nine suggestions to jump-start a meeting
Ever get stuck on the big question: How do I get attendees to pay attention? Jonathan Bradshaw, founder of Meetology Research Institute, says there are nine ways to help planners address this concern. Meeting planning is most certainly an art, but it's also a science. Every aspect of the meeting, from the color of the room to the food at the banquet, affects the attendee experience.
Here are Bradshaw's nine suggestions to jump start meetings:
- Play. Incorporating play into meetings can reduce stress, improve problem-solving, spark creativity, foster social interaction and raise energy levels.
- Manage your diet. Food directly affects performance levels. Eating breakfast is important. Eating often in small amounts keeps the brain fueled up. Keep in mind fizzy drinks and sugary snacks provide a momentary lift, but they don't sustain attendees.
- Meditate. Incorporate meditation into meetings and remember to turn off distractions. Meditation calms attendees, allows them to reflect, focus and, above all, makes them ?present? at the meeting.
- Music. Most people have heard of the ?Mozart effect.? Studies show it's not just Mozart's compositions but music in general improves mental acuity. Consider teambuilding activities where attendees can create or perform music.
- Stimulate. Coffee is not just a morning pick-me-up. It stimulates the brain. Embrace it throughout the day.
- Exercise. Our brains feed off our bodies? health. Incorporating exercise into meetings is important. It improves brain function by increasing oxygen flow to the brain.
- Distract them. Give attendees time to go for a walk, chat in the halls, play or do what they want. A break in the meeting gives attendees time to relax and process information.
- Arouse the senses. Create a sensory experience attendees can connect to your event. Send out a meeting soundtrack before your event. Attendees will connect the music with the meeting.
- Color me blue (or red). Consider room colors when designing meetings. Blue has been shown to improve creativity. Red fosters attention to detail. A blue room could be used for brainstorming. Red rooms could enhance more specific tasks.