{"id":11039,"date":"2025-05-27T18:33:56","date_gmt":"2025-05-27T11:33:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cstc.vn\/blogtsk\/how-to-run-better-annual-studio-meetings\/"},"modified":"2025-05-27T18:33:56","modified_gmt":"2025-05-27T11:33:56","slug":"how-to-run-better-annual-studio-meetings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cstc.vn\/blogtsk\/how-to-run-better-annual-studio-meetings\/","title":{"rendered":"How to run better annual studio meetings"},"content":{"rendered":"

This article is part of our meetings series, looking at different types of design meetings, and how they could be improved. You can find all the articles here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Although they call it lots of different names, most design businesses run an annual meeting where they look back at the year that\u2019s gone, and forward to the 12 months ahead.<\/p>\n

When done well, these meetings can be extremely useful \u2013 to celebrate successes, re-establish focus, and course correct where necessary.<\/p>\n

But when done badly they can confuse staff, paper over problems, and damage morale.<\/p>\n

Gillian Davis, an executive coach and leadership expert<\/a> who works with many creative businesses, points out there is often a huge gap between the way big client meetings are prepared, and the attention big internal meetings receive.<\/p>\n

We spoke with Davis, and three design leaders, to gather practical advice for running more effective annual get-togethers.<\/p>\n

Start with why<\/h5>\n

Davis says the first decision for leaders planning one of these meetings is to work out why they are doing it, and what they want to achieve.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s too easy for these meetings to become a waste of everyone\u2019s time,\u201d she warns. \u201cAsk yourself, what is the one message we need to get through going into next year? And then design the meeting around that.\u201d<\/p>\n

That takes clarity, an ability to prioritise what the business needs now, and sometimes self-awareness.<\/p>\n

SUN\u2019s<\/a> Jamie Kelly says their most recent annual meeting was part of a \u201cpersonal reinvigoration\u201d to address a flatness he felt in the studio, despite a string of successful projects.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to use it as a spur, to look at all this great work we\u2019d done, but also to get down and dirty into the things that we hadn\u2019t enjoyed, or that hadn\u2019t gone so well,\u201d he says. \u201cIt was about mixing that celebration with some really honest conversations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Context shapes content<\/h5>\n

Communication begins way before the first words have been uttered. Where do you hold the meeting? How do you frame it? What do you ask people to prepare?<\/p>\n

All of these decisions shape how your message will land. For example, if a business is reflecting on a challenging financial year,\u00a0 holding this meeting in a sun-soaked locale with a generous free bar will seem quite jarring. That may seem like an extreme example, but Davis says she has seen proposals that are totally at odds with the story the leaders want to tell.<\/p>\n

Number crunching<\/h5>\n

Many leaders use these annual meetings to reflect on the company\u2019s financial performance and its targets for the year ahead. Work out how much you want, and need to share, says John Wilson, CEO of Universal Design Studio<\/a> and Map Project Office<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe try to be open and transparent, so there\u2019s an understanding of where we are as a studio and there are no sharp surprises,\u201d he says. \u201cBut I don\u2019t think everyone needs to know everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Guanglun Wu, founding partner and chief digital officer at Made by On<\/a>, accessibility is key when it comes to this information.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to explain it in a way that can be contextualised by everybody within the organisation,\u201d he says. \u201cSome people understand what numbers and acronyms mean, and others don\u2019t. So we put a lot of effort into those presentations in terms of the information design, so we can make that accessible.\u201d<\/p>\n

SUN\u2019s Jamie Kelly had a neat approach in his most recent annual meeting. He visualised the turnover as percentages related to specific client projects.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople could see how the projects they worked on contributed to the overall picture, and how their work has impacted the business,\u201d Kelly explains. \u201cI think the team found it interesting and maybe a bit surprising.\u201d<\/p>\n

Who speaks \u2013 Leaders<\/h5>\n

Gillian Davis says that the amount of time taken up by leadership presentations should depend on where the company is and how it\u2019s doing.<\/p>\n

In tough times, she says, people want to see and hear from their leaders. In this context, she thinks 90% of the meeting should be direct communication from the most senior leadership. In better times, the teams themselves should be encouraged to present and lead discussions.<\/p>\n

