Everything you need to know for a kickass all-hands meeting

Wait, what’s an all-hands meeting?

An all-hands meeting—sometimes called a town hall or company scrum—is the perfect opportunity for everyone in the company to come together, share ideas, and stay informed about what's going on. Whether you're a manager leading the meeting or an employee participating in it, all-hands meetings can be a valuable and enjoyable part of any work experience for teams of all sizes.

Here’s a fun fact: the term “all-hands” is derived from the idiom “all hands on deck,” where a ship captain would call all the crew members up to the deck to find solutions for a problem together. Most often, the issue would be an emergency that would require every set of hands working in unison to resolve. But in the context of today’s workforce, you don’t need to wait for an emergency to utilize the benefits of all-hands meetings; they can very well be a regular practice that keeps your business on top of things.

Think of it as a gathering of all the members of a company or organization, kind of like a big family dinner, where everyone comes together to catch up and hear the latest news. It's a great opportunity to rally the troops and get the team on the same page while making sure everyone is working towards the same goals. Plus, it's a chance to break up the monotony of the workday, connect, have some fun, and build team spirit.

In fact, research suggests that immersive group sessions like all-hands meetings are effective at helping employees align their day-to-day work with the organization’s broader mission. These meetings can also be a great way to boost morale and build a sense of camaraderie among team members, resulting in higher levels of employee engagement and satisfaction.

Interested in how to do it right? Grab a coffee, clear your calendar, and take some notes because we’re about to tell you all you need to know to organize a kickass all-hands meeting that your team will love.

Set clear intentions and plan ahead

Have an assigned moderator who’s running the meeting. This can be you or another person of choice to be in charge of organizing the agenda, collecting questions for the Q&A, leading the meeting, and preparing the deck. Collecting and assembling the slides from each presenter into one deck ahead of the meeting can help you avoid wasting time by switching gears between different presenters.

Start by setting a clear purpose and agenda for the meeting. This will help everyone understand why they're there and what they can expect to get out of it. To stay organized, have a set meeting structure that you follow during every all-hands meeting.

Next, make sure the meeting is well-planned and runs smoothly. This means starting and ending on time, keeping the conversation focused, and making sure everyone has a chance to contribute.

Here’s an all-hands agenda template to help you get started:

1. [5 minutes] Start with a welcome talk or icebreaker given by the CEO, department head or another leader within the company.
   
2. [2 minutes] The moderator will then announce the meeting agenda to everyone so they know what to expect.
   
3. [5 minutes] Introduce new team members so they feel welcomed by the team and are ready to participate.
   
4. [10-15 minutes] Share and exchange business-wide updates including business performance and KPI reports, news, or key announcements.
   
5. [10-15 minutes] Give a deep-dive presentation on a strategic project or initiative.
   
6. [20-30 minutes] Different department leaders participate to present updates from across each functional area. This is a great way to promote unity and cohesion and mobilize teams around common objectives.
   
7. [15-20 minutes] Spotlight a certain team, employee, or client-success story to shine light on the wins and foster a sense of collective achievement. Celebrate the big and small wins. Give everyone a chance to rally around a shared goal or milestone. It feels good and can make everyone feel like they're part of something bigger.
   
8. [10-15 minutes] Create space for Q&A time and knowledge sharing from all team members.
   
9. [5 minutes] Close with some remarks and key takeaways to thank employees and leave them with notions of value gained. Remember to be mindful of time by keeping the meeting short and sweet.

How to organize your Q&A

We recommend inviting your team to submit anonymous questions 2-3 days before the meeting, and when it's time for the Q&A at the end of your town hall, go through those submissions first. Then, open it up for additional real-time questions from attendees.

This not only makes it less intimidating for people to ask questions—especially the sensitive and uncomfortable ones—but it gives you the chance to prepare your answers ahead of time, get more people to participate, and help ensure there's no awkward silence when it's time for questions. You can also keep the team engaged in other ways such as live polls, questions from the moderator’s end, and more.

Keep it positive

Keep the tone optimistic and focused on solutions and achievements  All-hands meetings are a great opportunity to share successes, progress towards goals, and learnings from challenges. In other words, it’s a great opportunity to get everyone on the same page and rallying around shared goals. So, instead of dwelling on problems or complaints, focus on what's working and how you can build on that momentum to move forward.

Most importantly, make it fun

Take this opportunity to create a bonding experience. To really amp up the excitement and get your team connected, consider incorporating some fun elements into the meeting. This could be anything from team-building exercises and games to interactive presentations and demonstrations. You could even surprise your team with a special guest or treat, like a motivational speaker or free breakfast.

For remote employees

The biggest difference between a regular all-hands meeting and a remote one is that it’ll need to be broadcasted or live-streamed to team members. Don’t worry though, virtual all-hands meetings do pack a punch, too. You can host a kickass company scrum meeting entirely online to include remote employees, regardless of where they’re located.

Here are some tips for all-hands meetings done virtually:

• Use a chat feature such as Slack to start a thread.
  
• Plan ahead and make the agenda clear.
  
• Appoint a meeting moderator.
  
• Record the sessions.
  
• Track action items together.
  
• Show your face.
  
• Don’t leave out icebreakers, Q&A’s, and live polls to keep all members engaged.
  

Wrapping it up

Overall, the key is to make sure the all-hands meeting is productive, engaging, and focused on the needs of the entire team. By keeping these important points in mind, you can ensure that your all-hands meetings are effective and contribute to the success of the company.

With a little planning and creativity, you can throw an awesome all-hands meeting that will get everyone fired up and ready to take on the day. So, go ahead, take the reins and show your people that coming together as a team can be fun, engaging, and totally worth attending!

In short, here are some quick dos and don’ts:

Do: Tech and audio checks prior to the meeting.
Do: Start the meeting on time and stick to the schedule.
Do: Make sure the meeting is well-organized and has a clear purpose and agenda.
Do: Ask all leaders and people managers to make attendance a priority. People should take the meeting seriously and consider it mandatory, not something that can be blown off.
Do: Encourage participation and invite questions and feedback from the audience.
Do: Keep the tone positive and focus on solutions, not problems.
Do: Follow up with any action items or decisions made during the meeting.
Do: Always find something to celebrate, including milestones and the people who made them possible.
Do: Record or recap the session for later (and for those who couldn’t make it).

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Don't: Keep people waiting or run over the allocated time.
Don't: Dominate the conversation or shut down dissenting opinions.
Don't: Wing it or allow the meeting to devolve into chaos.
Don't: Use the meeting as a platform to criticize or complain.
Don't: Forget about the meeting and move on without addressing any next steps.
Don’t: Make things too serious; get your points across while keeping the mood lighthearted.

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