With so many of us working remote or hybrid, it has become necessary to communicate effectively and clearly with each other. While long Zoom meetings and constant Slack messages might not be the answer, a quick standup meeting at the start of the day can go a long way for healthy communication. 

Daily standups are known to make teams more efficient, engaged and focused since everyone knows there as well as their team’s tasks and priorities for the week. But the question is, how to make them effective and unlike long, tiring Zoom meetings.‍

How to effectively run a daily standup meeting?

When done incorrectly, daily standups become yet another task that clogs up your team's calendar. Treat standup meetings as an opportunity to fully utilize the potential of cooperation, rather than a succession of individual reports. A daily standup meeting is a simple and efficient method to keep your team engaged and ensure everyone is on the same page. Here are some daily standup tips to conduct your meetings focused and productive, and to keep them fun and interesting.

1. Keep an eye on your team's energy levels

If the stand-up meeting is about to begin, but you detect a lack of enthusiasm among your team, begin with a 1-2 minute warm-up of stretching or icebreaker games or entertaining exercises to get everyone alert and focused. This is a particularly effective strategy to utilize if your team is working remotely and may benefit from a team-building exercise.

2. Keep the number of people who attend to a bare minimum

Is it truly necessary for everyone in the stand-up meeting to attend the meeting or video conference? With hundreds of participants, it's impossible to hold a meaningful stand-up meeting. If you operate in a large team, break it up into subgroups of people that collaborate closely.‍

3. Make sure your stand-up meetings are open to everyone

All the advantages of a stand-up meeting are nullified if someone is unable to participate in the standing portion owing to accessibility issues. Stick to a sit-down meeting if someone on your team has a physical impairment that prevents them from standing for 15 minutes. Hence, this is, without a doubt, the most crucial element. 

You can also have a specific Slack channel for daily standups and share quick updates over Slack messages. It is quick and effective!

4. Workloads should be re-prioritized

Everyone aspires to be successful. However, team members are frequently overworked as a result of competing tasks. Daily meetings are beneficial for ensuring that priorities are clear and proper, as well as for rearranging tasks. If a team member is overworked, they may be working on the incorrect project, causing essential activities to be postponed needlessly. During the daily huddle, use the time to verify that team members' priorities are clear and proper, and that they are not overburdened.

5. Make a list of your priorities for the day

To take your project forward, you'll need several people to complete dependent actions in the proper order. Use the daily standup to ensure that everyone understands the day's goals and top priorities.

6. Maintain a positive work atmosphere

When done incorrectly, standups might come off as monitoring, implying a lack of trust in people's ability to govern themselves. Standups are sometimes misinterpreted as a time to report, whereas the most significant benefit is receiving support and direction from your teammates. To set the tone for the day, make your standups enjoyable and energetic and make use of interesting languages to keep the team motivated.

7. Minimize the number of updates that aren't relevant

It's crucial to keep an eye out for when a team member starts talking about anything unrelated to the majority of people's jobs because this might cause individuals to get distracted and zone out for the rest of the standup. A facilitator should intervene and respectfully guide the conversation in the proper direction, ensuring that all status updates are relevant to those in attendance and that they have a reason to stay involved.

Things one should keep in mind while in a standup meeting

Always bear in mind that you follow the following daily standup meeting rules when you conduct a daily standup. These will help you run your meeting effectively without much ado.

1. Meetings should be kept to a maximum of 15 to 20 minutes.
2. For consistency, host the daily standup at the same time and place every day. To summon the team to the meeting, some teams play a piece of particular music.
3. Don't waste time attempting to organise extra rooms; meet where the job is done. It's best to do it in front of your task board.
4. Everyone on the team should attend for maximum productivity.
5. Meetings should not be rescheduled if someone is running late or unable to attend. The tasks can just be posted on Slack or any other tool.
6. For remote teams, use Slack or Teams to do quick standups. 

Make your standups effective with Ricotta 

Ricotta on Slack helps teams conduct quick standups. Just install the app from the Slack app directory and you’re good to go!

• Asynchronous Stand-ups
• Reduce Zoom fatigue 
• Automated daily reminders 
• Link your tasks to your Standups
• No need to leave Slack
  

Frequently Asked Questions

What tools can I use to make standups more effective?

So, now that you know how to conduct a standup effectively, you may want to know where you can do that. Ricotta will help you host your daily standups meeting effectively on Slack without the need for in-person meetings or long Zoom calls.

Why should I conduct daily standups on Slack?

Standups on Slack are asynchronous, so you can post an update and go on about your day without getting interrupted by meetings. It also minimises the time and effort taken to conduct daily standups with message threads that help you keep the conversations in one place.

What is the purpose of daily standup meeting?

The purpose of a daily scrum is to discuss the tasks and priorities of the entire team for the day or entire week. It is the best way to communicate effectively and align teams to company goals.