How to end your year with a bang

End-of-year meetings are a great time to reflect on how well the business has been doing. Or to make a call to arms to improve on this year’s results.

But simply reeling off a list of figures won’t keep your audience involved. You’ve got to make sure your meeting ends the year with a bang so your staff leave for Christmas on a positive note.

Here’s what you need in your end of year wrap up meeting…

The pros and cons
You’ve got to cover both the positives and the negatives. It’s no use just saying that things are great – people need to know the areas that need improving as well as the results of their hard work.

Try and keep it balanced – if there is no good news, try and think of at least one positive story from the year.

Offer rewards
Keep in mind that people are busy in December so attending your speech will be valuable time out of their day.

Make sure to reward them – either through praise or simply by giving attendees a glass of fizz or some chocolates to help celebrate. A little gesture can go a long way.

Actual targets
If you’re going to start laying down targets for next year, make them reachable and realistic. It’s no use saying that you want growth or that you see the company becoming the market leader – you have to quantify these targets.

While this might open you up to criticism if you fail to reach them, it also gives your employees something valid to aim for. Don’t provide all your many targets, just a few key targets you’re confident you can hit.

Surprise news
Why not throw a surprise news item into your speech? Most people will just be expecting the usual round up of figures, a few personal stories and a pat on the back.

But if you’ve had a bit of news recently, hold onto it for the meeting. Telling people face-to-face will get a much bigger reaction that just an email sent round.

Finish on a high
And, as always, you’ve got to finish on a high. We’re not expecting a rousing Churchillian speech, but try and find a big positive to end on.

Maybe get one of your hardest working staff members to come forward and use them as an example or just come back to one of the year’s financial highlights. Anything so that when people leave they’ll be full of optimism and not boredom.

Posted by Julie Tucker