The FAQs of Team Huddles + Template

A lot can happen on your team in the time between team meetings and one-on-meetings with each employee. Urgent requests come in. Workloads shift. Client or executive demands are made. Emergencies happen. For that reason and more, team huddles exist.

If you’re wondering whether your team could benefit from a huddle meeting or not, we’ve answered some of the most frequently asked questions below in hopes that it will help you make the best possible decision for your team.

What is a Team Huddle?

A team huddle is a brief meeting (less than 15 minutes) that typically occurs at the beginning of the workday or shift between a leader and their team.

Why Do Teams Huddle at Work? What Is Discussed?

The purpose of a team huddle is to share information, reinforce accountabilities, provide encouragement, collaboratively problem-solve, and ensure an alignment between individual priorities and the overarching goal of the team. Unlike weekly or monthly team meetings, daily huddles are high-level and focus on the tactical aspect of the team’s jobs.

As such, the following are typically points of discussion in team huddles:

• Company news, updates, and achievements
• Metrics
• Daily priorities/tasks
• Obstacles/roadblocks
• Recognition and shout-outs

How Long Should a Team Huddle Be?

Huddle meetings with your team should be short and to the point, which means your goal should be to keep them to less than 15 minutes. Rather than scheduling them to start when the workday or shift starts, give everyone some time to settle in, grab a coffee, and check their emails first so that no one feels rushed or unprepared.

Are Daily Team Huddles Effective?

The effectiveness of your huddle meetings relies significantly on you - the leader. Your ability to facilitate these meetings, start and stop on time, provide support when called for, and swiftly eliminate roadblocks for employees will impact your employee's willingness to participate and, in turn, your ability to achieve the goal of the meeting.

In addition to that, if you’re employees are dealing with urgent requests, deadlines, or heavy workloads, you might find the effectiveness of your team huddle compromised as employees’ minds are elsewhere and they're anxious to get back to work. In which case, you should use your judgment to decide if delaying or canceling it is best for the team or not.

Why Do Teams Huddle at Work? What Is Discussed?

For everyone to get the most out of your 15-minute huddle meetings, consider setting a few ground rules. By setting ground rules, you establish a standard for everyone involved and make it clear what is expected of them. Here are a few example ground rules to consider implementing:

• Same Time, Same Place: Whether you’re hosting your team huddles virtually or in-person, set a time and place for the meeting and strive to keep it consistent, unless in cases of extenuating circumstances.
  
  
• Keep It Short: Make sure everyone knows the amount of time available and remind everyone to keep their contributions high-level, so you do not go over that time.
  
  
• Take Sideline Conversations Offline: Sideline conversations that only involve a few people of the many gathered for a team huddle are bound to happen. In which case, everyone should be quick to park it until after the meeting concludes.
  
  
• It’s a Safe Space: Team huddles should be a place where problems or failures can be brought up without fear, ridicule, blame, or judgment, and where everyone can come together to help and collaboratively problem-solve.

Team Huddle Meeting Agenda Template

If huddle meetings are new for your team, it can be helpful to share with them and follow a meeting agenda. Of course, over time, your team will fall into a pattern and find out what works for their unique needs, but in the meantime, this team huddle meeting agenda template will give you a place to start.

Step 1: Share any important team/company updates or achievements

Step 2: Review the team’s metrics or numbers

Step 3: Have everyone briefly share their priorities or tasks for the day

Step 4: Ask if anyone is coming up against any roadblocks that need to be addressed

Step 5: Offer encouragement or recognition and allow anyone else to do so as well

Conclude: Learn to Host Great Meetings with Niagara Institute

Between the team huddles, one-on-ones, and staff meetings, it is common for leaders to want to host great meetings. Fortunately, like many other aspects of leadership, running effective meetings is a learnable skill. With Niagara Institute’s range of real-time virtual leadership programs and personalized leadership coaching packages, you can learn what you need, when you need it, and become the leader you truly want to be.