Corporate meetings are essential to discuss important matters about the company. But most employees dread being in one. They often peg such gathering as boring. You could not blame them because there is a truth behind it. Most corporate heads who conduct meetings are very serious and monotonous.
You may use certain strategies to encourage a livelier take on meetings. Here are some of them:
Say Goodbye to Long Tables
When people imagine meetings, they think about long tables and neutral-coloured chairs. One way to encourage participation is to remove the table. There are boardroom chairs for sale that are durable, colourful and stylish.
Bring a pop of life inside the meeting room with those chairs. Arrange them in a circular manner, facing each other. This layout promotes collaboration. Let everybody share their insight through groupings. You can also incorporate team-building games throughout the meeting.
Be Creative on Presenting Agenda
Presenting the agenda for the meeting sometimes feel like a recital of a long list of things-to-do. The subordinates’ interest could start to wane as early as this part of the meeting. You could direct the one who would present to come up with a unique way to communicate his agenda.
He could use an accent or be in a different character (like a TV show character). He could also draw out the agenda and let the others guess it (Pictionary style). He could even create an upbeat song or jingle about it. This way, the others would be up on their toes as with their curiosity piqued.
Provide Small Distractions
Do not let your colleagues sit like logs while listening to presentations. Pass out some stress balls, small Slinkies, and fidget spinners. Most people believe that these things would let the mind wander off. According to research, they increase memory and attention span. They also boost creativity levels.
Have a Loud Reminder
The person in charge of the meeting sometimes tends to go overboard in discussing things. In some instances, though, he would tend to rehash his points or even wander off the topic. Give co-workers small squeaky toys.
Instruct them that anyone can use when they feel that the point is not in line with the topic or is a repeated idea. It is a good test for accountability. Only make sure that your colleagues know when to use it and not squeeze it unnecessarily.
For meetings to be interesting, they must be short and substantial. Nobody wants to sit for a couple of hours listening to non-stop discussion.
Encourage a Quiet Time
You may give your colleagues a quiet time. This could be towards the end of the meeting when all points are already discussed. They may use these moments of silence to ponder on the points discussed. People would be able to offer their insights better when given the time to think things through.
Nobody said that every moment of a meeting must be all talk. There is power in silence, too.
Employees should not be dragging their feet to conference rooms. These gatherings are very important to improve the state of a company. How you handle it would make all the difference. Try to break from the conventional meetings and try some of the ideas above. And while you are on it, do not forget to bring some food, too.