Running a successful news meeting is an art. The trick is to have a clear idea of the outcome you want, but to encourage participation from every member of staff. There should be no hiding places, no scapegoats and no favourite. There needs to be a sense that every meeting will unearth a news story idea in the category of "had it not been for you the world would never have known."
50 tips for a successful news meeting
Meet standing up or sitting on hard seats, not slouching on sofas
Be punctual and start even if all have not arrived
Create a sense of urgency and set a time limit
Keep things moving and avoid silences
Have a clear outline of what you think the news day should look like before you start the meeting
Encourage staff to read in before the meeting, not during
All should be totally across what you and your competition are covering
Make people aware that they should come to the news meeting prepared
Ban texting or calls (unless they are to do with an ongoing news story)
Discourage private conversations during the meeting
All should be totally across what you and your competition are covering
Speak loud and clear, don’t drone
Use humour without trivialising the seriousness of the task in hand
Make sure the meetings are enjoyable; they set the tone for the day
Generate an atmosphere of participation rather than one where people want to hide
Briefly recap the top ongoing stories
Be across the day's prospects and planning diary and have copies printed out for all staff
Spend five minutes asking what could have gone better on the last shift
Mention where your news team beat the opposition the previous day
Make sure you praise what was done well
Point out examples of where a member of staff has excelled, not just the correspondents but also the backroom staff
Create a sense that it is a team effort and everyone needs each other
Encourage shared responsibility for all output
Never criticise a member of staff in front of his or her peers
Leave individual correction to private conversations with staff members
Don’t waste time with conversations that can be dealt with after the meeting
Allow time for brief one-to-one chats after the meeting ends if staff are unclear
Learn from every mistake and set action points for improvements
Don’t try to be smart it will reduce participation
Don’t try to belittle people and make them shrink
Draw the best out of people and make them great
Encourage participation and welcome all ideas and don’t mock any
Look at every member of staff as you talk, bring the quiet ones into the conversation
Ask them what ideas they have for new angles to existing stories
Ask them what exclusive stories they are working on
Ask them what stories they would like to be able to work on
If it goes quiet, stimulate the debate by offering at least one new angle on each story
Ensure all understand the agreed priorities for the day
Ensure all understand their roles and responsibilities
Don’t allow anyone to hog the conversation
Don’t allow any hiding places by picking a room where you can see everyone
Avoid dwelling on an item too long
Ensure decisions are made and move on
Ensure that everyone knows what they need to deliver and when
End with a sense that all key issues were tackled and resolved
Don’t end a meeting with loads of loose ends
Sum up at the end with a clear outline of the day ahead
Leave the impression that you are in charge, but that everyone is needed
If necessary, set a time for a quick follow-up progress meeting later in the day
End the meeting by thanking everyone for taking part – and mean it.
Please feel free to add comments below to add to these or to rubbish them. Open debate is welcome.
50 tips for a successful news meeting
Meet standing up or sitting on hard seats, not slouching on sofas
Be punctual and start even if all have not arrived
Create a sense of urgency and set a time limit
Keep things moving and avoid silences
Have a clear outline of what you think the news day should look like before you start the meeting
Encourage staff to read in before the meeting, not during
All should be totally across what you and your competition are covering
Make people aware that they should come to the news meeting prepared
Ban texting or calls (unless they are to do with an ongoing news story)
Discourage private conversations during the meeting
All should be totally across what you and your competition are covering
Speak loud and clear, don’t drone
Use humour without trivialising the seriousness of the task in hand
Make sure the meetings are enjoyable; they set the tone for the day
Generate an atmosphere of participation rather than one where people want to hide
Briefly recap the top ongoing stories
Be across the day's prospects and planning diary and have copies printed out for all staff
Spend five minutes asking what could have gone better on the last shift
Mention where your news team beat the opposition the previous day
Make sure you praise what was done well
Point out examples of where a member of staff has excelled, not just the correspondents but also the backroom staff
Create a sense that it is a team effort and everyone needs each other
Encourage shared responsibility for all output
Never criticise a member of staff in front of his or her peers
Leave individual correction to private conversations with staff members
Don’t waste time with conversations that can be dealt with after the meeting
Allow time for brief one-to-one chats after the meeting ends if staff are unclear
Learn from every mistake and set action points for improvements
Don’t try to be smart it will reduce participation
Don’t try to belittle people and make them shrink
Draw the best out of people and make them great
Encourage participation and welcome all ideas and don’t mock any
Look at every member of staff as you talk, bring the quiet ones into the conversation
Ask them what ideas they have for new angles to existing stories
Ask them what exclusive stories they are working on
Ask them what stories they would like to be able to work on
If it goes quiet, stimulate the debate by offering at least one new angle on each story
Ensure all understand the agreed priorities for the day
Ensure all understand their roles and responsibilities
Don’t allow anyone to hog the conversation
Don’t allow any hiding places by picking a room where you can see everyone
Avoid dwelling on an item too long
Ensure decisions are made and move on
Ensure that everyone knows what they need to deliver and when
End with a sense that all key issues were tackled and resolved
Don’t end a meeting with loads of loose ends
Sum up at the end with a clear outline of the day ahead
Leave the impression that you are in charge, but that everyone is needed
If necessary, set a time for a quick follow-up progress meeting later in the day
End the meeting by thanking everyone for taking part – and mean it.
Please feel free to add comments below to add to these or to rubbish them. Open debate is welcome.
David Brewer
The author, David Brewer, set up and runs this site, Media Helping Media. He also runs Media Ideas International Ltd and tweets @helpingmedia.
http://www.mediahelpingmedia.org/training-resources/advanced-journalism/462-50-tips-for-a-successful-news-meeting
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