Employee engagement is a critical component of successful companies, and meetings are one of the most common tools used to facilitate that engagement. Whether the meeting is a strategy session among a small group of executives or an educational and motivational event for sales staff, there are common elements that can contribute to the value of the experience.
BizBash gathered ideas for effective internal meetings from Aaron Wolowiec, founder and president of Event Garde; Mike Ellery, senior vice president for creative at Sparks; and Pat Lencioni, founder of the Table Group and author of Death by Meeting. Here are their top tips.
1. Establish clear goals and objectives.
“I liken this stage to a dart board—it represents all of the possible things that could be discussed at a meeting,” Wolowiec says. "It’s up to the conveners to narrow down that focus. That helps the brain process the information more easily and more seamlessly."
2. Include meaningful content.
Ellery says there has been a shift away from meetings that are primarily motivational, “chest-pumping, cheerleading sessions.” One way to ensure the content is useful is to ask attendees ahead of time for input on topics and presenters. “Attendees need to walk away with tools and assets they can apply to their day-to-day lives,” Ellery says.
3. Segment and sequence the content.
Wolowiec suggests using visual guides such as agendas, handouts, and digital presentations to help attendees keep track of what is being covered, in what order, and to what extent.
4. Make it interesting.
Meetings don’t have to be boring and tedious, Lencioni says. He suggest planners take a cue from movie directors and screenwriters, who use conflict to hold a viewer’s attention. “We need to give our people something to care about, something worth engaging in conflict over. We need to raise their level of anxiety about what could go wrong if we don't engage,” he says.
5. Create interactivity.
Ellery says presentations are becoming shorter and allowing more time for questions from the audience. He is also seeing an increase in the use of second-stream experiences, so attendees can comment or chat with one another in real time through social media or in a mobile app. For large meetings, add time for small-group discussions so attendees can actively process the content.
6. Facilitate networking.
“Some people work with people that they have never met before. So you have to encourage those ad hoc meetings and provide environments for people to huddle organically,” Ellery says. Also consider using a registration system or app that allows attendees to connect with one another based on keywords, interest categories, and professional titles.
7. Provide options.
Give your attendees choices as to how they experience the event. For example, in a keynote theater, consider adding tables and chairs around the perimeter for those that want to have their laptops out. “It used to be you’d go to a meeting or conference, and you’re on a four-day vacation. Now everyone’s connected all the time and they want to stay productive, so we are doing a lot of providing environments to stay connected,” Ellery says.
8. Transform ideas into action.
“The last stage is linking meeting content to the real world. What will this look like when I’m back at my desk?” Wolowiec says. Send meeting summaries, a log of action items, and details about follow-up meetings and evaluations.
