How to host company town hall meetings that make an impact
Company town hall meetings are a great way to boost employee engagement, share important information, and put names to faces. But a town hall meeting isn't a quick daily check-in. A successful town hall event requires a lot of planning. In this guide, we'll review everything you need to know about town hall meetings, and we'll share tips to make your next one the most successful yet.
Table of contents
- What is a company town hall meeting?
- What's the purpose of a town hall meeting?
- Town hall meeting vs. all-hands meeting
- Common company town hall meeting topics
- How to host awesome town hall meetings
What is a company town hall meeting?
Company town hall meetings are large gatherings where company leadership teams (aka upper
management) connect with employees on important updates and business priorities.
Company town hall meetings are often thought of as the corporate version of political town
halls, where officials or politicians meet with their constituents to discuss community
issues, upcoming legislation, or upcoming elections.
Since town hall meetings are large-scale and typically involve the entire company, they're
usually held in large conference rooms when done in person.
But...town halls as virtual meetings are becoming common. And all the best virtual meetings
have thoughtful meeting
agendas to maximize efficiency and productivity.
Virtual town hall meeting agenda
A great way to start your town hall is by introducing leadership team members, thanking
employees for helping the company achieve its goals, and a recap of business priorities.
For a complete list of topics, here's an agenda template by Nima Torabi for your next town
hall:
What's the purpose of a town hall meeting?
A town Hall Meetings purpose is to:
- Align the entire company on goals
- Reduce the gap between employees and the leadership team
- Foster and build corporate culture
From these main three objectives flow the benefits of town hall meetings. Team members gain greater transparency into company goals and how they're set, and interacting directly with upper management also fosters a sense of community.
An effective town hall meeting, therefore, helps the whole company become closer and more aligned with the same goals and values.
Town hall meeting vs. all-hands meeting
An all-hands meeting is typically held to announce changes or updates on a weekly or
bi-weekly basis. Town hall meetings, on the other hand, are more focused on open discussion
and usually happen once a quarter to once a year.
But both of these meetings are large-scale and involve the whole company, which is why the
two terms are often used interchangeably.
Company town hall meeting topics
We'll go over some of the most common meeting topics to give you an idea of what kind of discussions you can have if you choose to hold regular town hall meetings
Business and project updates
One of the main functions of a town hall meeting is to share updates with the entire company at once. Updates might come in the form of news about a client win, progress on a cross-functional initiative, or a discussion about planned changes for the company's benefits policy.
Examples of town hall announcements are:
- Company growth updates
- Project milestones
- Financial updates
- Business challenges the company is currently facing
- New hires and departures
- Shoutouts to individuals and teams who went above and beyond
If you're a meeting organizer, come to the town hall prepared with some key updates about the company, as that's a great way to kick off the meeting. Be prepared for a live Q&A, since interactivity is the point of a town hall meeting.
Personal news
Town hall meetings don't have to be all business. Opening up the floor for team members to
share personal stories and updates will go a long way toward fostering a sense of belonging
and community.
This part of the meeting can see news such as engagements, weddings, pregnancies, and
adoptions, or any other personal successes like running a marathon or gaining a
certification!
Using a town hall meeting for personal news like this is especially important in the
late-stage-pandemic world of remote work, where people work across borders and different
time zones. It's a chance for team members to get to know each other as more than just
co-workers.
How to host awesome town hall meetings
A town hall meeting is a unique opportunity to have the entire company in one place, which offers team-building benefits you don't want to miss out on. Follow these tips to make the most of your town hall meetings:
Set the tone with a warm welcome
Good meeting culture and etiquette involves a warm welcome and thanks to all the attendees
for taking time out of their schedules to join you.
After this, it's not a bad idea to give people a little buffer before starting the meeting
in earnest. For an in-person meeting, team members might chat with people next to them as
speakers get ready after your welcome message.
You can replicate that in a virtual meeting by doing a round of icebreaker questions or
sharing something funny.
Set a meeting agenda
Every meeting should have an agenda — especially town halls. Without one, it's easy to get
off track and waste time.
The best agendas are simple and concise and leave no room for surprise. They list all the
meeting activities and topics, and give a set time frame for each. Share your town hall
agenda at least 1–2 days before the meeting so people know what to expect and can prepare
questions.
Save time for questions
Remember: the whole point of a town hall meeting is to connect and engage directly with your
employees. Town halls should encourage open discussion, which means leaving ample time for
questions.
To make sure that everyone's voice is heard, build in an open question period either at the
end of the meeting or after each focus topic in the agenda. To make sure there are no
silences, have a list of questions prepared in case you need to kick off this part of the
meeting.
Tip: Be prepared for employees to ask difficult questions or even air out some personal
grievances during the Q&A session. If this happens, address the issue head-on while
promising to follow up in more detail later..
Host better company town hall meetings with NexAI
A good company town hall meeting boosts employee morale and fosters a sense of community and belonging. Large virtual meetings are never a cakewalk, but the proper tools can make them a lot easier.
