A question on a lot of managers' minds right now as we learn to navigate the COVID-19 crisis is, "How can I productively meet with my teams?" Elise Keith, founder and CEO of Lucid Meetings, gave us four tips that can be used for all meetings, whether they take place virtually or in-person. These tips are relevant for not only the current COVID-19 pandemic, but any period of crisis your business may face at any time. Keith defines a time of crisis as any time when your expectations and urgency are really high, but you have low predictability because you don't know how things are going to work out going forward. Managing a team during the COVID-19 pandemic certainly applies.

Times of crisis naturally cause high stress for some people, so Keith emphasizes that it's important for leaders to meet with their teams and provide a sense of calm. Her four specific tips to help you during this time include:

1. Update your communication architecture. Instead of reacting in an alarmist way, Keith recommends you get your team together and re-establish communication patterns.
2. Run frequent all-hands and action reviews. You’ll want to meet with your entire team more frequently than you usually would to quickly and efficiently make sure everyone has the most up-to-date information.
3.  Create new working team agreements. A well-thought-out working team agreement can encourage teams to come together and produce great results.
4. Check in one-on-one. Sudden changes like the ones we’re experiencing as a result of COVID-19 can cause stress. A weekly one-on-one meeting is a best practice for businesses even when we're not in a crisis, but it's also a great way to check in with team members and let them know they’re not alone.

Watch the video with Elise Keith to learn how you can productively meet with your team during this unprecedented time.