Touch-based meetings are a crucial integration into an organization’s routine. They are essential in ensuring that everything remains on track and that team members are motivated towards achieving a similar goal.
However, the value of touch base meetings only matters when they are done correctly and with the right intent.
This article extensively distills touch base meetings, enabling you to effectively:
- Determine what they are and why they are helpful;
- Explore the best ways to hold touch base meetings;
- Discover how to seamlessly conduct touch-base meetings by incorporating advanced AI.
What are Touch Base Meetings?
The term ‘touch base’ is derived from the world of sports, and more specifically, baseball. In this context, a player usually has to ‘touch base’ before they are deemed safe to continue playing.
In a formal or business context, touching base basically refers to an informal gathering among team members to discuss the current status of a project, address potential roadblocks, and ensure alignment.
Just like in sports, touching base in an organizational setting means that team members have to pause, reflect, and determine the best way to carry on before they can continue working on a project.
How Touch Base Meetings Work
Touch-based meetings are more like catch-up meetings. Contrary to some beliefs, they are informal in nature and are only organized to get reports on the progress rather than calling out or reprimanding anyone — meaning you should not fret whenever your supervisor asks for a touch base meeting.
Unlike lengthy and comprehensive meetings, touch base meetings are designed to be concise and frequent, promoting regular updates without consuming excessive time. They often occur on a daily or weekly basis, depending on the nature of the project and the team’s needs.
Moreover, the effectiveness of touch base meetings lies in their simplicity and focus on key objectives. Here’s how they work:
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Frequency and duration
Touch-based meetings are typically short, lasting around 10 to 15 minutes. Their brevity ensures that participants remain engaged and that the meeting doesn’t disrupt the workflow.
Daily or weekly touch-base meetings allow teams to stay updated without overwhelming their schedules.
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Agenda
While touch-base meetings are brief, they are not haphazard. Having an effective meeting agenda is still essential to maintain focus.
The agenda usually includes updates on tasks accomplished since the last meeting, ongoing tasks, potential challenges, and any immediate assistance required.
This structure keeps discussions organized and prevents the meeting from deviating into unrelated topics.
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Attendance
Touch-base meetings involve only the relevant stakeholders. Attendees may include team members, project managers, supervisors, and other individuals directly associated with the project.
This selective approach prevents unnecessary overcrowding and ensures that the meeting remains concise.
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Open communication
Participants openly share updates and challenges they are facing. Honest communication is crucial during these meetings to identify potential bottlenecks early on and find swift solutions. This fosters a culture of transparency and accountability within the team.
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Decision-making
While touch-base meetings are not intended for in-depth discussions, they can still lead to important decisions.
If a challenge or roadblock is discussed, the team can decide whether further action or a dedicated meeting is necessary to resolve the issue.
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Action Items
At the end of the meeting, action items are defined. These are specific tasks or objectives that need to be addressed before the next touch base meeting. Assigning action items helps in maintaining a sense of progress and accountability.
Benefits of Touch Base Meetings
Touch base meetings are quite popular within fast-paced organizations for various reasons, including:
- Swift problem solving: By discussing challenges promptly, teams can collaborate to find solutions before issues escalate. This means you don’t have to wait until a scheduled meeting to address the concerns.
- Improved collaboration: Regular communication enhances teamwork, as team members remain aligned and aware of each other’s contributions.
- Enhanced accountability: When tasks are discussed openly, individuals are more likely to take ownership of their responsibilities. Moreover, by organizing regular touch base meetings, team members ensure they accomplish their action items to have something substantive to report on.
- Time management: The short duration of touch base meetings prevents wastage of time while still achieving effective communication.
- Adaptability: In case it is decided, during touch base meetings, that a different path has to be taken for the team to achieve their goals, teams can quickly adapt to changing circumstances and adjust their strategies as needed.
Tips for Holding Touch Base Meetings
Teams that are looking to improve their collaboration and enhance team communication need to incorporate touch base meetings into their routines. However, as with any other meetings, how you plan and execute them matters a lot when it comes to the results.
To ensure success and productivity during touch base meetings, here are a few factors to consider before, during, and after the meetings:
Before the meetings
The success of a touch base meeting greatly depends on the planning and how to streamline the meetings. Here are a few considerations to make before the meeting takes place:
1. Select a good platform
Touch-base meetings are fast-paced and often last only a few minutes. In this case, you need to select one of the best meeting apps to run uninterrupted meetings.
