10th December 2021

Arranging a staff meeting in a school is as important as designing classroom schedules. The educational managers who are core parts of the educational administration and management take a lot of trouble to design such meetings. It is because if the timeline, agenda, objectives, and other important points to be discussed are not planned tactically, the whole meeting session will be waste of time and money.

To plan for meetings that maximize collaboration and learning is a real job. School authorities often pursue courses exactly framed for conducting academic occasions. A certificate in education administration and management will enhance their knowledge in conducting school business like a pro. On completion of the course, the candidates will receive a globally recognized certificate which will elevate their professional charisma to another level.

What is the purpose of the staff meeting?

A significant reason behind a staff meeting is to ensure that all the activities in a school are running smoothly. If certain obstacles are causing any hindrance, a fruitful staff-meeting session will chalk out ways to eradicate those problems. Conducting regular staff meetings is an effective method of checking if the school is operating accurately.

Besides, staff meetings are significant to keep an eye on the welfare of the teachers. Teachers' jobs do not end with lecturing in the classrooms and checking the exam papers. They invest a lot in checking how a student is performing, what are his/her basic skills, how more should they try hard, why are they lagging, etc. Apart from that, they also guide students in choosing the right career option for the future by judging their skills, intelligence, and potential.

Thus, quite often teachers feel exhausted mentally and physically. To cheer them up, to listen to their words, to analyze their problems, etc., staff meetings play a vital role. Educational administrators remain present to hear about grievances, complaints, expectations, etc., that teachers or any other staff members are having. Accordingly, sometimes new goals and objectives are set to pacify any turmoil situation.

Generally, there are 3 types of meetings that are arranged in schools. Formal meetings are being scheduled beforehand. These meetings have strict agendas, periods, and are perfectly organized. Preparation of examinations, conducting parents-teacher’s meetings, arrangement of an important seminar, etc., are the kind of topics that are being discussed in a formal meeting.

Informal meetings, on the other hand, do not require all the members of the school to remain present. Some team members remain present and these kinds are not pre-scheduled. Certain topics are being discussed in these meetings that do not cover the overall agenda of the school.

'Let's sit and decide when should we start planning for the annual program of the school'- This kind of meeting is known as an informal meeting.

During the arrival of any urgent situation that needs a good deal of attention, emergency meetings are being summoned. Breaching of any rules, guardian meeting on an emergency purpose, sudden school inspection, etc., are the main agendas of emergency meetings.

Thus, every meeting has a different purpose, and conducting it with proper norms will always generate good results.

How to make staff meetings more engaging?

Staff meetings must be structured in such a way that the impact is long-lasting. Educational authorities must plan for effective staff meeting sessions. There should be a perfect goal for a meeting, strict agendas, and a healthy conversation. If any conflict is existing, it must be taken care of very maturely.

Thus, before fixing a date for a meeting, prepare a list having all the topics that require discussions. It will be easier to execute the meetings, therefore. Otherwise, conducting a meeting having no points will only lead to chaos and restlessness. There will be an absolute waste of time. During the point of execution, it should be taken care of that all the points are being covered. Post meetings, a follow-up session is mandatory. This will create impressions if the points being discussed or suggested are truly impacting or not.

To make staff meetings more engaging, it is always important to know what the members are feeling. Are their goals and the goals of the schools are aligning perfectly, this should be the first question that must hit the brains of the school administrators or educational managers who will be arranging for the meetings.

Availability: Make sure that all the members of your team will be present. Their mindful presence matters a lot in every meeting. Also, make sure you arrive at the meetings at the perfect time because if you're already present in one meeting and the next one is breathing on your shoulder, your mind will be restless.

Be an empath: The attention of your employees will be higher once they understand that you care about their needs and emotions. Being a speaker of a meeting, you must ask your staff member how they are feeling. Observe the way your members are participating in the meeting. Try not to use phones while you're conducting a meeting.

Use digital platforms: Based on the agenda of the meetings, you can use digital platforms to have a meeting session. For example, if the school is planning for a new construction program, you can use 3D models on virtual media to show how exactly you want the project to happen. This will break the monotony of a simple lecture-based meeting. Visual sessions are always fruitful because once members visualize the goals they realize how much effort they have to put in to reach that goal.

Slow-pace conversation: If you are a good orator you must know that sometimes your listeners need time to imbibe your points. That is why it is always important to slow the pace of speaking. At times, take mini breaks between your lectures and let the members jot down points where they have problems or any queries. Never step back from entertaining their questions during or right after the meeting sessions. It shows their level of engagement in the meeting.

Feedbacks: Learn how the staff members are feeling currently and if they have any suggestion that has to be executed. You should always judge their suggestions because when it comes to engagement with students the staff members, especially teachers, ate the ones who directly communicate with them. Post-meeting-sessions, ask them how they rate the success of the meeting and if they are contented with the topics being covered or not.

Thus, a staff meeting should be designed and executed. A certificate in educational administration and management will always help the school administrators to conduct fruitful sessions. Check out this link School administration and leadership and let us know how you feel about this certification!

Written By: Sheetal Sharma