Intro

As Bar Manager, you have been assigned by your Regional Manager to implement a newly developed store structure or instructed to raise the performance of the store with 2onTill during the lunch rush.

How should you go about the implementation of such assigned tasks? Would you immediately go into the store, assessing and correcting the team while on shift, before even setting the expectations? NO, because this approach would confuse and frustrate the Juicers since they have not been prepared and to them, the new assignment comes out of nowhere.

Instead, the key to successfully implementing any initiative or achieving a certain goal with the team is to properly introduce the task at a meeting to mentally prepare them for what is next. The idea of a team meeting is for everyone to sit in the same room and agree that “WE are going to do this together”. This creates a team spirit towards the shared challenge and essentially positions you as the leader in that room.

Additionally, as Bar Manager you need to realize that 1 person cannot successfully implement anything alone. The Bar Manager needs to bring the team on-board and collectively work in the same direction to progress – the first step towards store optimization.

Bring The Team On-Board

Purpose for meetings

It will not be necessary for a Bar Manager to frequently host meetings with the team, such as every week or month. Instead, they should only be arranged when the situation requires so. In general, there should be 2 main purposes for hosting a meeting;

1) Introducing new initiatives.

2) Highlighting what needs to be improved.

As a Bar Manager, whichever purpose the team meeting is for, the overall aim is always to align the team. Whenever you want to improve the performance or introduce a new initiative to the team, the Bar Manager should not just simply go straight into implementing BTC. Instead, the Bar Manager should strategically plan the implementation phase with the team.

To successfully implement a new initiative or improve performance in an area, the Bar Manager needs to get the team on the same side with the goals. Therefore, the aim of every meeting should be to align the team and prepare them for the new expectations. To support the expectations, ‘the Why’ is what drives the message that will convince the team. So, after every meeting, the Bar Manager should always ask him/herself, “Did I convince the team?”.

Practice your meeting skills

Most Bar Managers have little experience with hosting meetings, so the first few can often be quite intimidating. But it is a learning process that takes time to become good at. With each attempt, you will gain more experience and confidence which will help you to improve. Therefore, the only real way to become good at hosting meetings is to start trying them out. Failing is learning.

With the correct tools, the right mindset and combined with time and practice, you will eventually be able to speak in front of a large crowd. The purpose of this program is to provide you with such tools in the form of guidelines for you to develop a strong sense of confidence when hosting a meeting in front of a team of Juicers. Being able to host a meeting has a significant effect on the way you are perceived as a leader by the team. It is a valuable leadership skill to develop because it can help you to optimize the performance of your store by aligning your team with a purpose. It is also a chance to bring the full team together and undoubtedly raise the team spirit altogether.

Guidelines

There exist many guidelines and rules to follow when presenting, however here are the most basic but essential guidelines to follow. These 5 guidelines will help you develop your ability to host meetings. Go through the guidelines each time you prepare for a presentation or meeting. It may feel natural to focus on all guidelines at once but you need to look for the small victories when you are new to the discipline of presenting. So instead, focus only on one guideline at a time for every meeting. This way you will improve one new aspect each time – trusting the process. Remember it takes time and practice to become good at presenting.

THE 5 GUIDELINES:

• Preparation
• Telling the story
• Body language & Posture
• Voice
• Energy & Enthusiasm

PREPARATION
There is no way around it – Preparation is Key! If you are not good at presenting, then preparation and practice are the best forms of simulation to create more experience and confidence before the presentation.

• Preparation means that you have studied down to the last detail about what you are going to present.

• Practice means that you present in a room to yourself in order to train for your presentation.

When you are well prepared and have practiced a lot for the meeting, then you have already ‘won the battle before it has even been fought’. This is a key rule to remember because it is the difference between a well-executed meeting where the message sticks, compared to some insignificant meeting that lost its purpose before it even started.

Remember, a meeting is about convincing people to believe the same things as you. How can you ever convince anyone without being prepared?

TELLING THE STORY
Another aspect to consider is how you deliver a message to the audience so they both understand and have a clear reason to follow it. The most effective way to achieve this is by ‘Telling the Story’. The story builds the core of the message with background and reasoning for why the message is important. When the story is told, it both gives the Why but also an emotional connection to the message which again captures the audience’s attention and makes it more memorable.

A story is a very powerful tool to enhance any presentation or meeting because it sparks more of an interest from the Juicers. The more you believe in the message, the better you will be at delivering it to your audience. Not believing in what you are presenting will quickly be recognized and called out. Therefore, whenever you are preparing for a meeting, be sure to seek out the story behind the message because believing in your message will always leave a powerful mark on your team.

BODY LANGUAGE & POSTURE
Body language can have a big influence when presenting. As a presenter, you are visually exposed to the audience so it’s important to also convey your story through your body movements. Usually, inexperienced presenters tend to have a closed body language or repeatedly do the same movement, which dilutes the overall message. The audience typically compares what is being said with how the messenger displays it. If the messenger does not embody the message then the value of the information is drastically weakened.

For example, if you want to state that “we will be the best performing store” but you do not stand tall and show confidence when saying so, then how many followers or believers will you have? Most likely none. Always be sure of the signals your body sends and aim to look strong and confident with what you are saying.

