ABSTRACT
Employees may be reluctant to talk openly about problems, but this feedback is essential if management wants to know what is really going on in the company. One way to obtain feedback is to organize an informal meeting or forum. The group should be small, involving five to seven representatives. The employees may all come from one department or be a cross section from several departments. After selecting the participants and the time of the meeting:
Be sure to give advance notice of the meeting.
Set the tone of the meeting. Keep it relaxed and casual.
Prepare in advance ways to spark the discussion.
Try to make sure everyone talks.
Keep speakers from interrupting each other.
Prevent employees from griping about each other.
Try to keep the discussion on matters that you can influence.
Do not get upset if you receive harsh criticism; remember that you asked for this meeting.
Ask the group, “What could we all do better?”
Take good notes.
Do not ridicule.
Try to give participants a date when they can expect some follow-up from the meeting.
Thank everyone for his or her input.
