The Skinny on Staff Meetings with the Results from the First Beauty Pulse Survey

Earlier this year, SALON TODAY launched Beauty Pulse—a new survey of salon owners and managers on salon business best practices, designed to take no more than five minutes of their time. In our first poll on staff meetings, 197 salon leaders responded. Flip though the slideshow to see the survey results, read below for specific ideas from salon owners on running effective and engaging staff meetings, and CLICK HERE to take part in our current Beauty Pulse quiz:

“I speak as little as possible which lets my staff do one of two things-tell me what needs to be said, or sit in uncomfortable silence until someone breaks. This works every time!”—Jeffrey Porter, 5ive Star Salon Spa in Davenport, Iowa

"We try to avoid the managers preaching and try to get the staff involved. We have someone choose their favorite product and say how they recommend it and how they use it. We mention positive reviews and Fridays is always Feel Good Friday, nothing but good news.”—Larry Kane, Jonathan Kane Salon and Spa in Homewood, Illinois

“We have our team get involved in role playing, answering questions, and giving tickets. At the end of the meeting is a drawing for a gift!”—Christy States, Beauty by Design, Gilbertsville, Pennsylvania

“We kick meetings off with a prize board based on whatever contest we have been running, and we give everyone on team the floor to contribute their own ideas about how to make us better.”—Tracey Watts-Cirino, Lavish Color Salon, Cleveland, Ohio

“Each day someone picks their song that gets them going in the morning and we have a little dance before we start.”—Melissa Broxholm, HQ Salon and Spa, Portage, Michigan

"We do panels of employees who have attended education. They share take-aways from the classes they attended.-Shelly Malizola, Allure Designs, Libertyville, Illinois

“We do what is called a motivational moment. The team members take turns delivering their moment.”—Bennie Pollard, Nova Salon, Louisville Kentucky

"We have a planning meeting a week prior to our actual staff meeting and whoever attends is a co-facilitator of the meeting. They have a chance to introduce new products, talk about promotions, educate the team as a leader or expert and we compensate these employees. The team loves that they are helping in the creation of our culture.”—James Cook, Lux Aveda Salon, Fullerton, California

"I call them trainings and not meetings. I have the time carefully mapped out to address a well thought-out balance of awards and education so they want to come.”—Kitty Tierney, Impressions, Mequon, Wisconsin

“We try to start and end our meetings in a really positive way. We find that helps our staff stay more engaged and they are more likely to participate and connect.”—Stacy Fix, Looks Hair Design, State College, Pennsylvania

“We present diplomas for graduating from specific training programs within the company as well as recognize tenure. These two things are always looked upon positively by the team. Diplomas are presented by the graduates’ mentors. These are always very emotional.”—Bryan Nunes, Blo, Raleigh, North Carolina

“We trade off by having the staff members lead the meetings instead of always managers.”—Natalie Rokovich, Breeze Salon and Spa, with four locations in central Texas

“We being the meetings with a reflection of the past Quarter's performance. We then break into groups by department and work on one specific strategy for the next quarter. All 50 employees come back together and one person from each department resorts back what they came up with. From this we create new areas of focus to grow and improve our company for the next quarter. Staff is energized and feels excited to make changes because they have a hand in creating the new goals. We do daily huddles, so what we focus on during the quarterly all-staff meeting is much more strategic.”--Bonnie Conte, Avalon Salon and Spa, Deer Park, Illinois

“We utilize Qnity 9Grids to engage the staff with each other, and Qnity QPlans to focus on our individual goals.”—Tracy Berryhill, Ihloff Salon and Day Spa, Tulsa, Oklahoma

“During our huddles we ask questions to get our team to engage. We don't just tell them information, we get them to talk about the numbers and answer each other's questions. We also have different team members lead the huddles so it's not just management talking all the time.”—Paul Luebbers, Integrity Lash, Pasadena, California

“Because we have been blessed with more than 50 staff members on our salon team, there's always someone to recognize for something!! Whether it's a birthday, a work anniversary, a new baby, or just a job well done, our team enjoys the celebration surrounding these special moments!” Cindy Levi, Geno Levi Salon, McMurray, Pennsylvania

In order to engage people in anything, they need to feel like they are a part of it. How does one do that? Make them a part of it! We recently created our ‘ambassador’ team whose purpose is to assist in engaging others. Who better to be an example than the team themselves. I have found the more I can involve them. the more they want to be involved and so the cycle begins. Occasionally, there is a cog in that wheel of success, unfortunately. Those are the dissidents. They are everywhere. Sometimes all they need is attention and to be involved. Other times they need to be elsewhere. Removing the negativity, in whatever form, always improves engagement.”—Pat Helmandollar, Savvy Salon and Day Spa, Cornelius, North Carolina

