How the F Word Can Make Your Meetings More Productive
Things you’ll never hear people say:
“Can you get off the internet? I need to use the phone.”
“I could sure use more spam in my inbox.”
“Can’t wait for this morning’s meeting!”
Communication is essential to a healthy office culture, and meetings are an efficient way to get a message out to everyone, a great time to brainstorm, and (if you’re doing it right) an opportunity to incorporate more F word into your workplace: FUN!
Studies show that having fun increases our ability to learn, strengthens memory networks in the brain, and boosts creativity.
“But we’ve always had daily meetings that last 2 hours. There’s no reason to change it!”
“The most dangerous phrase in our language is ‘we’ve always done it this way.’”
Is anything getting accomplished at these meetings? Then it’s time to shake things up!
But, there are SO many questions:
How many is TOO many?
How long should they be?
What warrants a team meeting and what could be accomplished in an email?
FUN meetings? How do we do that?
Many of these variables will depend on the size of your team, your industry, and what your goals are for meetings. And there are a TON of ways to do things differently if you want to switch up the regular format.
Here are a few ideas on how to conduct meetings that are more productive, inspire collaboration, and help grow trust and connection through play:
Start with an icebreaker (share personal goals, celebrate work wins, play a short game, or introduce a word of the day)
Have toys available at meetings like stress balls, puzzles or crayons & paper (science says play can relieve stress and keep people focused)
Do something unexpected (walking meeting, start at coffee shop, do a meditation)
BONUS TIP: Keep them brief and efficient (hint: AGENDA!). If it’s absolutely necessary to meet every day, keep meetings to 10-15 minutes, have them at the same time every day, and have a short list of questions/topics to cover. Also, invite the team to give feedback about new ways to make meetings better.
But remember, doing what works for YOUR team will make the changes more successful and sustainable. It may not be possible to have meetings at the same time or conduct a walking meeting outside, so find ways that you CAN mix things up and incorporate fun and play into your meetings.
FUN doesn’t have to be a bad word at the office!
Wanna change up MORE than just your meetings? Let’s connect and talk about how…