Segue: Connecting Personally on the Agenda

Segues before each meeting are about more than catching up and socializing. They help us to build genuine connections and a better understanding of our fellow team members, all while supporting company culture.

What Is a Segue?

The Oxford dictionary defines the word "segue" as "to proceed without pause from one musical number or theme to another." When a band properly executes a segue, we may not even recognize that the song has changed.

This is how Ninety wants everyone's workday to feel.

Today's hectic landscape means we're jumping from one meeting to the next, often without even enough time to refill our water bottles or catch our breath in between. With stacked calendars, these nonstop meetings leave little time to mentally prepare ourselves for the upcoming conversation. When we're not ready mentally, it can feel like jumping from Sinatra to Metallica — both good tracks, but the lack of a proper transition, or segue, can be jarring. 

Segue Ideas for More Efficient Meetings

The segue part of our Weekly Team Meetings works to smooth the transition from meeting to meeting so it feels more natural, whether you’re in person or on a Zoom call. 

Share Personal and Professional "Bests"

Here at Ninety, we commit the first five minutes of every meeting to a segue. We ask each attendee about a personal and professional best worth sharing. The "bests" match the timing of the meeting — so the past week for weekly meetings and the past quarter for quarterly meetings. Personal bests can be anything from time spent with family to achieving a fitness goal. Professional bests add the layer of something achieved at work, whether winning a new client, success with progressing a project forward, or completing a continuing education course. 

State What's Working (and What's Not)

Quarterly and Annual Planning Meetings can have an extra layer where we ask for "what's working" and "what's not working." This additional step can elevate issues for the team to discuss within that very meeting. Other times, it might warrant a 1-on-1 meeting later down the road.

Segues deserve a bit of forethought. Candidly, the forethought is part of their purpose. We naturally take a break and smooth that transition, breaking up tasks by thinking about what we want to share with our teammates. 

Benefits of Good Meeting Segues

There are several benefits to a solid segue, the clearest being a smoother flow between meetings. The less obvious yet more important benefit is the connection this “check-in” generates between each other. We start to hear about the family, hobbies, and interests that connect us as individuals. It also provides space to celebrate accomplishments publicly.

How Segues Support In-Person Teams

When we hold in-person meetings, it's customary to banter before getting into the agenda. It's almost natural, especially if there's already familiarity between those in the meeting. But this informal conversation can sometimes unknowingly exclude the introverts in the crowd or those new to the team, which is why segues are so important, even when meeting in person. 

How Segues Support Remote Teams

The intentional connection segues provide is especially important when people work remotely. Remote meetings provide fewer opportunities for natural connection, and many teams start their meetings off with awkward silence as people rush to turn on their mute buttons. A segue acts as a cue to start personal conversations, helping to build rapport and engagement. 

How Long Should Meeting Segues Last?

Ninety includes a five-minute timer for the segue portion of the meeting agenda by default, but don't feel pressured by the clock. The long-term connections built between individuals within an organization are critical, so the short-term topics of any given meeting can wait if the team needs more time to connect.

In other words, don't worry about it if the segue sometimes extends to even 15 minutes. However, if it's happening all the time, consider scheduling a happy hour or other space for personal interaction. When the workday smoothly transitions between tasks and meetings with teammates who share a connection, work feels like Work (with a capital W). This creates a happier, healthier, and more unified team that can undertake difficult conversations or challenges with a baseline of personal trust. 

Want to see our segues in action? Sign up for a free trial to see how meetings can be personal, efficient, and meaningful.