5 Ways to Energize Your Next Staff Meeting

Remember back when we were kids and had no responsibilities?  We formed up clubs--babysitter clubs, pirate clubs, swimming clubs, search-the-beach-for-lost-change clubs--and those clubs had officers (usually the one who dictated the forming of the club) and meetings. Those meetings were fun!  They were energizing!  They were exciting and we couldn't wait to go!

Then we went to college.  A lot of us joined fraternities or sororities, many others had sports clubs or drama clubs, glee clubs, whatever.  We still joined up for something fun and in those cases, too, the clubs had officers and meetings.  We still loved going--if for no other reason than getting us out of doing homework for a few hours.

But, then something dreadful happened.  We graduated and entered "Corporate America."  Meetings ceased being fun.  We stopped looking forward to them.  In fact, we started finding work to do to keep from going!  What a 180!  Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could go back to the days long gone and enjoy meetings again?


You can!


Here are 5 Ways to Energize Your Next Staff Meeting:

1. Icebreakers.  Icebreakers don't have to be anything big and grandiose--something simple is completely fine!  A couple ideas, depending on group size, would be to give the group 2 minutes to fill in as many different names as possible on a list "People who have..." (people who have been to the top of the Eiffel Tower, people who have been in all 50 states, etc); or give them 2 minutes to work on some puzzles (like the traditional incaughtthe [caught in the middle], or oholene [hole in one].  Gradbook.org has a good one, and Amazon.com has The Big Book of Icebreakers: Quick, Fun Activities for Energizing Meetings and Workshops.
2. Agendas.  They're a pain in the butt to do, yes, but they are very worth your while.  They let everyone know what's going on and in what order--they can see the activities and remember them.  Add some clip art--just remember, less is more.
3. Movement.  If you're planning a meeting that is going to be longer than 20 minutes, make sure to have some scheduled time for movement.  Let people stand and stretch--in fact, work it into your presentation.  "Let's see...we're in a growth industry, so lets all stand and take a deep breath!  Hmm...no, no, maybe it was sit down with a sigh.  No, I was wrong, definitely stand and reach for the stars!"  
4. Music.  With the advent of the iPod and smart phones that play music, just having a docking station is all you need.  Plug in your mp3 player of choice and beam some energizing music into the room.  Use soundtracks or, for commercial events, use loops from any of these sites.
5. Participation.  Get people involved.  Ask open ended questions.  What's an open ended question, I hear you cry.  An open ended question is one that requires more than just a yes or no answer.  "Will you go to the store?" is a closed question.  There's no room for creativity.  "How will you get to the store?" is better.  It gives the person a chance to elaborate and explain.  

Apply one or more of these techniques to your next meeting and relive your childhood of enjoying your "get togethers."  Check out Amazon.com for more energizing meetings information!