Stand-up Meeting Ideas

4th September 2020
Stand-up meeting ideas

What are stand-up meetings and what’s their purpose?

To put it simply, stand-up meetings are your usual daily, weekly or monthly held meetings, while having all participants standing up for the duration of the meeting.

Stand-up meetings have grown in popularity over the last few years, as they’re thought to be effective, and are usually very concise and straightforward.

But even then, you can easily lose your team’s focus and attention if the meetings aren’t engaging enough. Read on to find out how to make your stand-up meetings much more effective!

Stand-up Meeting Ideas

We’ve gathered below a list of do’s and don’ts to boost team involvement and ensure your stand-up meetings are successful!

Do 

Set up a fixed time for the meeting

Consistency should be maintained for the whole team to work effectively. Always aim to start your stand-up meetings at a fixed time so that each team member is able to plan their working schedule around it, but also to prepare for the meeting with questions and points to mention.

 

Clock

Be Flexible

It’s important to give consideration to all team members and arrange for a meeting at a time that is convenient for all. You might have members working remotely in different time zones, therefore make sure to involve everyone when deciding on a fixed meeting schedule.

Also, you should ensure that no members feel left out and all employees working remotely can join the meeting via telephone or video call.

Keep it short!

The whole purpose of stand-up meetings is to be concise. So do remember to mention only important points to your team. If you need to discuss something in detail, make sure to do it after the stand-up meeting, with only those people concerned.

Define the meeting objectives

The stand-up meetings should have a clear structure of points to cover to make them as efficient as possible. You, as the facilitator, should present your colleagues with an outline of points to be discussed, to keep everyone informed and avoid unproductive discussions. Also, make sure to allow a few minutes at the end of the meeting for questions.

 

Postit Note Board

Define next steps

It is always good to clearly mention at the end of the meeting actions to work on next, to help team members know what’s expected of them. Also, make sure to follow up with written meeting notes on a common platform like Slack, for everyone to keep a copy of the points discussed and avoid any misunderstandings about the meeting’s outcomes.

Don't

Mention points in details

It is important to avoid going into detail and rambling during stand-up meetings; otherwise, they tend to become unproductive and lose the team’s focus.

Have a one-way communication

The aim of the meeting is to have team members participate in an allotted timeframe. Make sure to not monopolise the conversation and invite everyone to engage.

 

Team Discussion

Start the meeting late

In most cases, team members plan their work schedule and other meetings around the stand-up meetings. Therefore, you should treat everyone’s’ time as valuable and start the meeting on time, even if a few members join a bit late.

Be inattentive to team’s remarks

Make sure you, and all other members, pay attention and listen to remarks and points being discussed as they can benefit the team as a whole and provide answers to questions members might have in mind.

Benefits of stand-up meetings

Stand-up meetings present multiple benefits and can prove to be time-saving and very effective for you and your team. They don’t require a proper meeting room and are kept short since standing up for more than 15 minutes can usually get ‘uncomfortable’ for members.

They will help you provide a quick recap of what different teams have been working on and follow up with steps to take next as well as allow participants to ask important questions if they have any.

You can also expect the meetings to be more dynamic since participants stay focused on what’s being reviewed and aren’t usually distracted by their phones or other unproductive discussions. 

Also, we all know that sitting down all day long isn’t so good for the metabolism and health in general. Allowing for meetings to be held while standing up is a really good reminder for you and all your colleagues to stretch your legs and increase your energy levels! 

Keep on Improving

You’ll reach the desired level of efficiency and effectiveness once team members start perceiving these stand-up meetings as good opportunities to participate and improve teamwork. Do not put pressure on yourself or your colleagues to get your stand-up meetings right the very first time you attempt them. Each company and team are different, you’ll have to find the meeting structure that works best for you. You will identify points to improve on after each meeting that is held, just make sure to stay open to all feedback received from colleagues.

If you’re looking for other creative and original meeting ideas, make sure to read our 16 out of the box meeting ideas guide!