“Send a thank you text to all of the staff members that attended the meeting. Focus on the positive.”—Heather Bagby, Shear Art Salon, Tampa, Florida

“FOOD. FOOD. FOOD.””—Jason Hall, Red 7 Salon, Chicago, Illinois

"I would have to say our team gets more motivated when we make the meeting interactive. We like to hear their ideas and comments rather than just giving info on things. We like for the team to be part of the process of our decisions with many items, plus it just gets them thinking!!”—Linda Castle, The Cachet, Columbus, Ohio

“I invite volunteers to breakfast and they design and facilitate the breakouts like a gallery stroll, if they create the culture, theyown it.”—Wade Zylstra, Lux Salon, Fullerton, California

“Throughout the month, we encourage the team to give a shout out in writing to other team members and place them in our Gold Star envelope. At the meeting we read all the great things that were witnessed by co-workers. We also ask staff if there are any ‘Aha!’ moments they learned about themselves or about the salon in general. We have a prize box they can choose a gift from.”—Lisa Houser, Utopia Salon and Day Spa, Vancouver, Washington

“I always make breakfast, share celebrations, and a include variety of topics. I always encourage others to conduct part of the meetings.”—Pamela Turner, Shear Delight Salon and Day Spa, Erie, Pennsylvania

"For full team meetings, we try to keep them short and to the point. Therefore we don't typically encourage participation. With a larger staff, that can sometimes turn into a mess to manage or eat up time where we can't cover everything on the agenda. We keep that more for our daily huddles.”—Monty Howard, Salon Visage, Knoxville, Tennessee

"To best engage our team in our 'Quarterly Seasons Meetings' we keep it inspirational and informative. We keep the numbers and policy conversations in 'One on One' settings. We decorate the salon each quarter, tying in the decor with our new promotion for the quarter. The team anticipates the meetings, looking forward to what's new and upcoming. We also incorporate team contests and go over the details in these meetings.”—Wendy White McCown, Signatures Salon, Lake Charles, Louisiana

“Last meeting we played a game show, somewhat like The Dating Game. One contestant listened as three others each represented a certain product and told them about themselves. After all three descriptions, the contestant had to try and identify all three products.”—Jody Bossert, Elle Marie Hair Studio, Mill Creek, Washington

“There's a white board in the break room. Team members write down topics they want to discuss at the next monthly meeting. There's usually 5-10 things on the list each month and we meet for breakfast at a nearby restaurant and go over each item on the list. Everyone participates—it’s a nurturing team environment.”—Cindy Reynolds, Mermaid Hair Extensions, Kirkland, Washington

“Our quarterly retail bonuses are announced for the entire team. These bonuses are applied directly to individual education classes or travel expenses for education/hotel and airfare to trade shows, etc.”—Richard Daly, Richard Salon, Smithtown, New York

“Give everyone a voice. Everyone has to answer, or write down answers on a sticky note and put it on a wall. Or, thumbs up for yes, thumbs down for no, and thumbs horizontal if not sure. We also serve a lunch during meetings which I feel brings people together as well.”—Tina Morschauser, Rejuvenation Spa, Madison, Wisconsin

“We pass out small sheets of paper that say ... I like ( insert a staff name) because… They draw them out of a pile when they arrive for the meeting and fill them out anonymously. and we read them at the end of the meeting. It's a great way to end on a positive note. After they are read, we hang the notes in the break room for everyone to enjoy!”—Candy Shaw, Jamison Shaw Hairdressers, Atlanta, Georgia

“Our Saturday mornings huddles are our most effective communication tool, along with our secret facebook pages. Our entire tribe takes turns with our weekly huddle bringing their special talents and ideas to share with all of us!”—Gloria Perperas, Gloria and Company for Beauty and Wellness, Fairhaven, Massachusetts

“I try to format my meetings to engage each person’s learning style at one point or another. Since we have each team member do a learning style assessment upon hiring, it helps to know what will connect best with who, and I make sure there is at least one connect piece for each learning style if possible. Knowing the way my team best receives messages helps in planning and formatting the information."--Paige Garland, Rachel’s Salon & Day Spa, Memphis, Tennessee

“We play a lot of games together and it works well when we split into teams. One of our favorites is Family Feud. We use questions about product knowledge of new products, policies and procedures and Salon Bio questions. We always give a small reward to the winning team!”—Patt Meade, Tekniques Salon, East Brunswick, New Jersey

