All-hands meetings, aka company or town hall meetings, are a chance to get everyone in the company together for updates, alignment, and company culture inspiration. But without engaging elements, they can just feel like another very long meeting on the calendar. So how do you encourage employee engagement and make the most of your company town hall?
Here are 8 ideas to make your all-hands meetings more exciting and worthwhile for your team:
1. Begin with an energizing icebreaker
Start the meeting with an icebreaker to get everyone warmed up and ready to participate. Icebreakers ease tension, especially among remote employees, in larger teams, or when welcoming new team members. They create an inclusive environment, help people relax, and set a friendly tone for the meeting.
For virtual town hall meetings, drop your icebreaker in the video chat to get some conversation flowing in a low-stakes way that doesn't require anyone to get on the microphone and be in the spotlight if they don't want to be.
How to get started 👉 Here's a list of 25+ fun icebreakers you can use to encourage employees to connect at the top of your company wide meetings!
2. Add team recognition and celebration time
Recognizing achievements and milestones is always important for morale and all-hands meetings are a great opportunity to celebrate the wins in front of everyone. Use this time to shine a light on outstanding contributions, from individual awards like “Employee of the Month” to team achievements, project milestones, or work anniversaries. At Confetti's virtual town hall meeting, we kick off by shouting out our team members' upcoming Confetti-versaries and birthdays!
Celebrating employees in a public forum makes them feel like their hard work isn’t going unnoticed and reinforces a culture of appreciation where all employees feel valued and seen.
How to get started 👉 Need some more ideas for celebrating the team? Add an event from Confetti's Company Celebrations collection!
3. Add a Q&A to encourage transparency
A Q&A session promotes transparency and trust by allowing employees to ask about company updates, policies, and future direction. Set aside enough time and encourage everyone to submit questions beforehand or ask live in the chat during the meeting. This openness gives employees direct access to leadership and the opportunity to ask questions or share their ideas.
This feedback loop contributes to an inclusive environment, shows you’re listening, and makes employees feel heard. It also clarifies information so leadership can address any misunderstandings proactively and bring the company together.
4. Have leadership share their stories
Invite leaders to share their personal stories or insights! Leaders could talk about their career journey, challenges they’ve overcome, or key lessons they’ve learned from their entire career or the recent quarter. They might even share a favorite mistake and what they learned from it which can be both humbling and helpful for the team.
Personal stories help bridge the gap between leadership and employees and show that executives face the same struggles and successes as everyone else. This can help build rapport, deeper connections, and respect that carries over into everyday work life.
5. Add a short workshop or training
Add some learning and development value with a short workshop or training. For example, you could do a mini-session on productivity hacks, confidence-building strategies, or even a quick wellness practice. These workshops don’t have to be long – even a 10-minute segment provides useful insights or tools for personal and professional development.
Including skill-building exercises makes employees feel like they’re getting something out of the meeting beyond just updates. It also adds variety, keeping the session engaging and interactive, and giving employees something to take with them after the meeting.
6. Use polls and live feedback tools
Polls and live feedback tools are great for getting real-time input from your team. During the meeting, run polls on current topics and proposed changes, or as a pulse check on general sentiment. Consider letting employees vote or respond anonymously to encourage honest feedback and insights into the team’s mood or opinions.
Live feedback makes employees feel part of the decision-making process and that their opinions matter. It also gives leadership valuable insights into employee preferences and concerns so they can make informed decisions that resonate with the team.
7. Share team success stories or project highlights
Celebrate different departments by sharing recent projects or success stories. For example, invite a representative from a team to share a project they’re proud of, including the impact and challenges they overcame. A cross-departmental showcase can increase visibility and can be super inspiring to other teams.
When employees see the tangible results of their collective efforts it creates a sense of unity and pride in the company goals and allows departments to see what others are working on, encouraging more collaboration and innovation.
8. End with a fun activity
Ending the meeting on a fun note leaves employees feeling good. Consider ending with a team building activity like a game or interactive workshop!
Planning a fun activity after the meeting encourages attendance, keeps the energy up, and gives employees something to look forward to. It also reinforces the sentiment that all-hands meetings are more than just a formality – they’re an opportunity for the company to connect and have fun together.
How to get started 👉 Confetti's Large Groups collection is filled with team building activities that are perfect for your organization, no matter the headcount!
Make the most of your next town hall meeting with Confetti 🎉
Town halls create opportunities for connection, transparency, and motivation within the company. Try these out and turn a standard meeting into an event employees will look forward to. Keep trying new things to see what works best for your team and make sure each meeting is different, relevant, and fun. With a bit of imagination and thought your all-hands meetings can be a highlight for everyone.
If you need help planning team building activities for your future meetings, schedule a call with the Confetti team today!
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