Blog

Gavin Johnston
Gavin Johnston
1:1 meetings are vital tools for managers and people teams aiming to cultivate high business & employee performance cultures within their organizations.

Strategic Goal Setting in HR: A Framework for Organizational Success

Gavin Johnston
Gavin Johnston
In the fast-paced world of business, the Human Resources (and People Operations!) function has evolved from a focus on administrative tasks to playing a pivotal role in strategic planning and implementation. Strategic goal setting within HR is not just about aligning individual and team objectives with the organization's overarching goals; it's about transforming HR into a cornerstone of organizational success.
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Unlocking Managerial Excellence: A Blueprint for Measuring Effectiveness

Gavin Johnston
Gavin Johnston
In the modern workplace, the role of managers transcends beyond mere supervision to act as catalysts for team success and organizational growth. But, how do we gauge the effectiveness of our managers? Inspired by insights from leadership expert Libby Stewart and equipped with best practices from across the industry, this blog post offers a comprehensive guide to crafting a robust process for measuring manager effectiveness.
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The one trick to ensure that goals will be worked on

Maxime Parmentier
Maxime Parmentier
Want to make sure goals and initiatives are being worked on in your organization? Assign them to one and “only one” owner. It’s incredibly important to make it clear who is responsible and accountable for a goal. Eliminate ambiguity..
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Why repeating your strategic goals in every meetings is a good thing

Maxime Parmentier
Maxime Parmentier
Have you ever been in an all hands meeting hearing for the nth times the company strategy that has not changed in months or years? That might sound annoying but I do think that leaders need to repeat themselves over and over regarding the company strategy and its goals.
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10 Steps for Conducting a Strong Recruitment Meeting

Nic D'Angelo
Nic D'Angelo
Recruitment meetings are a great way to ensure that the right candidate is chosen for a given job. It is important to conduct these meetings in an organized and professional manner. Furthermore, it is important to take good notes during the meeting so that you can review the information later. Topicflow can be a great tool for helping to organize and document these meetings.
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In the age of "quiet quitting" and the "great resignation" how do you truly enhance a person’s commitment to their company?

Nic D'Angelo
Nic D'Angelo
Recently, we have seen more and more conversation around keeping employees engaged and retaining top talent. Why? Because post covid we have all started to recognize how exhausted we are and employees are evaluating work differently.
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How to Determine When to Make Your Meetings In-person or Remote

Nic D'Angelo
Nic D'Angelo
In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, many companies have had to quickly pivot to become remote-first or hybrid workplaces. This shift has caused a lot of confusion about when it’s appropriate to hold in-person meetings and when it’s best to keep them virtual.
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20 Best Microsoft Teams Tips to Improve Team Productivity

Nic D'Angelo
Nic D'Angelo
Microsoft Teams is a powerful collaboration platform that can help individuals and teams across organizations be more productive. With its wide range of features, MS Teams provides a great way for groups to communicate, collaborate, and manage tasks. But with so many features, it can be hard to know where to start. To help teams make the most of Teams, here are 20 best Microsoft Teams tips to improve team productivity.
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Top 20 Google Calendar Hacks to Boost Meeting Productivity

Nic D'Angelo
Nic D'Angelo
With the advent of digital technology, managing meetings has become easier than ever before. However, if you’re looking to make the most of your meetings and boost their productivity, Google Calendar is an invaluable tool.
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Top 20 Outlook Calendar Hacks to Boost Meeting Productivity

Nic D'Angelo
Nic D'Angelo
Meeting productivity can be a major challenge for busy professionals. With the right Outlook calendar hacks, however, you can take control of your meeting schedule and ensure that you get the most out of each gathering. Here are 20 Outlook calendar hacks to boost meeting productivity.
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How can I tell my boss that he/she runs terrible meetings?

Nic D'Angelo
Nic D'Angelo
It can be difficult to give your boss feedback, especially if it’s critical feedback. However, it’s important to communicate openly and honestly with your boss in order to improve the workplace.
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How to Prepare for 1-on-1s with your Manager

Nic D'Angelo
Nic D'Angelo
One-on-one meetings with your manager are an important part of any job. They provide an opportunity for you to discuss any issues or concerns you may have, and to receive feedback on your performance. Preparing for these meetings can be a daunting task, but it is essential to ensure that you get the most out of them.
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5 Tips for Managing Software Developers

Nic D'Angelo
Nic D'Angelo
As the role of a software engineer becomes more prominent in today’s technology-driven world, the need for proper management of these professionals also increases. In order to achieve success, it is important to understand how to manage software engineers in a way that benefits both the employer and the employee. The following tips can help to create a productive and positive working environment for software engineers.
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The Product Manager’s Guide to Better Sprint Planning

Nic D'Angelo
Nic D'Angelo
Sprint planning is an essential component of any product manager’s job. It allows you to take a step back from the day-to-day grind and think about the big picture. What features need to be built? What is the most important thing to work on right now?
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Topicflow Launches Smart, Multiplayer Agenda App

Nic D'Angelo
Nic D'Angelo
Today, Topicflow launched its new meeting and agenda app with innovative, multiplayer agendas designed to help teams make decisions and take action.
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How to Run a Great Daily Scrum Meeting

