term as AYC president.

On Sunday, Watson Lake councillor, and Deputy Mayor Lauren Hanchar was elected as the new president.

"I'm excited and looking forward to getting to work," said Hanchar.

"I'm from a small town and I want to really make sure our communities aren't forgotten about. A lot of the decision- making for rural Yukon happens in Whitehorse and I just want to make sure that our needs our being looked after as well."

Hanchar said her first order of business is to meet with AYC staff members and community leaders to determine the best path forward in her new role as president.

She'll serve as the association's president for the next two years.

Laking said he plans to stay on the association's board for a while to help Hanchar get comfortable in the role.

He said he plans to spend more time with his family, and focus on his role as a Whitehorse city councillor.

He said there are many rumours floating around as to what he plans to do next but he said at this point he is open to everything.

Clarifications

• This story has been updated to reflect when Jeanie McLean requested an opportunity to speak at the meeting. May 14, 2024 10:10 AM CT
• This story has been updated to clarify Dawson City Mayor Bill Kendrick's comments about the AYC's political neutrality. May 13, 2024 6:16 PM CT

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Chris MacIntyre is a CBC reporter in Dawson City, Yukon. If you have a story idea or news tip you'd like to share you can reach him at [email protected] or @chriswhereyouat on X.

With files from Elyn Jones and Sarah Xenos

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• Telecommunications restored across the N.W.T., Yukon, and Nunavut
• Association of Yukon Communities held record-breaking annual general meeting

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Hard Truths About the Meeting After the Meeting

Leaders must encourage respectful debate during meetings and use related strategies to avoid toxic post-meeting dynamics.

• Leadership Skills
• Leading Change

Carolyn Geason-Beissel/MIT SMR | Getty Images

A leader attempting to quash the meeting after the meeting would be like a coach trying to stop fans from opining, snarking, or rejoicing after a big game. The hard truth: Win or lose, there will be post-meeting speculations, opinions, and queries. As Dave Kievet, CEO of the Boldt Group, put it, “The meeting after the meeting is inevitable. The only question is whether you are going to participate in that conversation or not.” But leaders can minimize the mischief and mayhem that the meeting after the meeting can create, and positively influence the group’s ongoing dialogues about initiatives, performance, and work climate.

We’ve all experienced the meeting after the meeting — when several participants informally (and often spontaneously) carry on a candid, sensemaking conversation about the meeting they just attended. These unplanned gatherings tend to be freewheeling because participants perceive the stakes to be lower than speaking up during the formal meeting. People assume minimal reputational costs and diminished accountability. So tolerance for fuzzily formed opinions/arguments becomes heightened as they seek to frame or categorize the uncertainties and unstated sentiments inherent in any formal meeting. 1 For instance, if the leader made an insensitive joke, participants may ponder whether it was designed to insult or was just a poor attempt to break the ice. Checking in with others afterward may help people make sense of the unspoken and perhaps unintended motive for the leader’s remark.

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Leaders must understand that the meeting after the meeting often generates moments of clarification, grousing, or pushback. In turn, these outcomes cultivate workplace climates ranging from supportive to toxic, as in these three examples:

• Sharing a backstory on a new initiative may produce enough clarity that others in the informal post-meeting meeting get reassured and on board. On the flip side, attacking a person’s character, questioning someone’s motives, or spreading rumors may bring clarity to some people but undermine workplace culture.
• In the military, grousing, often punctuated with a few choice expletives, frequently enhances team solidarity. However, grousing taken to the extreme can gnaw away at the working environment by legitimizing constant grumbling and persistent disenchantment while escalating levels of disengagement.
• In some cases, the search for clarity and a tolerance for grousing evolve into a steady stream of pushback.

About the Author

Phillip G. Clampitt, Ph.D., is the John P. Blair Endowed Chair in Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and consults with companies around the world on leadership, communication, and strategic decision-making issues. His latest book, Leading With Care in a Tough World (Rodin Books, 2022), was coauthored with Bob DeKoch.

1. K.E. Weick, “Sensemaking in Organizations” (Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications, 1995).

2. P.G. Clampitt and B. DeKoch, “ Five Ways Leaders Can Transform Pushback Into Progress ,” MIT Sloan Management Review, Oct. 9, 2023, https://sloanreview.mit.edu.

3. D. Adam, “ What Science Says About Hybrid Working — and How to Make It a Success ,” Nature, March 4, 2024, www.nature.com.

4. P. Nutt, “Surprising but True: Half the Decisions in Organizations Fail,” The Academy of Management Executive 13, no. 4 (November 1999): 75-90.

5. P.G. Clampitt and M.L. Williams, “ Decision Downloading ,” MIT Sloan Management Review 48, no. 2 (winter 2007): 77-82.

6. Laurie Butz, interview with author, July 31, 2023.

7. S.L. Annunzio, “ How Bosses Can Stop the ‘Meeting After the Meeting,’ ” The Wall Street Journal, Jan. 25, 2024, www.wsj.com.

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Backlash from DEI programs fueled hate speech at city meeting in Oregon

Emily Cureton Cook

A recent community meeting in the city of Bend, was disrupted by racist and homophobic slurs from critics of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

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LTTE: Turning Point USA Meeting and Freedom of Speech 

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

On Wednesday, April 10, the DU Chapter of Turning Point USA held a meeting in the Daniels College of Business. The event was to review a film called “The Art Club” and the guest speaker was Erin Lee, who lives in Colorado. The film showcased issues involving the teaching of gender ideology in elementary public schools. 

The classroom was at its capacity, many were turned away and had to be in the hallway. I started the meeting and right away problems began. Protesters began pounding on desks and causing major disruptions where I had to stop numerous times during just my opening remarks. For the next two hours, it was difficult to impossible to hear the film. I also add some of the initial disruptions came from a member of the DU Faculty assigned to the DU Library. One would think that a member of the faculty would especially recognize the importance of free speech and expression. Apparently not.  

