Don't neglect routine staff meetings.

Staff meetings are essential to good staff communication. Meetings help keep the grapevine from growing so big that it strangles the group with its rumors. By holding regular meetings with your staff, you create a consistency in your communications that helps prevent problems that you don't even suspect from cropping up. All personnel should attend the meetings. This way everyone hears news at the same time. Be consistent in your use of meetings. Meetings are more effective if you have a planned agenda and a firm time schedule. Encourage your staff to use meetings to talk out problems that affect the group. Once the meeting is over, encourage them to leave their feelings in the room. Many leaders are reluctant, for a variety of reasons, to hold meetings with their staffs. But it's like dieting and exercise; the more you do it, the easier it becomes. This type of meeting will pay rich dividends in staff personal and professional growth and in improved communication. The sense of participation that can be gained by the effective use of staff meetings can lead to high morale and effective staff performance. As you begin to see the results of a cohesive staff functioning together well, you will realize the routine staff meeting is a management tool that should not be overlooked or underused.