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Make your Next Town Hall an Engaging Two-way Discussion & Dialogue with a Powerful Q&A

June 10, 2017Lori Rohrbach

If you’re holding town hall meetings, making this forum an engaging two-way exchange of information is vital—but it can also be terrifying. When some leaders hear the words “Q&A session” or “interactive discussion” they sometimes picture the worst: “dead air,” instead of engagement; rambling employees who freeze up, instead of connection; leaders fumbling to answer emotionally charged questions, instead of transparency.

When you open up your large-group meeting to audience participation, there will always be an element of unknown. What will employees ask? What if they ask about something sensitive and we can’t answer, or we just don’t know the answer? Sure, there will be uncertainty—but good communicators know the value of the two-way exchange outweighs the potential downside.

Never fear, here are a few tried-and-true practices to help you control what you can, and plan for the rest.

  • Compile questions. Poll both employees and leaders to find out what people want to know, either through direct conversations, focus groups, anonymous online surveys or paper drop boxes around your site. In every communication professional’s dream, Q&A would be a fully spontaneous session filled with engaging repartee, on salient topics—but in reality, that’s rarely the case. To avoid “crickets,” use employee input, your own knowledge of the organization, and what you want employees to know to develop a list of questions for your leaders. Once you have this list, it’s okay to “plant” questions with members of the audience, seed your virtual Q&A feed (more on this below) or put a few in your leaders’ back pockets in case of a lull in the Q&A. There’s nothing disingenuous about prepared or planted questions, especially if they’re based on an understanding of what employees want and need to know.

 

  • Prepare your leaders. Share the question list in advance with leaders who will be part of the town hall, and help them prepare to answer completely but concisely in simple language, as well as brainstorm additional questions. If there are sensitive topics that require coaching from the communications team or counsel from HR or legal, seek that guidance as part of your preparation process—not an afterthought—so that leaders feel and project genuine confidence and care in answering employee concerns.

 

  • Engage an AV (audiovisual) expert or team. Whether you’re managing a single-site town hall or the complexities of a multi-site broadcast via webcast or satellite, an AV expert is a must. You’ll want to involve your AV expert in the town hall planning and have him/her handle on-site presentation technology during the event. He/she can help you manage questions in the room so that both the question and the answer are clearly heard by all participants, and can help field and screen questions from virtual participants either by conference call operator or by reviewing an online question feed. That way, you can select the questions you or your leaders will answer. If multiple sites are submitting questions, also consider having a leader or communicator at each site ask questions in the web feed or conference line on behalf of the site, so that they can “prescreen” the questions before you or your leaders even see or hear them.

 

  • Mix it up. To keep your town hall Q&A fresh, consider experimenting with different formats and options. Incorporate more voices into the discussion by having other leaders or high potential team members take a turn at answering questions. Turn the mic over to employees—ask them questions, and have them answer through online polls, speaking their responses or breaking into groups for a brief discussion and then reporting back.

 

With these practices in mind, you’ll be on your way to pulling off your next interactive town hall without a hitch.

Author: Kate Tomasco

 

 

 

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Eight Work-From-Home Etiquette Tips

Eight Work-From-Home Etiquette Tips

 

Whether telecommuting is old hat or something you’ve been forced into as part of the COVID-19 shutdown, here are a few tips to make the experience run smoothly for both employers and employees.

 

Managing expectations

Successful work-from-home strategies always begin with clearly communicated expectations. Make sure your employees have any necessary equipment, tools and resources.  Will they need to track their time? Participate in regularly scheduled meetings? Be available at certain times of day? For employees, know what you’re accountable for and clearly communicate any challenges you’re having.

 

Constant communication

Keep the lines of communication open and be accessible. Check in with employees regularly through apps like Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Hangouts and Skype, or even an old-fashioned email or phone call. Be genuinely interested in how they’re doing but don’t overdo it. Foster a feeling of trust by not micromanaging.

 

Nine to five…ish

While having a daily schedule is ideal, it may not always be practical right now. Make sure your people know when you need them to be available and try to offer flexibility at other times. They may be juggling school schedules as well as work schedules and working at “off-shift” times may be necessary. Be mindful of employees in different time zones as well.

 

For employees, try to work when you’re at your best, and not when you’re exhausted by kindergarten playtime and fourth grade math. Make sure people know if you will be unavailable at certain times.

 

Taking a break

Getting up and moving clears the head and helps with creativity and problem-solving. Whether it’s a walk around the block or a break for lunch, make time to get away from your desk throughout the day.

 

Signing off

Working from home does not mean being available 24/7. Set an actual end to the workday if possible. Don’t send and respond to messages at all hours. Sign out of messaging apps and close work programs. Understand and respect these boundaries.

 

Location, location, location

When setting up a home office, think about where you will have the fewest distractions – for yourself and for those who may be seeing you and your background on a video conferencing platform. Try to avoid busy spots that may include semi-clad people walking behind you, barking dogs and kids vying for your attention.

 

Conferencing and calls

Be clear about whether you expect people to turn on their cameras during meetings. If so, be clear about how they should be dressed. During calls, mute your phone when you’re not talking to avoid background noise. Headphones can also help with call quality. When speaking, pause frequently so others can participate in the conversation.

 

Social engagement

It’s ok for managers and employees to have some down time together, which may help ward off feelings of isolation. Keep up your normal level of interaction, perhaps with a virtual coffee break or happy hour. Managers should set the tone for how casual to be. Let employees choose what they would like to share, and never pry into areas that were off-limits before.

 

 

Author: Erin Alderfer

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