A Twelve-Dollar Microphone Changed Our Day

Every day at Marketing Ideas For Printers we have a daily check-in meeting. According to Patrick Lencioni, this meeting is one of the kinds of meetings found in healthy organizations. In his book The Advantage, Lencioni explains why these daily check-in meetings are so important and effective:

It’s about the team getting into the habit of gathering once a day, for no more than ten minutes, to clear the air about anything administrative that would be helpful to know. Schedules. Events. Issue alerts. That kind of stuff.

The most powerful impact of having teams meet every day is the quick resolution of minor issues that might otherwise fester and create unnecessary busywork for the team.

We put a little twist on this daily check-in meeting by adding a simple twelve-dollar microphone and calling it our Microphone Meeting.

The microphone helps emphasize who’s turn it is to talk, and makes sure everyone has the opportunity to be heard. To make sure the meeting moves efficiently, we follow these simple rules:

Anyone can start the meeting by picking up the microphone.
If you have the microphone, you have the floor.
Once you’re done, pass the microphone to the person next to you (either direction).
If you’d like another turn to speak at the meeting, position yourself after those that have yet to take the microphone.
If you have nothing to say when the microphone comes to you, simply pass it on to the next person.

The meeting ends as soon as the microphone has been passed to everyone wishing to speak.

It’s as easy as that! It’s a simple little meeting, and the microphone brings a small element of fun. Sometimes the microphone will even inspire a moment of spontaneous improvisational comedy! Along with the fun we’ve also discovered the microphone brings a lot of clarity and focus to the purpose of the meeting.

Do you have a daily stand-up meeting? If so, share your tips and tricks in the comments below. If not, consider starting your own Microphone Meetings now!