10 Tips for Running Effective Daily Store Huddles

by Harold Lloyd, Harold Lloyd Presents

The benefits of holding daily Store Huddles are numerous. Improved store communication, employee education, ‘silo-busting’, and culture-building, just to name a few. Store Huddles are truly a top-tier, store operations best practice.

To help you get started conducting your own store huddles or improving the way you do them now, here are 10 suggestions for you to consider:

• Store Huddles should ideally be conducted twice per day; early morning to kick off the day with greater coordination and teamwork and at 4:00 – 5:00 pm to engage the late shift employees. After all, they are less supervised and therefore deserve more communication at the outset of their shift.

• The leader of the store huddle should be the highest-ranking person in the Store Huddle. The leader’s role is simply to welcome everyone, say something positive about the day, and then begin a series of one minute ‘presentations’ by each participant.

• The use of a timer is advised. Let everyone know the Store Huddle will not last longer than 15 minutes and when they hear the timer ding, the Store Huddle will conclude. Oftentimes, employees are anxious to get back to their department to complete their daily assigned tasks. They will not participate as freely if they feel their contribution will extend the session beyond a reasonable 10 – 15 minutes.

• Purchase notepads for each department to bring to each Store Huddle. Encourage each participant to write down the information the employees in their department should know. After all, many employees will not be able to attend the Store Huddle but deserve to know what was said. Use one new page for each day’s Store Huddles.

• If possible, each Store Huddle should have one employee from each department including receiving and the front end. If a department cannot be represented, the ‘leader’ must be sure to share the notes from the Store Huddle with that department shortly after the session.

• The location for holding a Store Huddle should vary almost daily and depending on whether you have something new in an area you would like to show everyone. Six different locations are ideal. The parking lot, near the front check out, the receiving area, etc. Moving this venue will add some excitement to the Store Huddle.

• First-time participants to the Store Huddle should be handed a suggested topics list. This will be a big help in overcoming “stage fright.” On the list of 15 suggested subjects for example is, show/tell us about a new item in your department, tell us about a school achievement, etc. (List of 15 subjects is below.)

• Store Huddle participants can include department managers but also part and full-time employees. It’s good to take turns but you may end up sending those who are better participants and note takers more frequently.

• Embrace the notion that your customers may eavesdrop on your Store Huddle. They will be curious to see/hear what’s going on. Almost nothing discussed during a Store Huddle is confidential. So, let them observe. They will undoubtedly be impressed with your apparent esprit de corps.

• The Store Huddle leader is encouraged to end the session with sales goals for the day as well as a closing chant, i.e. “1, 2, 3, let’s do it!”

Remember, conducting any meeting is a challenge and takes skill. A very effective meeting, even a simple Store Huddle, takes practice. Over time, and with these suggestions, you will undoubtedly become a very effective “Huddler.” Good luck!

Huddle Topics

Here are some suggested topics for your daily huddles.

1. Birthday/Anniversary (personal).

2. Anniversary (with company).

3. Manager(s) on Duty.

4. Sales Goals- what we achieved yesterday and/or our goal for today.

5. Demos/Food tastings scheduled for today.

6. New item being introduced. Discontinued items, too.

7. Soup of the Day. Lunch special.

8. What are you going to do today in your department that’s new or different?

9. Any call-outs? Do you need help?

10. Equipment needs…something’s broken?

11. Introduce new employee. Also, retirements and yes, separations.

12. A pertinent school achievement.

13. Community contribution by an individual or by the store/company.

14. Upcoming promotional event, “Here’s what’s Coming Soon!”

15. Policy reminder of the day. (Ex. “no phones on sales floor, please”. And why?)