Who speaks \u2013 Teams<\/h5>\n

Most leaders like these meetings to include talks from specific teams but there are a couple of things to consider. Davis once saw an 150 slide deck for a company\u2019s upcoming AGM, and every department had its own structure for their individual section.<\/p>\n

Some consistency is important, she says, as is avoiding it feeling like a long list of things that team has done.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s great to celebrate successes, but it\u2019s even more useful if that involves some reflection on how and why it worked well. Davis thinks \u201csome element of interaction\u201d helps elevate these sessions even further, so other employees can ask questions.<\/p>\n

For Made by ON\u2019s Guanglun Wu, it\u2019s all about teasing out what different teams can learn from each other. \u201cWhat was really interesting about yout project that you want everyone else to know?\u201d he says. \u201cExplain the journey, what you learned and what are the future opportunities where we can be better.\u201d<\/p>\n

This dynamic may be different in smaller teams. SUN\u2019s Jamie Kelly runs these meetings as a two-way discussion for his seven-strong studio.<\/p>\n

\u201cI pause after each section to ask questions. I want to hear what they think success could look like, so they can push my thinking,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s much easier in a small studio, where there is less hierarchy, to have that open dialogue.\u201d<\/p>\n

Who speaks \u2013 Clients<\/h5>\n

At its most recent annual session, Made by On invited a panel of current clients to take part in a fireside chat in front of the whole company.<\/p>\n

Guanglun Wu says it added a whole new dimension to the day.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you have people come in and talk about their perspective on working with us, and how we enable their success, or how we communicate, then it builds that empathy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Be practical and specific<\/h5>\n

Let\u2019s say leaders want to encourage more accountability in their teams. Saying that is the easy part, but it isn\u2019t enough on its own.<\/p>\n

\u201cExplain why you want to become more accountable as a business,\u201d Gillian Davis says. \u201cSay how you noticed it\u2019s a problem. Describe the impact on the business. And then say how you are going to fix it, in a practical, day-to-day way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Similarly give people the tools they need to make the changes you want to see. \u201cDon\u2019t just tell people something like you want them to develop their LinkedIn network,\u201d Davis says. \u201cGive them a playbook, a step-by-step breakdown of what that means and how to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beware of big surprises<\/h5>\n

If you want to use the meeting to announce big changes around culture, structure or process, it\u2019s worth getting some people on board first, says Made by On\u2019s Guanglun Wu.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important to give the people who need to instigate the change early visibility,\u201d he says. \u201cExplain the reasoning to the people it\u2019s going to affect first, and give them a forum where they can give input.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then when changes are announced to the wider group, you have a cadre of people who can help explain it to their colleagues, and allay any concerns.<\/p>\n

End on a high<\/h5>\n

Like any performance \u2013 and Gillian Davis thinks these meetings do require an element of performance from leaders \u2013 the ending really matters. Think about how you want to leave people feeling, and tie it back to that one key message you were looking to land.<\/p>\n

Davis once saw a brilliant annual meeting at a big creative firm, which ended on a massive high. People were visibly enthused and excited. Until someone immediately grabbed the microphone to explain the travel arrangements for people who needed the shuttle bus.<\/p>\n

See annual meetings as part of a bigger strategy<\/h5>\n

While these big set-piece meetings are important, they need to work as part of a consistent and coherent approach to leadership.<\/p>\n

Gillian Davis says leaders should look at how annual, monthly, and weekly meetings work together, some of which may be for everyone, and others for specific teams.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the monthly meeting should be a super-engaging company health check, and then the teams should have their own weekly rituals, where the real brass tacks of the work is discussed,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

For John Wilson, leadership is ongoing work, that shows up in myriad ways, big and small.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy gut feeling is that it\u2019s not really about these big single meetings,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s about constantly iterating and refining and re-strategising and re-budgeting.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe best leaders I\u2019ve worked with are not necessarily always standing up at the front, they are also gently pushing and prodding from behind.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nWhat to read next: <\/strong>How to run better meetings<\/a> | How to run better brainstorms (or why to scrap them)<\/a> | How to run better pitches<\/a> | \u201cWe need to talk about meetings\u2026\u201d<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This article is part of our meetings series, looking at different types of design meetings, and how they could be improved. 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