By American Association Of Dental Office Management

When your team hears that it’s time to start the morning huddle, do they drag their feet, moan and groan, or come to huddle ready to start the day? Are they on their cell phones or eating breakfast?

Morning huddles are the time for you to shine as a dental office manager.

You bring the energy.

You motivate the team to get excited about the day, discuss ways to boost production, and avoid any potential roadblocks in the schedule.

Make the huddle fun but informative and productive for your team.

As the team leader, you should come in with a positive attitude and set the mood for the day.

Here are three important aspects to having a great morning huddle:

Huddle format

The huddle needs to start at the same time every morning and should last about 15-20 minutes.

The huddle should be brief and on point.

Team members should come to the huddle with a copy of the schedule and a pen so they can take notes.

It’s important to not have any distractions such as cell phones, breakfast, or chatting amongst themselves. Everyone needs to be focused and ready for the day.

The team needs to see this as an important part of their morning so that the day runs smoothly.

Leader of the huddle

There are a few ways to facilitate the huddle.

There can be one team member (usually the office manager) running the meeting every day or the team can take turns running the huddle.

The facilitator needs to start the meeting on time, make sure the discussions pertain to the schedule, and discuss any insurance questions or same-day treatment opportunities.

Give the team an opportunity to talk about how yesterday went and how today looks.

What worked and what didn’t?

Let the team give their input as to how to make the day run smoother. This gives the team an appreciation of how important they are and how their input matters.

Huddle agenda

An agenda helps keep the meeting on track so as not to miss any opportunities for patient care.

It helps if you have an outline for the huddle.

Discuss opportunities for same-day treatment and if there are family members who need recare appointments.

The team needs to come to the meeting prepared by looking at the schedule prior to the start of the meeting. This helps with personal accountability and gives them an opportunity to discuss any concerns they may have.

Be ready to listen to any concerns and recommendations.

By having a morning huddle, you will change how your day goes.

Sure, there will be hiccups in the schedule, but by everyone being on the same page the team will know how to handle them.

The morning huddle takes some practice but by having one every day, you and your team will get better and your production will increase.

When we all work together for the same outcome, our day will run much smoother.

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Meet the Author

Audrey Clements, FAADOM, is the office manager at Yulee Family Dentistry… This text opens a new tab to the practice’s website… in NE Florida.

She has been in the dental field for over 30 years, beginning her career as a dental assistant and gradually working her way up to the role of office manager.

She is currently the vice president of her local AADOM Chapter… This text opens a new tab to the NE Florida chapter website….