Huddle meetings, sometimes called morning huddles or daily check-ins, allow you to briefly convene with your sales reps in a focused way. Since these meetings happen every day, they help keep everyone on your team aligned and updated. And since huddle meetings are typically 10-15 minutes, they don’t require a huge time investment. Even if you and your team are working remotely, you can huddle using video conferencing.

If you are not sure how to structure your huddle meetings or you have never planned one, read on. We share the 5W’s and 1H approach of huddle meetings from Naphtali Hoff, Psy.D., an executive coach and president of Impactful Coaching & Consulting, in this issue of Promotional Consultant Today.

Who? Everyone on your team, including those who work remotely, can benefit from daily huddles, says Dr. Hoff. If you lead a large sales team that makes it cumbersome to convene in one gathering, consider splitting your huddles into multiple groups, with a sales manager leading each one.

What? Remember that huddles are brief, so think about what you want to discuss in advance. Your sales team might benefit most from client updates or discussion on obstacles they are facing. Or, you might choose to review your team’s top three metrics or give a shout-out for the previous day’s biggest wins. Dr. Hoff notes that as your huddles and team evolve, you might have different things to communicate.

Where? There’s no one location that makes an ideal spot for a daily huddle. Your huddle meetings can occur virtually or anywhere that allows your team members to comfortably and safely gather considering social distancing guidelines.

When? Dr. Hoff suggests kicking off the workday with a huddle. This allows everyone to get together before getting settled and started for the day. If your team works flexible hours, set a core time when everyone is available. Try to be as consistent as possible by planning your huddles for the same place and time every day, Dr. Hoff adds.

Why? While huddles are a great opportunity to discuss problems and identify solutions, they also allow you to celebrate victories on your sales team. Take a minute to applaud those who achieved a big win.

How? According to Dr. Hoff, be sure your huddle meetings start and end on time. You can appoint a timekeeper if your meetings keep running long. He says you can also rotate team members to conduct the meeting and ensure everyone stays on topic.

When you make huddle meetings part of your daily routine, you help cut back on the need for pop-up meetings, which can interrupt your sales reps and lower productivity. Huddles can also eliminate the need for constant back-and-forth emails since they get everyone on the same page at the start of the day.

While many messages can be conveyed in an email and do not warrant a meeting, huddles are short enough that they won’t take up an inordinate amount of time. You can make the most of your huddle meetings by limiting them to 15 minutes in the morning and making them an opportunity to discuss both issues and victories.

Compiled by Audrey Sellers

Source: Naphtali Hoff, Psy.D. is an executive coach, organizational consultant and president of Impactful Coaching & Consulting.