Depending on the nature of your meetings, you should use a tool that can facilitate screen sharing and other non-verbal cues that promote inclusivity.
2. Set meeting rules
Touch-base meetings only make sense if you ensure they follow a particular format. These are repetitive meetings, meaning they should not be conducted haphazardly but rather have a standard formula that all team members have to follow.
Setting meeting rules in advance sets some sort of template that you can follow every time, enabling participants to know the expectations for such meetings. You can create a rule that indicates the things discussed during touch base meetings and the duration.
For example, you can set a rule that states all organizational touch base meetings should only run for 10 minutes, where participants showcase the progress of a project and only report on any roadblocks.
3. Set clear objectives
Besides setting meeting rules, you should also set clear objectives. What do you want these touch-base meetings to achieve? Creating an agenda for 1-on-1 meetings would suffice.
Sharing the objectives and the agenda with the participants in advance enables them to prepare relevant updates and contributions.
During the meeting
Although touch-base meetings usually last only a few minutes, whatever you do during this short period matters a lot.
Here are a few considerations to make during a touch base meeting:
1. Stay focused
You only have a few minutes to get the job done. Avoid digressional discussion topics and stick to the agenda and the established objectives. Doing so maintains the meeting’s efficiency and effectiveness.
2. Keep it casual
Meeting participants should feel at ease during touch-base meetings. This means that you should keep such discussions more casual, as it allows them to be a lot more open and expressive. Starting with virtual meeting icebreakers can help them feel more at ease.
3. Effective time management
Touch-based meetings are meant to last only a short while, allowing the participants to go about their duties. This means it shouldn’t take up a significant chunk of their time and minimize the onset of issues like virtual meeting fatigue. It is also crucial that you start the meeting on time and end it within the allocated time.
4. Take notes
You cannot afford to miss out on any crucial details discussed during a touch base meeting. This is because the allocated time is short, so you may end up extending the meeting longer or making it unproductive if participants forget whatever was discussed or decided during the meeting.
It is important to know how to take a meeting minute while still actively listening and participating in the discussions.
After the meeting
Once the meeting is done, here are a few key considerations to make your touch base meetings more productive and successful:
1. Summarize key points
Jot down the key meeting takeaways, including the discussions, decisions, and action items. Share these summaries with the participants through a meeting recap email to ensure everyone remains in sync.
2. Assign action items and follow up
Clearly assign responsibilities for action items discussed during the meeting. Specify who is accountable for each task, along with deadlines for completion.
Moreover, monitor the progress of assigned action items and provide necessary support or resources to team members if needed. Ensure tasks are being addressed effectively.
How Krisp Can Help With Touch Base Meetings
Although quite short, touch-base meetings significantly impact an organization. They are crucial in ensuring the success of projects and maintaining team motivation.
The nature of these meetings makes it even more challenging to actively listen while noting everything said during the discussions. This is where Krisp comes in.
Krisp is an AI-powered meeting productivity tool that can elevate your touch-base meetings to the next level. Through its AI meeting assistant, Krisp can provide an accurate, textual transcription of your touch-base meetings, ensuring you never miss any details.
Krisp’s AI transcription is automatic, meaning you don’t have to set it every time you have your touch-base meetings, enabling you to save time and focus on more important aspects.
Moreover, Krisp understands how important it is to take notes during a touch base meeting. This is why Krisp’s AI note-taker can automatically generate comprehensive meeting notes from your meeting. This means all you have to do is just share the notes with meeting participants, as it covers every crucial detail, from important discussions to action items.
Get to explore the full potential of Krisp and how it can elevate your touch-base meetings by trying it out for free.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the purpose of a touch base?
A touch base aims to facilitate regular communication among team members to share updates, discuss progress, address challenges, and ensure everyone remains aligned toward common goals.
When should I schedule a Touch Base Meeting?
The timing of a touch base meeting depends on the project’s urgency and complexity. Daily touch-base meetings are common for rapidly evolving projects, while weekly ones are suitable for less dynamic situations. Choose a frequency that ensures participants stay informed without disrupting their workflow.
How long does a typical Touch Base Meeting last?
A typical touch base meeting usually lasts between 5 to 15 minutes. The brevity of these meetings encourages participants to provide concise updates and maintain focus on essential points.
