Team members nodding off during your staff meetings? Keep them involved with interesting activities.
I try to make our monthly staff meeting not only informative, but interesting and fun at the same time. One time I had a dog breed quiz and pitted the veterinarians against the technicians to see who could guess more correct answers. I then gave a brief synopsis of problems and diseases associated with those breeds.
Another time, to make our team aware of how much it costs to run a veterinary clinic, I gave them a blank sheet with expense categories such as utilities, supplies, and taxes. I asked them to write down what they thought the average monthly costs were for each category. They were astounded at the true figures, and it made them more aware of how important it is to promote our high standards of care.
Next month, we're having the fire department start a demo fire in our parking lot to show everyone how to use a fire extinguisher. As a result of these activities, our team members are beginning to look forward to monthly staff meetings instead of dreading them.
— Jodi Janski, office manager, Armstrong Veterinary Service; Star Prairie, Wis.
