Let’s talk about ways to revolutionize the old mediocre meeting and make it into a great meeting! With a little creativity your business meetings can become a thing of legend that no one will want to miss them. While the words fun and meeting may seem cognitively dissonant at first blush, there really are ways to whip up a meeting confection that includes both pertinent business info and a huge dose of inspiration. Here are five tips to turn those mind-numbed zombies into animated, engaged team members:
Changes You can Make to Have a Great Meeting
Here are the five ways you can be sure to have a more engaging meeting:
1. Change Up Your Meeting Venue
If your meetings feel stuck in a rut, change up your venue. Instead of holding every weekly meeting in the staid, dull conference room, why not try meeting on the patio, a local park, a fun diner, or at a coffee house every other week? Just changing the surroundings occasionally will help motivate the troops to being more engaged at the meetings.
2. Cater Food In to Pump Up Employees
Nothing can spark enthusiasm like free food. Why not choose one meeting a month to have yummy food catered in by a cool local restaurant? Eating as a group is a social activity—think dinner party, fostering a sense of closeness among the team members. Get creative and try a different ethnic cuisine every month or have a breakfast meeting with delicious pastries and fresh fruits. Here is a guide to menu planning for company events.
3. Guest Speakers can Add an Extra Element to Your Meeting
Sometimes just sitting in the same ole meetings with the same ole faces can zap all interest in the subject matter being presented. These meetings become bogged down with little annoyances—how Jim cracks his knuckles, how Sally slurps her tea, or how Sam won’t silence his text tone. Bring in a guest speaker on occasion, someone whose inspiring message is relevant to the industry and resonates with the team. An effective and charismatic speaker not only teaches and motivates, but also creates buzz among the team.
Start a meeting by acknowledging accomplishments. Maybe have team members’ names in a dish and ask employees to pick a name and ask them to state something notable or awesome that the colleague accomplished or assisted with the prior week. Praise is a huge intrinsic motivator and can set a positive, interactive vibe that will propel the balance of the meeting.
4. Photos and Videos Bring in Visual Interest
Projecting the typical PowerPoint agenda on the screen is the surest way to put the team to sleep. By integrating videos and images into the presentation it helps to make information-laden topics come to life, while making it more digestible to employees. Using videos and photos that are visually attractive and pertinent will help keep the team members engaged during an otherwise boring presentation.
5. Actively Listen to Employee Suggestions and Concerns
This is extremely important. Let your employees know that you care about their ideas and concerns regarding day to day activities and company changes. Take a look here for more about how listening and implementing employee ideas can be beneficial.
Try integrating these simple tweaks into your business meetings and watch your staff begin to actually look forward to attending a great meeting.
