It's almost time for the fourth quarter of business. You know what that means—it's time for the final rally cry of the year, the final push over the revenue goal line. It's time for the all-hands-on-deck town hall to get employees excited to finish strong and prepare for 2017.

In today's issue of Promotional Consultant Today, we share these tips for hosting a successful town hall for your business.

The goal of holding an employee town hall is not to simply present information about the company. The goal is to encourage a two-way dialogue so that employees feel connected to the organizational mission, and believe they have a voice in the company direction. If you want employees to be emotionally invested, then you must give them a voice.

Simply put, you don't want to create an "all-hands" meeting. You want to create an "all-hearts" meeting. You want them connected, not just present. Here are the steps to help you conduct a Q4 employee gathering that preps your team for the final year-end push.

Open a two-way dialogue. Schedule the meeting with enough advance notice that employees do not have to re-schedule other commitments to make the meeting. You want as many people there as possible. Include a message with the meeting invitation that tells employees that their feedback and attendance is important for a successful and productive meeting.

Using an online survey tool, set up a survey with a brief note of instruction that reiterates that all feedback is anonymous, and poses these questions:

  • What is working well in the company?

  • What is not working well in the company?

  • What are the greatest organizational challenges you see?

  • What are your suggestions for improvement?

  • Are there any examples where we have not kept our word?

  • What questions or issues do you want us to address in the upcoming town hall meeting?

Address the questions and issues brought forward. Compile the questions, and integrate them into the agenda you want to cover for your meeting. It is essential that you incorporate all questions and feedback. Even if you don't have all of the answers, it's important to acknowledge that you have heard everyone who spoke up. For questions you can't immediately answer, or for action items you can't immediately address, set a timeline for when you will address them.

Follow up. For any agenda items that require follow-up, communicate a realistic timeline. Then follow through on your promises. A town hall meeting is the perfect opportunity to show employees you are committed to an open, honest and transparent culture.

Source: Marissa Levin is the CEO of Successful Culture, an organization that works with business owners, CEOs and leadership teams that want to achieve their greatest personal and organizational potential. Through coaching, strategic consulting, retreat facilitation and workshops, the company equips leaders and emerging leaders with the mindset, tools, strategies and processes they need to excel.