Whether in person or online, it can be difficult to capture everyone’s attention during a meeting. Here are some strategies to keep your meetings engaging so that your team can achieve success — and have some fun in the process.
Identity the Dynamics at Play
Every team has its own dynamics. Friendships and bonds are formed beyond work and they end up impacting the interactions within your team. While there’s nothing wrong with this, you should identify these dynamics and find ways to use them to the advantage of your team.
Talk with individual team members, ask them to help you identify what dynamics are at play, and devise a plan to offset these trends or ride them like a wave to make your meetings more engaging.
For example, a recent hire may be finding it difficult to fit within the back-and-forth of your team meetings.. You can counter this dynamic with a silly game: no one can speak unless directed by the new hire.
Harness the Power of Silliness
Everyone, even the most straight-laced person, has a silly side. Revealing this creates a bond and — let’s be honest — it can be hugely entertaining. Give your team space to give free rein to their silliness. Some options include:
- Silly costume day is a classic and effective strategy.
- Play word of the day (designate a word and see who can use it during the meeting without the others noticing it).
- Play an improv, if possible related to the topic at hand.
- Allow others to “buzz” anyone who goes off-topic (particularly useful to keep meetings on track).
- Silly bets or prizes. Offer small, funny tokens (such as candy or a wacky trophy) to whoever comes up with a solution to a problem.
- With the holidays approaching, ugly sweater day is sure to be a hit.
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