You have most likely attended those meetings where people are typing away on their laptops or staring at their phones instead of paying attention. Here are a couple of simple tips to help everyone focus on the task-at-hand.
Ask everyone to put away his or her laptops and phones. When there are no distractions, it is easier to follow the conversation. Moreover, your eyes get a welcome break from looking at digital screens.
Like we challenged you in the second article of the #hackyourwork series with presentations, try having a slide-free meeting as well. This will make the group more engaged and productive, and they feel they can contribute without the effort of making another slideshow. This results to the focus of the meeting changing from presenting to discussing.
Meetings should not be a monologue. Ask for participants’ opinions, thank them for good thoughts and ideas, and show them you respect them. At the end of the meeting, decide what everyone should do to get things moving. That way people feel they are appreciated and most likely will be more engaged in the upcoming meetings.
Tired of having the meeting always at the same time, at the same place? Time to make some changes! Have a standing meeting or head outside and go for a walk with your team. Among the advocates of walking meetings are Aristotle,Harry Truman, Charles Dickens and Apple’s Steve Jobs.
Have a walking meeting with your team. After the meeting, reflect on how it went and what was different from your regular meetings and share your findings in the comments.