AVOID

• Sitting down.
• Crossing your arms and legs.
• Collapsing in your posture.
• Standing in the same spot for too long.
• Turning your back to the audience

AIM TO

• Stand up tall.
• Have a wide stance and walk around if
you feel like it.
• Use your hands to make gestures to
emphasize your points.
• Bring your chest out.
• Energy & Enthusiasm

VOICE
It is also important to consider the effect of your voice when presenting. The sound of your voice influences the way in which the Juicers perceive the information you provide. There can be a huge difference in how you express the same information. Meaning the message you give, can either be weak and insignificant or strong and memorable depending on your voice.

For example, if you say, “We will conquer the world” but with a weak voice perhaps even mumbling then the audience will not believe or follow you. The stronger the voice you have, the stronger the message becomes and the more successful the meeting will be.

ENERGY & ENTHUSIASM
When you want to take your meetings to the next level, it is time to focus on delivering the message with emphasis. If you are not excited about the subject you present then why would the Juicers be excited or care about it? Even the most irrational things can be said with enough emphasis that it can sound rational to the people you present for.

When you speak at a meeting, the most effective tool is to be enthusiastic and energetic.
If not, then the message will lose its power. The more enthusiastic you are, the more powerful the message becomes. The energy you display, keeps the momentum moving forward in your presentation and captures the audience’s attention, essentially making them enthusiastic too. If you are not enthusiastic about what you present, then why should your Juicers ever care? A message is only as strong as its messenger.

Providing energy and enthusiasm also links up very closely with your voice and body language. You could say that the culmination of the two is the key driver for your level of enthusiasm. A weak voice and body language can never be perceived as enthusiastic. The key point here is that the messenger is the vessel on which the message is delivered. Therefore, aim to be an optimal vessel fuelled with energy and enthusiasm. Make the wrappings of a gift just as exciting as the gift itself.

Meeting Templates

Based on the two main purposes a Bar Manager would have for hosting a meeting, this module provides two templates to help structure each type. Both meeting types should always be to fully align your team and position yourself as the leader, a leader they want to follow. Use the two templates to help you structure a meeting or simply just as some inspiration.

MEETING TEMPLATES

• Introducing New Initiatives
• Highlighting What Needs to be Improved
• Energy & Enthusiasm

‘Introducing New Initiatives’ Meeting Template

1) WHAT
Always explain the reason why you have gathered the team for the meeting by outlining what you are going to talk about. This will prepare the Juicers for what subjects you will go through and keep them involved from the start. It also creates a frame for the meeting.

2) WHY
Explain ‘the Why’ of the initiative you are presenting. What is the reason or importance of going through this subject? Tell the story and here it is important to be very enthusiastic about the initiative. This creates the foundation for the implementation, understanding, and care from the Juicers.

3) HOW
In detail, describe how the initiative will be implemented. Do not leave any stone unturned. The aim here is to make sure that everyone fully understands ‘the How’ after this explanation.

4) MOTIVATION
Always end off the meeting by being very enthusiastic and positive about the initiative and remind the team how it reflects on the bigger picture of the store and JOE & THE JUICE.

‘Highlighting What Needs To Be Improved’ Meeting Template

1) WHAT
Always explain the reason why you have gathered the team for the meeting by outlining what you are going to talk about. This will prepare the Juicers for what subjects you will go through and keep them involved from the start. It also creates a frame for the meeting.

2) POSITIVE
Always start with providing positive feedback to the team. Show them the effects of the good work they have done. This will make them pay attention and have more acceptance for the negative feedback you will bring up next.

3) NEGATIVE
Introduce the areas which must be improved. Make sure you point out exactly what it is that the team is doing wrong.

4) WHY
Explain the consequence of not improving on the area. Then explain or remind them of ‘the Why’. Tell the story and here it is important to be very enthusiastic about the initiative. This creates the foundation for the implementation, understanding, and care from the Juicers.

5) HOW
How do we improve? In detail, describe to the team how they should better execute what needs to be improved, aiming for perfection. Do not leave any stone unturned. The aim here is to make sure that everyone fully understands ‘the How’ after this explanation.

6) MOTIVATION
Always end off the meeting by being very enthusiastic and positive about what needs to be improved and remind the team how the required improvement reflects on the bigger picture of the store and JOE & THE JUICE

It is important to note that these templates are guidelines only. There is not a template that fits all types of meetings, so sometimes you need to leave a point out from the two meeting templates suggested.

Accepting Failure

Last but not least, this program is about accepting that hosting a meeting is a learning curve that takes time to master. You can only become good at hosting meetings through experience. Use every meeting as a checkpoint to see how you have improved your skills and for assessing what you need to work on next. It is essential that you can reflect on your own performance and continuously learn from the exercise of presenting.

A good rule of thumb is always to focus on 1 area to improve for each meeting. You cannot focus on all areas at once but as long as you improve 1 area each time then you are on the right path to becoming a master at hosting meetings.

Sum up

As a Bar Manager, hosting a meeting is all about aligning your team to have the same purpose when they step behind the bar. It is your chance to position yourself as the leader of the team and bring them all together.

Focus on ‘The 5 Guidelines’ to improve your abilities by presenting and use the meeting templates as a tool for how to structure your meetings. With the experience gained from each meeting, you will develop a strong sense of confidence, which further advances you towards 4-Wall Leadership and a more optimized store overall. Altogether, it shows that you care about what happens inside the 4 walls of your store, the team, and your ambitions for striving for 4-WALL OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE.

THE 5 GUIDELINES:

• Preparation
• Tell the story
• Body Language & Posture
• Voice
• Energy & Enthusiasm

MEETING TEMPLATES:

• Introducing New Initiatives
• Highlighting What Needs to be Improved

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