We have all been to meetings that have been dull and boring. Those meetings seem to lack the lustre to inspire a group to action. Doug Malouf discusses a few tips for holding meetings to help motivate the ranks around you.
To start Mr. Malouf suggests that you create eye-catching meeting notices. The point of this is so that those coming to the meeting wont just believe it's another boring group meeting. This will motivate them to be excited or interested with the meeting ahead. A few things you can do to the meeting notices include: printing on colored paper, using fun upbeat illustrations, and to keep the words on the notices short. Keeping the words short would leave a little teaser to the recipient and make them more interested in the meeting.
For meetings in which all the members might not know each other, Malouf suggests name cards for the meeting. This gets the participants involved and allows you to speak on a name basis through out the meeting, making it more personal. Another activity to involve is a meet and greet in the beginning of the meeting. A good website to use for some ideas on icebreakers is http://wilderdom.com/games/Icebreakers.html.
In the beginning of the meeting, be sure to state the charge in a fun and upbeat manner. Using humor and friendly relaxed speech will do wonders to help build empathy. One can also use a fun amusing story to help wake up an audience. This ensures that the audience knows that you are trying to include them, not just read off facts and hold a boring meeting. Malouf suggests however to refrain from joke telling unless you are considered "a natural" at it.
There are many things to do to help hold a fun, enjoyable group meeting. Use these tips and you'll be sure to win the audiences attention and work your way towards pleasing meetings.
Work Cited:
Malouf, Doug, and Catherine M. Petrini. "Nine 'M's for Meetings That Motivate." Training & Development 46.10 (1992): 17. Education Research Complete. EBSCO. Web. 2 Apr. 2010.
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