The bad news: Healthcare professionals spend thirty hours on average in meetings per month, yet surveys indicate that most professionals view the majority of their meetings as unproductive. A 2022 Harris Poll which surveyed leaders in pharma, healthcare and other industries revealed the follow grim statistics: -Three in four leaders said that their teams struggled to communicate effectively. -Approximately one workday (7.47 hours to be exact!) a week is lost due to poor communication in meetings. The good news: When healthcare team members feel important and included in meetings, productivity and morale is enhanced. Fortunately, easy tweaks often go a long way to enhance comfort, participation, and meeting outcomes. Recently, I worked with Adam, a new District Sales Manager in Big Pharma, who felt it was his responsibility to control the agenda, and decisions in meetings. In fact, Adam considered it part of his job to do most of the talking. He was baffled that his group was quiet, rarely initiated topics, didn’t show passion regarding action items, and only engaged in small talk after the meeting. He asked me how he could change the situation. We developed easy-to-apply key strategies to help Adam and others implement more productive team meetings. Here are eight quick strategies for increasing engagement in your team meetings and team morale and productivity as a result.

1. Begin meetings with small talk or asking each person to share an observation or personal update to develop trust and increase interpersonal communication.

Give a time limit of 30 seconds or a minute.

2. Develop an agenda to which team members are expected to contribute. It’s the best way to help your group feel part of planning and structure. Additionally, inviting your quieter colleagues to be part of the agenda, versus “calling on them” adds to their comfort.

For example, Adam, the new pharma district manager, regularly asks two of his reports to give a case study of success or challenges with physician influencers in their regions.

3. Use meetings for discussion and problem-solving rather than just providing information.

Always have a purpose for getting together such as: -Generating ideas for recruiting seasoned product managers -Handling objections about new changes in diabetes medication protocol One of my favorite sayings which applies to meetings is, “Go from information to inspiration and impact.”

4. Try an approach like “round robin”, going around the room when possible.

The goal is to keep the talkers from dominating and to allow quiet people to contribute more. This is essential for equalizing talking time, a key ingredient for team success.

5. Include some fun and novelty, such as lunch meetings outside the office or appealing influential guests.

At a recent Healthcare Business Women’s Association kickoff at Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, a successful CFO was invited to inspire younger leaders. And yes, refreshments always help. I had a startup healthcare quality management client who wanted to tighten his budget by eliminating snacks. No way! I told him I’d give him the fifty dollars for goodies to save all the gains we’d made in creating a upbeat meeting atmosphere. Company trivia, sharing humorous clips or photos, or discussing an article can add the right mood to your virtual meetings. A CISO at Johnson & Johnson was well known for imparting inspirational quotes, such as “Leaders don’t see failure, they see unfinished success.”

6. Give them a break. Encourage 15-minute breaks every hour or ninety minutes and discourage back-to-back meetings.

A telehealth account manager shared that he “has no time to get any work done, with all the meetings he has to attend”. My clients like the saying “The mind can absorb what the behind can endure”. Even in virtual meetings, team members feel like it’s a luxury to visit their own bathroom or grab a yogurt, as close as they may be.

7. Provide time for participants to think. Meetings are fast moving. Clients share that they are nervous about contributing, or that they think of something to add and then topic is no longer being discussed.

Many pharma and biotech teams are meeting virtually or hybrid (combination of in person and virtually). These techniques work well for making sure that all valuable ideas are heard; -Ask a question and then wait for 7-10 seconds for folks to contribute. It will seem like an eternity for you, but allows the participants time to process the question and come up with a coherent reply. -Try the write and talk method. Provide a prompt or a question like : “Let’s hear your ideas about expanding distribution in Poland.” “Take 30 seconds to write down a few thoughts regarding how AI is adding to our patient satisfaction, and then let’s hear what everyone came up with.”

8. Create team rituals. Make time for meeting experiences which

are repeated and enjoyable. Getting those positive hormones, like oxytocin going is bonding—and bonding builds morale Solving the retention crisis in healthcare is highly related to professionals feelings of safety in speaking up and being heard. For example, recently I worked with a Digital Pharma Marketing Manager to develop a Ten- Minute Venting Time at meetings, where all were encouraged to share a gripe, prior to positive problem solving. Try out these eight suggestions, and your team meetings will be more engaging, productive, and healthy!

By Laurie Schloff | 2023-12-26