What’s a town hall meeting?
A town hall is one of those rare events that brings together every employee in your company for company-wide updates.
Why is a town hall meeting important?
A great town hall drives transparency, builds community and opens communication across teams.
How does a town hall meeting work…
Step #1: Start with a quick pulse check (05 mins)
Kick off your meetings by checking on how your employees are doing before diving into the agenda.
Dive’s Pro Meeting Tip: Use our Polls app to ask ice breaker questions to the whole company. Don’t know what kind of questions to ask? Here are a few examples: What are you looking forward to this week? Which areas would you like some support in?
Step #2: CEO’s updates and announcements (10 mins)
As a founder/CEO, use this time to align everyone in the right direction. Bring in key metrics that illustrate where the company is headed. You can also talk about changes in the market, important learnings and new initiatives that the company is working on.
Dive’s Pro Meeting Tip: If you’re a startup, share a note from your investors that aligns with your company’s vision. List down where you are headed and what everyone’s supposed to be doing to get there.
Step #3: Pass on the mic to department heads (25 mins)
Since the town hall meeting can run long, create a set time for each department head to share their updates. These could be challenges they faced over the week, goals they’ve accomplished, or even a success story. It’s their show to run.
Dive’s Pro Meeting Tip: Encourage managers to pepper their updates with customer stories. This makes the updates more exciting (and actionable) for everyone.
Step #4: A collaborative Q&A for the ages (15 mins)
Remember: Q&A’s make meetings collaborative and inclusive. You’re helping the team open up to new perspectives. It also empowers employees with information they generally wouldn't know from their daily schedules.
Dive’s Pro Meeting Tip: Get team members to submit questions in advance. This gives the CEO time to come prepared with more informed answers.
Step #5: Appreciate, applaud and acknowledge! (05 mins)
Wrap up the town hall meeting by publicly acknowledging wins in front of the whole company. Congratulate different teams for any successful projects or initiatives. You can also use the time to celebrate work anniversaries and introduce new hires!
Dive’s Pro Meeting Tip: Give shoutouts to attendees, let them know that leadership appreciates their attendance!
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