Getting people talking in meetings is key to group efficiency in companies – projects progress thanks to this group effect. Giving everyone the chance to speak, fairly, means that everyone can share their ideas and their point of view, which can often drive teams.
And, wouldn’t it be a shame to miss out on a great idea just because someone didn’t have the opportunity to express himself?
The importance of input: driving groups forward
What if communication was key to bringing out the best in your employees, getting them engaged, motivating them and creating a feeling of belonging?
Getting input from a group means that everyone has the chance to express themselves. If it’s done in a fair and constructive manner, it can really help a group progress. Ideas are voiced and points of view are shared.
Originating in participative management, being able to communicate ensures teams are motivated, engaged and involved. Expressing oneself is the foundation to a team’s productivity, responsibility and wellbeing. Putting people at the heart of a company gives employees a sense of responsibility. Encouraging their creativity with horizontal exchanges instead of top-down enables each member to reveal their skills.
Whether formal or informal, direct or indirect, getting people talking is one of the best ways to incite and encourage group interaction. It also promotes enthusiastic exchanges.
This communication helps manage conflicts and limits over interpretation: employees feel that they are listened to, and get more involved in their tasks. Employees who are engaged share the company vision and will help it reach its objectives.
To conclude, listening, communicating and showing empathy are essentials tools to manage a team and limit the psychological factors that hamper free expression.
Top-down management: a cause of employee disengagement
Today, we find ourselves in a hybrid world of work, where some employees don’t feel they belong. In fact, 30% of employees describe themselves as being “actively disengaged” from their job. Many leave meetings feeling even more disengaged than when they went in, as they are not taken into consideration, listened to or are disregarded. All because they weren’t able to express themselves.
According to surveys carried out by L’Usine Nouvelle and Altrum Reconnaissance, almost half of employees think that their manager would be offended if they spoke during a meeting. More than a third believe that their company’s culture doesn’t support those who express themselves.
Many employees are therefore left questioning their impact in their company’s strategic decisions. This is where being able to express oneself freely comes in: it shows everyone that they have a role to play and gives them legitimacy. There’s no such thing as a bad idea, and all employees have their place within the company. However, encouraging interaction and engagement in a company isn’t always easy.
Some collaborative tools designed to encourage employee engagement have really found their place in companies. Maintaining links is important, whether teams work on-site or remotely, and whether participants are near or far. These tools facilitate interesting discussions and encourage employees to communicate and provide input.
What are collaborative tools?
All employees want their work for a company to have a meaningful impact. Implementing collaborative tools can help employees feel like they belong, by making them feel more involved. All participants are invited to express themselves during meetings – even the most timid members. Everyone is more engaged, and absentees can catch up on the meeting later on with a recording, known as an asynchronous session.
These easy-to-implement tools help exchanges of information go smoothly, and eliminate any unhelpful hierarchical barriers. They include interactive brainstorming sessions, discussion spaces and even anonymous letters to express one’s opinion. There are many solutions to add flexibility and positivity to the business world.
Beekast: a collaborative tool for everyone
The idea behind Beekast is to make meetings, training sessions and events more collaborative and effective. Beekast is there to help you create, collaborate and generate ideas with all of your participants through fun workshops and using activity templates that are tailored to your needs. Get participants involved in your meetings and training sessions, whether they are online or in-person.
Françoise Bisteur, founder of the made-to-measure training organisation Innobullus, explains how and why she uses the solution in her line of work. As Françoise says, “the tool is fascinating for trainers. We can create evaluations, generate reports right after meetings… It’s very comprehensive”.
She believes that it is essential to encourage “participants to express themselves freely, to stay close to them”. To do so, she uses different interactive activities and their variations:
- word cloud
- speedboat
- postcard
- starfish
- canvas
- blob tree
“Support and guidance are major factors in learner success” according to Bisteur. Ensuring proximity with participants promotes group motivation and encourages effective exchanges. The ability to express oneself freely goes hand in hand with creativity and high performances; it is a pillar of team spirit and teamwork.
“With its interactive activities, Beekast is a great everyday support tool for trainers. It helps encourage interaction and promotes involvement and engagement while working remotely” – Françoise Bisteur.
If you want to get input from your participants to improve performances, try out the Beekast platform.
