How to Energize your Meetings

Category: Networking Brilliance

Interaction, Jackson!

Although there is important business or training to conduct, you’ll raise the level of enjoyment when you PLAN for folks to interact with each other.

Start with the room set up.  The more people face each other, the more they will talk with each other. Use round tables, rather than theater or classroom style.

Break up cliques.  Get people to sit with new people.  Use innovative ways to seat people differently. Whether it is star signs, hair color, or place cards, you’ll create opportunities for people to stretch their associations to new people.

Use icebreakers.  Icebreakers can be simple or complicated.  Even if it is just asking your group to say a word that described their week, it will give your participants something else to talk about other than business when the meeting breaks.

Ask small groups or dyads to discuss issues at certain points in the meeting.  Once again, forced interaction that engages people.  They can’t think about their weekend when they’re supposed to be brainstorming with their partner, can they?

The more people talk, the more people will get to know each other. What a brilliant way to get them to enjoy their meeting experience!