The 5ps of a Perfect Team Brief

Team Briefs are, without doubt, one of the most critical times of the day. It's the one time the team comes together without the distraction of guests and the stresses of running service. Put simply; it's the best opportunity for you to connect with your entire team. But so often this time becomes wasted, dull and wholly uninspiring.

So we've put together five simple principles to make sure you're getting the most out of this time. Here’s the 5ps of a perfect Team Brief.

Punctual

I'm a big believer that the Team Brief sets the tone for the shift. We're trying to set ourselves up for excellence. A consistent start time every day - no matter what - makes the team feel safe, relaxed and secure. When Team Briefs start at slightly different times each day it allows people to be late, it’s easy for people not to be engaged and it makes it harder to get the team connected and ready to go.

Prepared

If you want your team to be engaged in what you're saying, you have to make them feel valued. Turning up at Team Brief unprepared and winging it rarely works. Your team should be getting something out of being at your team brief - you should be adding value to them - you should be giving them ideas, and information that's going to make their shift easier, more fun and more engaging. By turning up unprepared, you send a clear message that this team brief isn't that important, and neither is your time with your team.

Positive

Keep it positive. I'm not talking loads of high fives and fake smiles, but Team Briefs are not the place to be shaming, criticising and having a go at people. The goal of a team brief is to prepare your team to deliver a great service - to go and speak openly and authentically - with your guests. As soon as we feel any sense of shame, embarrassment or regret, it becomes almost impossible to be open and authentic. It would be like telling your best man how terrible his suit looks just before he's about to give his speech - you're just setting your team up for failure. If something has gone wrong on a previous shift, focus on the things we can all do to make it better this time as opposed to all the things we got wrong last time.

Partnership

A great Team Brief shouldn't just be you talking the whole time. The team have to be involved too - it's a partnership, not a dictatorship. A great way to do this is to have team members run little bits of the brief. This could be a wine tasting, a host talking about bookings, a chef talking about a special, or simply each team member talking about their goals for the shift. Give people time to prepare and help them if they need it; we want them to feel confident and enjoy talking to the rest team.

Practical

It's ok to give advice in a Team Brief but make it practical. Too often I hear general, cliched rubbish like "wow everyone", "go the extra mile", "remember you're on stage". I get the sentiment behind it, but there's no practical advice here. How do you "wow everyone", how do you "go the extra mile for every guest", what do you mean "I'm on stage"? Once you start to break these old cliches down, you realise they're not helpful in the slightest. So if you are going to give advice, make it practical and useful. So, for example, "let's focus on building a connection with our guests today - especially in the first visit to the table. Remember to keep your pace of speech slow, focus on listening to your guests and allow them into the conversation by not going straight into a script". Now you have something tangible to coach on during shift, or to pick up with the team post shift.

Present

Perhaps the most important role of team brief is to bring your team into the present. The above principles will help, as will asking people not to have their phones out, but ultimately it comes down to you as a leader, you set the tone and the example, if you're fully present and engaged in what you're doing the team will be too.