7 Ways to Harness the Power of Connection

A significant opportunity for franchisors to enhance franchisee satisfaction, motivation, and performance is harnessing the power of connection through robust facilitation processes.

This means that instead of mainly presenting to franchisees in meetings, you engage them in focused and constructive conversations. Roundtables, buddy-sharing discussions, panels, networking activities, and consultative groups can all be used to this end.

A core part of our work at FRI is training franchisors in the nuances of these processes, as well as role-modelling this in our training and conference sessions.

Here are seven strategies we recommend:

#1: Hold regular face-to-face meetings. If your franchisees are not physically gathering with their peers in small or large groups at least every three months, you risk them becoming disconnected from your brand and culture. These meetings can include breakfast catch-ups, group visits to each other’s premises, regional meetings and, of course, larger annual conferences.

#2: Keep online meetings tight. These can also help to connect people, provided you follow some basic disciplines, such as:
- If the meeting is more than an hour, take regular 5-minute stretch breaks.
- Insist that everyone has their cameras on and microphones at the ready.
- Use breakout groups, polls, and chat feeds to engage participants at least 45% of the time.
- Have a dedicated technical person to minimise glitches and ensure a smooth experience.
- Start and finish on time, and ensure presenters are upbeat and well-rehearsed.

#3: Offer warm, individual welcomes. People often experience some initial social anxiety when entering a meeting, so ensure that everyone receives a warm welcome when they arrive or log in. For instance, as they appear on camera, say hi using their name, and in face-to-face meetings, have people assigned to provide a friendly greeting.

#4: Pay attention to beginnings. How you start a meeting sets the trajectory for the rest of the session. It’s hard to recover from a clumsy beginning, so read the mood of the room, acknowledge anything that may be on people’s minds, and involve them in discussions that are easy to relate to. For instance, this LinkedIn post shows a group of franchisees sharing their goals for the year at the start of a conference session.

#5: Set up your room for interaction. Use round tables that are creatively spaced to create an informal vibe (like a cafe). Let the natural light in or have the lights up so everyone can see each other clearly. (Dark rooms are for the theatre or sleeping.) Use a stage only if there are more than 40 people. And remember, networking functions are for talking, so keep the background music low so people don’t have to shout to hear each other!

#6: Prepare well for roundtables and panels. These should appeal to what’s on people’s minds. Pilot-test topics with trusted franchisees to ensure they make sense and that you haven’t missed anything important. Train roundtable leaders on how to keep their groups on track, and enable people to move around to topics of interest. Ensure panellists are well-prepped, interviewers understand how to probe on important points, and allow time for the audience to ask questions.  

#7: Finish on a positive note. People tend to remember what happened at the end of a meeting. It’s called the Recency Effect, and it sets the tone for the next time you come together. So end meetings with an upbeat presentation or exercise that leaves everyone feeling hopeful and grateful for attending. A brief review of the meeting's highlights or key takeaways can also reinforce its value.

Just Cuts Case Study

The photo above is from a recent Just Cuts conference. As franchisees entered the brightly lit conference room, they were greeted with waves and smiles by members of the franchisor team. Over 50% of the conference consisted of interactive discussions and panels. (See this LinkedIn post for an example.) Also note how franchise owners are holding up their lanyards. In addition to displaying their names, these also show three important KPIs for each franchisee’s business - a great conversation starter as well as encouraging the open sharing of business ideas.

Contact us if you’d like to explore how we can facilitate some interactive sessions at your next face-to-face or online meeting.