Team Communication and Meetings

Although team members work in many situations in which leadership roles and functions can be shared and assumed, a critical arena for effective leadership is the team conference or meeting.

Managing the team process in order to achieve the team objectives demands a high level of skill and should not be taken lightly.

The team coordinator or facilitator is responsible for moving the team efficiently through the process of the team meeting to make sure that the work of patient care planning is completed. Some teams rotate this leadership responsibility to ensure leadership and the associated tasks are shared. If teams choose to share this function they should assure that each team member has been trained in the process of running a health care team meeting. The seven-step meeting process is one framework, which defines key leadership roles for effective and efficient team meetings.