Have you seen this meme? Adam Padilla, Brand Strategist, hits the nail on the head with this send-up of most meetings. That’s because they’re too long, unfocused, and not as inspiring as they could be — as they SHOULD be. Here are THREE NEW IDEAS to add energy to your next meeting.
Kick Things Off with Movement
Don’t just sit there! Energize your participants by getting their blood flowing:
- Make it a “walk and talk” around the office
- Schedule a room but meet in the lobby and walk together to the room
- Ask everyone to stand and stretch
- Start the meeting standing, or have a stand-up meeting
PRO TIP: Meetings with movement are shorter than meetings with no movement. Movement creates momentum which leads to action.
Get People Thinking
One of the most interesting meetings I’ve attended was for a hospital team that kicked off every meeting with a reflection. This set context for the work to be done and grounded everyone in their mission. Finding the right fuel for your culture is important:
- New, inspiring information on the meeting topic
- A strong metaphor for the work to be done
- Motivating call to action from key leadership
- Consumer data that’s compelling
PRO TIP: This is often an opportunity for Consumer Insight: hear directly from consumers (video or quotes), show a new slice of data in a striking way, or build a metaphor for the work to be done. Fueling the mind leads to great results.
Build Tangible Output
One particularly arduous meeting was scheduled to create a timeline. Rather than discussing and debating, we simply used a whiteboard and drew a HUGE timeline. By collaborating to fill in each step and discussing alternatives, different factions were able to see each other’s point of view, literally — and come to agreement quickly and efficiently.
- Set the task
- Apply time pressure (“In the next three minutes two teams will build a list of next steps …GO!”)
- Provide structure — templates, list worksheets, etc.
- Allow for improvement of the initial output
- Provide safety – nothing to be shared outside the room until everyone agrees on how, who, when, etc.
PRO TIP: Allow for a cycle of draft, edit, finalize on any output. That way, people feel safe taking risks and putting their thoughts out there without feeling vulnerable or committed to a decision in the moment.
Need a creative facilitator for your next meeting? Contact Kelley.
