The Daily Huddle: 10-Minute Routine that Sets Your Team Up for Success

If you have an office-based business, chances are you’ve already been largely affected by the uncertainty that the coronavirus pandemic has brought to the world. Globally, this health crisis has forced more office-based businesses to shift to a remote work set-up. 

‍

Communication, especially amidst a crisis, is crucial to keeping business operations running smoothly. But more than the business aspect, it helps maintain understanding and mutual trust between you and your employees.

‍

If you’re one of the businesses affected and you’re unsure of how to better communicate with your team, you can definitely benefit from conducting daily huddle meetings online. You may never have done this before because casual face-to-face interaction seemed like an adequate alternative. Now that you don’t have this option, you need to formalize this practice to keep your team aligned. 

‍

What is a Daily Huddle?

‍

‍

A daily huddle is a 10-minute power-meeting that provides an opportunity for each team member to share project updates and progress, roadblocks, and challenges, as well as little and big victories. 

‍

In office-based environments, this is a stand-up or standing meeting wherein you set the plan for the day. In a remote work setup, you and your team will be meeting online via a video call or voice call. Video calls are known to deliver better interactions since you see each other face-to-face. 

‍

If you want to keep the essence of a standing meeting while working from home, then, by all means, remind your employees to stand. A standing meeting keeps the energy high and reminds everyone to speak concisely. 

‍

Benefits of a Daily Huddle 

‍

Communication is obviously important in the office-based setup that you were once in, but it is even more magnified now that your team is working remotely. The benefits of the daily huddle may seem subtle initially, but once it becomes a repeated habit, it will become the most important 10 minutes of your day.

‍

So you might be asking, how can a daily huddle help me and my team? Read on. 

‍

Ensures Streamlined Communication

‍

‍

It’s typical for employees to constantly ask about work updates or company news, but it becomes dangerous when they keep getting information from the grapevine. Use the daily huddle as your opportunity to communicate important announcements. 

‍

It’s crucial that the information comes directly from you especially in times of uncertainty like this global health crisis. An email blast is good but you don’t want to settle with good. What’s even better is to speak with your employees face-to-face. You can easily do that online by gathering your team in a video call. 

‍

You know that everybody is there and that your team heard it from you first. As such, you also get the chance to correct misinformation on the spot. The huddle also helps eliminate the same questions asked over and over again, thus reducing back and forth messages. 

‍

Increases Productivity

‍

‍

You will never realize what a quick daily meeting can do until you keep getting interrupted by 5 different people asking the same questions. When working remotely, they can conveniently send you emails and direct messages anytime. These interruptions can quickly pile up within the day and eventually disrupt your workflow and productivity.

‍

Address the questions with quick answers during the daily huddle so that everyone is in the loop. This way, all questions are answered in one go and employees can quickly go back to their zone of genius. 

‍

Once your employees learn that they can expect answers to their questions in the daily huddle, you will not be bombarded with questions anymore throughout the day. 

‍

Encourages Positivity

‍

‍

No matter how much your employees love their job, at some point, it can become stressful and routinary. If that is true during regular working days, then how much more so when they’re working remotely amidst the coronavirus crisis?

‍

All the anxiety and stress of thinking about what the world is going through can negatively affect their mental health. Who knows, maybe they have a family member or a close friend who’s a frontliner. That they are scared and worried about their health and safety. 

‍

With all this being said, a daily huddle can be an avenue for everyone to celebrate their wins and victories, whether big or small. It can also be a time for you as a leader to remind your team to still look at the bright side, lift them up, and offer words of wisdom and encouragement. It will help everyone stay calm and motivated, obviously without downplaying the seriousness of today’s situation. 

‍

Maintain Healthy Team Dynamics

‍

‍

Even in an office setting, your employees might not see each other or might not speak with each other often. When someone is working on a project, it’s easy for them to get stuck in their cubicle without any interaction for a few days or weeks.

‍

As your company or business transitions from the office to remote work, make a point to maintain healthy team dynamics. A daily huddle will ensure everyone is connected and has some sort of interaction daily no matter how quick. It will also promote trust among the team, giving you the peace of mind that everyone supports each other. 

‍

To lighten the mood of your meeting, consider adding icebreakers to your agenda. Assign someone to prepare a fun fact, a joke, or a weird quarantine habit. Be creative and keep it exciting!

‍

It is best to let your team understand the benefits and importance of your daily huddle. When they know why you have this meeting in place, they will be more open to participate and commit to it daily. 

‍

Start creating your daily huddle agenda today! Download the free agenda templates here and benefit from improved remote work.

‍