Team meetings give you an opportunity to train, to coach and to inform. Whether it’s a brief pre-shift meeting or a longer session, your role as the facilitator is to define objectives for the meeting and manage the time and discussion to ensure those objectives are met.
Recognize that different people learn in different ways. If you’re presenting complicated material such as detailed product knowledge for a new line of specialty drinks, be sure you offer it in a variety of ways. Describe the new products for those staff members who learn through listening, and hand out a job aid with all the necessary information for those who learn best by seeing the information written down.
To resist tangents, use a white board or flip chart to create a meeting “parking lot.” This allows important off-the-topic discussions to be tabled, but not forgotten. Be careful not to treat the parking lot as simply a formality. End the meeting with a review of the to-dos and parking lot items.
Restaurant Service and Sales Training
The Service & Sales Excellence Waitstaff Training Series is based on Service That Sells!, a restaurant training philosophy developed by restaurant owners for restaurant owners. Click here to learn more.