“We ask one of our team members to share a best practice. This gives them recognition for excelling, and also helps others learn from a great example. We also distribute quarterly employee order forms at the meetings--they get to order retail product at great savings!”—Karie Bennett, Atelier Salons, San Jose, California

“Salon meetings are run like a democracy with one person (me) having veto power. We have a millennial staff and they like to feel empowered by being a part of the decisionmaking. They all know that a cohesive team results in increased sales. Attending team meetings are a part of our culture.”—Susan Casale, Beehive the Salon, Duxbury, Massachusetts

“We choose a different KPI every month and launch it first at the staff meeting. We also have a contest between all salons to see which one has the biggest increase over last year and we buy the winning salon pizza.”—Eveline Charles, EvelineCharles Salon Spa Academy, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

“We give them a topic to jam on. Whether it's education, how to build business or an issue in the salon, it's a way to work together to find team solutions.”—Allyson King, Hair & Co. BKLYN, Brooklyn, New York

“We try to create an inclusive staff meeting, and keep it conversational where everyone has a voice. Unfortunately, often discussions regarding duties needs to be brought up. The best part of our staff meetings is the time we spend together as a team.”—Ian Marc, Imagine Salon & Spa, Bedford, Nova Scotia, Canada

“My favorite part of our Salon Celebrations is recognizing our team's anniversaries. We start with year one and work our way up to the longest anniversary for that month. Last month we had 4 one years and it went all the way up to a 10-year. We talk about each individual and their beginnings and their contributions, then they share about why they chose Gila Rut Salon and their experience over the time they have worked with us. After the meeting we take all the people sharing that anniversary out to a fun lunch. Because we have multiple locations, this allows our team to get to know each other.”—Keri Davis-Duffy, Gila Rut Salons, San Diego, California

“We do our best to create meaningful content that will inspire, inform, and motivate our entire team. We also begin every ‘team celebration’ as we call it, with a fashion forecast. This is where four or five different team members present upcoming hair, makeup and fashion trends to the group.”—Courtney Costello, Cortello Salon, Jacksonville Beach, Florida

“We start our huddles with the word of the month, then we go into recognition of each other, not just from the managers but peer to peer. We call this our ‘shout out your team mate’ time.”—Gayle Fulbright, Headlines The Salon, Encinitas, California

“We focus on our team’s strengths. It is not just the owner or manager running the meeting. We catch our teams members’ awesomeness and have them share. Everyone is more engaged when another team member is sharing successes! ALso, we give out fun prizes to keep up participation.”—Marielle Shuster, Coifferteria Salon, Grand Rapids, Michigan

"Our favorite way to increase staff engagement during staff meetings is to give employees, either in teams or individually, ownership over certain parts of the meeting. This means they get to prepare how they want to present the information and what activity they want to do relating to it.”—Faye Zandi, Zandi K Salons, Denver, Colorado

“We huddle in a circle and shake our day, week or month off by standing up together and literally shake it off. It's silly, fun and starts the early day with movement and laughter. At the end of the huddle, we again stand up together and either group hug or put all hands in for a ‘Go Team Go’ ending.”—Michele Matkovich, Salon M2, Charlotte NC

“We start each meeting with an ice breaker. Just a quick question to get people to talk about themselves and get engaged.”—Sarah Lange, Ecco Salon, Waunakee, Wisconsin

“We go around the room and ask, ‘What works? What doesn’t work? And, what could we do better.”—Patricia Cappola-Brokaw, Cappola-Brokaw Art of Hair, Cheshire, Connecticut

“We give staff members projects and have them report on their progress at staff meetings.”—Debbie Krupa, Haircolorxperts, Charlotte, North Carolina

“I like to add a guest speaker or do a short education class after the staff meeting. This motivates my team and energizes them with new thoughts.”—Rachel Smith, Razmataz, Georgetown, Texas

“I ask the members of our team to lead the meetings. We do a lot of activities designed to encourage participation and conversation. We ask lots of questions of each other and we ask each member to share. We do team building activities often.”—Ivy Overby, Emerge Modern Salon & Spa

“We give away play money. For attendance, participation, energy, etc. The winner will win a $50 Sephora gift card.”—Patti Paull, Avenue Hair Design, Venice, Florida

“Everyone is responsible for bringing an 'industry knowledge' report. Whether it's a person of recognition, a new product or technique, it’s something that is trending or inspiring. This keeps us all a little more in tune with what's happening in the industry and what motivates our fellow team members.”—Tanja Catoe, Salon Inga, Tampa, Florida