Before the meeting, a protestor made the following statements on Snapchat : 

• “…We plan to protest and disrupt the talk and screening of the anti-trans documentary by the speaker Erin Lee…”? 
• “…The aim is to disrupt the event by making a lot of noise and/or by holding signs with anti-hatred, trans-positive statements. Since there are a lot of us, we should be able to crowd out the room…” 

It is obvious from these statements and by what occurred on April 10, that respect for free speech was not going to happen. I also add the DU Policy on Speaker and Public Events , specifically Number PROV 2.30.080, dated July 9, 2021, which states in part “…The fact that speech may sometimes be offensive or even emotionally hurtful is not sufficient, alone, to justify interfering with the speaker’s right to engage in such expression…”  

There will always be disagreements on issues, but there is a right way and a wrong way to express those disagreements. I think the French Writer Voltaire (1694-1778) said it best “…I may not agree with what you have to say, but I will always defend your right to say it…”

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Texas Senate panel to discuss SB 17, free speech, antisemitism. Here's what to expect.

The Texas Senate Subcommittee on Higher Education will have a public hearing at 9 a.m. Tuesday at the Capitol to review institutions' compliance with Senate Bill 17, make recommendations for how college campuses can better combat antisemitism and review free speech policies.

The hearing has no limit on how many people can give public comment, but each speaker will be limited to two minutes. The committee will take no action but will make recommendations.

Here's the background on the topics that will be discussed at the meeting:

Senate Bill 17

SB 17 is a law that bars institutions from having diversity, equity and inclusion offices. The hearing comes after a letter Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, sent to chancellors March 26 warning them to comply with the law.

Texas public institutions were required to comply with SB 17, which passed last year, by Jan. 1. Creighton, who wrote the bill, warned in his March letter that institutions found not to be compliant can face potential loss in funding or legal ramifications.

At the hearing, the general counsel and chancellor for each Texas university system will present how their institutions are implementing SB 17 and monitoring compliance. That will include answering questions on how they have ensured there is no mandatory training, DEI office or employees who complete those functions; how they have ensured no preference is given due to race, color, sex, ethnicity or national origin in hiring; and how they will prepare for a mandatory audit.

A week after the letter was sent, the University of Texas at Austin terminated about 50 employees who formerly worked in DEI positions and closed its Division of Campus and Community Engagement in what President Jay Hartzell said was a reorganization related to SB 17. UT-Dallas followed suit , closing its new Office of Campus Resources and Support and laying off about 20 employees April 9.

The job terminations have resulted in outcries from students , Democratic legislators , rights groups and the Texas chapter of the American Association of University Professors , who said the move took away essential student services. But the cuts have been praised by some conservative legislators as a way to ensure a return to merit-based rewards.

Antisemitism

A day after Creighton's letter, Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order calling for institutions to revise free speech policies to better protect against rising antisemitism after Oct. 7, the day of the deadly attacks by Hamas on Israel that caused the nation to declare war. Chairs of university boards of regents were required to respond and assert their compliance within 90 days.

The Senate committee's hearing notice charges committee members to "review campus policies to prevent antisemitism" and analyze how improvements can be made while still protecting free speech. The committee will also look at how institutions oversee "the formation and operations of student organizations" and their access on campus.

In his March executive order, Abbott singled out the Palestine Solidarity Committee and Students for Justice in Palestine, but the order and the hearing item did not mention protections against Islamophobia, which has also been rising since Oct. 7.

Free speech

The last topic of the hearing is to examine the procedures of Texas public universities "designed to protect the first amendment free speech rights of faculty, staff, and students," including compliance with Senate Bill 18 from the 86th Legislature concerning protected speech on campuses, and "make recommendations for any needed reforms."

Senate Bill 18, passed in 2019, tasks universities to "ensure that the common outdoor areas of the institution's campus are deemed traditional public forums" and allow "any person to engage in expressive activities in those areas of the institution's campus freely" as long as the conduct is not disruptive or unlawful.

In the past several weeks, more than 150 pro-Palestinian protesters have been arrested after demonstrating at multiple Texas universities, including UT-Austin, the University of Houston and UT-Dallas.

The protests joined universities across the nation in demanding the institutions divest from weapons manufacturers contributing to Israel. In some cases, protesters have set up or attempted to set up encampments on university lawns.

Public testimony

Pauline Strong, the president of the UT-Austin chapter of the American Association of University Professors, said people from Austin and beyond are expected to provide public testimony, particularly about the effects of SB 17 on students, staff and faculty.

Strong said she is also interested in hearing how institutions have interpreted SB 17 differently and hopes to hear how the police response to the recent pro-Palestinian protests can be reconciled with free speech rights and Senate Bill 18.

"All three items of the agenda ... relate to AAUP's core missions of protecting academic freedom and promoting shared governance and due process," Strong said. She added that she hopes the testimony will impact how legislators are thinking going into the next session.

The meeting will take place in the E1.028 hearing room.

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The Right Way to End a Meeting

• Paul Axtell

With closure.

A common complaint among managers is that the conversations they have with employees aren’t producing results: “We keep talking about the same issue over and over, but nothing seems to ever happen!” That’s because most managers are missing a vital skill: the ability to deliberately close a conversation. If you end a conversation well, it will improve each and every interaction you have, ultimately creating impact.

• Paul Axtell is an author, speaker, and corporate trainer. He is the author of two award-winning books: Meetings Matter and the recently released second edition of  Ten Powerful Things to Say to Your Kids . He has developed a training series,  Being Remarkable , which is designed to be led by managers or HR specialists.

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