Nic D'Angelo
Nic D'Angelo
The Daily Scrum is a key component of the Scrum framework, and is essential to the success of any Scrum project.
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The Guide To Holding Efficient Agile Meetings

Nic D'Angelo
Nic D'Angelo
An agile meeting is a gathering of people held to discuss, plan, and track the progress of a project that is being developed using the agile methodology
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What is a Scrum Meeting? A Breakdown of the Different Types

Nic D'Angelo
Nic D'Angelo
A Scrum meeting is a type of meeting that is typically used in agile software development.
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The Legal Landscape for Corporate Meetings

Nic D'Angelo
Nic D'Angelo
The legal landscape for corporate meetings is constantly evolving. In order to stay ahead of the curve, it is vital for corporate meeting planners to be up-to-date on the latest legal developments.
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Meetings: a manager’s bane or boon?

Nic D'Angelo
Nic D'Angelo
A manager's primary role is relationship-oriented; managers often are the bridge between strategy and execution, the translator from top-level plans to front line activities.
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120,000+ Tech Layoffs in 2022: Steps Managers Should Take for a Successful 2023

Nic D'Angelo
Nic D'Angelo
The technology industry is facing a reckoning. As a manager, you need to be prepared for the possibility of layoffs in your company.
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Becoming A New Manager: How To Run Effective Meetings

Nic D'Angelo
Nic D'Angelo
You've just been promoted to manager. Congrats! Whether you're managing a team of 2 or 20, you now have an important role to play in ensuring your team's success. Part of your job will be leading team meetings.
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How To Prepare Your Team For Potential Layoffs In The Next Recession

Nic D'Angelo
Nic D'Angelo
The next recession is inevitable. It's not a matter of if, but when. As an employer, it's your responsibility to be proactive and prepare your team for the possibility of layoffs.
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How To Write A Meeting Agenda & Free Templates

Nic D'Angelo
Nic D'Angelo
A meeting agenda is a document that outlines the topics to be discussed and the order in which they will be discussed during a meeting. The agenda also provides a timeline for the meeting and may include other information such as the location, time, and participants.
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Meeting Agenda Examples for Better One-on-One Meetings

Nic D'Angelo
Nic D'Angelo
These meeting agenda templates are intended to be used at varying frequencies. Each meeting agenda template could be used on its own as your default recurring meeting, but they can also be combined to create a more dynamic flow (or cycle) of meetings.
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The Elements of a Good Meeting Agenda

Nic D'Angelo
Nic D'Angelo
The agenda is the backbone of any good meeting. It ensures that everyone knows what is going to be discussed and in what order. It also allows the meeting to flow smoothly, without any awkward pauses or sidetracking.
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How To Make Performance Reviews Not Suck

Nic D'Angelo
Nic D'Angelo
It's the end of the year and your boss pulls you into her office for your annual performance review. She starts by telling you all the things you've done wrong over the past year. You sit there, squirming in your chair, feeling like a child being scolded.
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How To Help Your Team Set Goals

Nic D'Angelo
Nic D'Angelo
It's no secret that setting and achieving goals is essential to any team's success, but what's often overlooked is just how important it is for team members to be involved in the goal-setting process.
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The Beginner's Guide to Objectives and Key Results (OKRs)

Nic D'Angelo
Nic D'Angelo
Since the early 2000s, OKRs have been gaining in popularity as a tool for setting and measuring progress and success in organizations.
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The Beginner's Guide to SMART Goals

Nic D'Angelo
Nic D'Angelo
Setting goals is a critical part of any success plan, yet many people don't take the time to set them. Or, they set goals that are so vague that they might as well just not bother.
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The DOs and DON'Ts of Employee Performance Reviews

Nic D'Angelo
Nic D'Angelo
It's that time of year again. Employee performance review season.
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Top 23 Questions Managers Ask During 1-on-1 Meetings

Nic D'Angelo
Nic D'Angelo
1-on-1 meetings are key for any manager in order to build trust and rapport with their direct reports. They are also an important forum for giving feedback and coaching employees.
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What is Managing Up? Why it's Important and How to do it Well

Nic D'Angelo
Nic D'Angelo
Managing up is all about proactively managing the relationship between you and your manager. It's about understanding their expectations and objectives and then taking steps to ensure that you are aligned with them.
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How to Keep Employees Engaged in Team Meetings

Nic D'Angelo
Nic D'Angelo
In any organization, team meetings are essential to keeping everyone on the same page and moving forward together. But team meetings often become a breeding ground for conflict and frustration.
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Top 24 Tips to Run Effective Team Meetings

Nic D'Angelo
Nic D'Angelo
This article will share 24 tips to help you run more productive and successful team meetings.
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What is asynchronous communication? (and how to embrace it in global remote teams)

Nic D'Angelo
Nic D'Angelo
We cover how to leverage asynchronous communication to manage teams and recommend the most valuable tool that supports this practice.
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Why Do My Meetings Feel Like a Scavenger Hunt with No Prizes?

Nic D'Angelo
Nic D'Angelo
The reason behind (and solution to) energy-sapping meetings that seem to go nowhere.
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