I'll be honest: I'm kind of surprised I'm writing another one of these posts. I have already written two sets of five tips on how to run more effective meetings (that can be found here and here), and I keep finding even more tips. Apparently, there is no end to handing out meeting tips!
Without delaying anymore, let's just get into it.
1. Avoid lunch time and Friday meetings. If you want to get and keep somebody's attention, putting a meeting around a lunch time or on a Friday is a surefire way to NOT accomplish that goal. People obviously have their minds elsewhere. I recently sat in a lunch time meeting on a Friday, and by the end of the meeting, there were glazed looks across the room. (You could arguably add Monday mornings to this block, too.)
2. KISS: Keep it simple, stupid. Perhaps one of my favorite quotes from The Office primarily because it is so practical. The more information you try to jam in a meeting, the less attention you're going to retain. The brain can only take in so much, so when people are trying to process one idea, you're already off on another. Much like with the first tip, people who can't keep up don't even try to keep up at all. Keep your information as concise as possible.
3. Avoid complex visuals. This one really goes hand-in-hand with that last tip. I've seen folks try to demonstrate things via extremely complex diagrams, and it just doesn't work. One reason is rather simple: they are literally too small to read. If an attendee has to squint to read something, I consider that an automatic failure because they're not listening to you. They're trying to make out what the diagram says. And what they're trying to read may not be important at all.
4. Be specific with your audience engagement. Most people end a presentation by asking if anybody has any questions. These people might have good intentions, but if you have a glazed over audience, they probably won't respond at all. This can be a problem later on if you find out they did have concerns but didn't share them because they were so over-loaded with information. Instead of asking the general, "Does anybody have any questions?" question, be more specific. Ask what the audience does or does not like about a specific piece. Ask how they feel about a certain process. Any question that digs further than that very surface "Questions anybody?" kind of question.
5. Allot time for breaks in longer meetings. If you know a meeting is going to run for longer than an hour, it's probably a good idea to purposefully schedule time for 10- or 15-minute breaks during the meeting. As a guy who drinks a lot of water, I can tell you nothing pulls my attention away faster than needing to use the restroom. I'm sure a lot of people will agree with that sentiment!
That concludes another set of five tips! I guess I shouldn't say this is the final post in this series since I clearly think of more as time passes. What would you add to this list? Let me know down in the comments, and I'll maybe write another of these posts in the future.
Without delaying anymore, let's just get into it.
1. Avoid lunch time and Friday meetings. If you want to get and keep somebody's attention, putting a meeting around a lunch time or on a Friday is a surefire way to NOT accomplish that goal. People obviously have their minds elsewhere. I recently sat in a lunch time meeting on a Friday, and by the end of the meeting, there were glazed looks across the room. (You could arguably add Monday mornings to this block, too.)
2. KISS: Keep it simple, stupid. Perhaps one of my favorite quotes from The Office primarily because it is so practical. The more information you try to jam in a meeting, the less attention you're going to retain. The brain can only take in so much, so when people are trying to process one idea, you're already off on another. Much like with the first tip, people who can't keep up don't even try to keep up at all. Keep your information as concise as possible.
3. Avoid complex visuals. This one really goes hand-in-hand with that last tip. I've seen folks try to demonstrate things via extremely complex diagrams, and it just doesn't work. One reason is rather simple: they are literally too small to read. If an attendee has to squint to read something, I consider that an automatic failure because they're not listening to you. They're trying to make out what the diagram says. And what they're trying to read may not be important at all.
4. Be specific with your audience engagement. Most people end a presentation by asking if anybody has any questions. These people might have good intentions, but if you have a glazed over audience, they probably won't respond at all. This can be a problem later on if you find out they did have concerns but didn't share them because they were so over-loaded with information. Instead of asking the general, "Does anybody have any questions?" question, be more specific. Ask what the audience does or does not like about a specific piece. Ask how they feel about a certain process. Any question that digs further than that very surface "Questions anybody?" kind of question.
5. Allot time for breaks in longer meetings. If you know a meeting is going to run for longer than an hour, it's probably a good idea to purposefully schedule time for 10- or 15-minute breaks during the meeting. As a guy who drinks a lot of water, I can tell you nothing pulls my attention away faster than needing to use the restroom. I'm sure a lot of people will agree with that sentiment!
That concludes another set of five tips! I guess I shouldn't say this is the final post in this series since I clearly think of more as time passes. What would you add to this list? Let me know down in the comments, and I'll maybe write another of these posts in the future.
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