3 fun ways to start your next in person meeting!

Today we share with you 3 fun ways to start your next team meeting that might even sprinkle in a little learnings along the way!

Idea #1: Start with Gratitude

Imagine you could help every single person in your meeting room feel just a little bit better! This activity will be mood booster even on Monday morning!  Heres the thing, In our busy work lives we often don’t pause to say thank you. Its easy to justify skipping a quick thank you, when we feel like the next task is already waiting for us to begin!

So at your next team meeting I challenge you to simply build in time for everyone to hear a thank you!!

This is how it works:

• Meeting starts as typical, everyone sitting around the table. This is where you inspire some change, open the meeting with one simple invitation: "I invite you all of you to put your heads on the desk and close your eyes". Especially on a Monday morning I can’t think of anything your team might enjoy hearing more!

• With your teams heads down and eyes closed you will share that if I tap you on the should please quietly stand. Pick 2-3 people by tapping them on the shoulder as an invitation to stand. Let the team know that the first round will now begin. Those who are standing you will invite to begin walking around the table while everyone’s heads remain down and eyes closed.

• Those standing and walking the table will be invited to tap any coworker on the shoulder who they feel for example “is a good leader on the team", you will give all the people standing a chance to tap everyone they feel is a reflection of that statement to them. You can then move on and share please tap on the shoulder someone you feel “is a good listener:”, and then give them time again to circle the table and tap anyone on the shoulder they feel is a good listener. Keep repeating this process with 2-3 statements and then switching who stands and who is seated.

• The goal is to give everyone a chance to do both roles being the receiver of the recognition with their head down and eyes closed and the giver of recognition by standing and circling the table taping coworkers on the shoulder who they want to recognize for that statement.

What a beautiful way to create some intentional time to share some thanks with your entire team. I can tell you that having done this many times there is no better feeling then recognition from your entire team for the beautiful skills we each bring to that team.

Idea #2: Developing Communication Skills

So much of the success of what we do in our roles and on our teams relies on intentional communication. From communicating across projects with our team to communicating with customers or those we serve in our business. Why not build the practise into your next team meeting to provide some time to strengthen our communication skills.

Here is one simple activity to help your strengthen team communication:

• A bit of preparation for this one, you will need to track down a long piece of string long enough for your entire team to be able to stand side by side and each have a enough to hold. For a larger team this need to be a decent length of string or rope!

• Tie it together to make a circle and invite everyone to hold on. When you look around the room this will mean everyone is standing shoulder to shoulder hanging onto this circle of string you created.

• Begin by calling out a shape or simple image and watch as they figure out how to work together to bring it to life. You can start simple with prompts like make a circle, make a or square and get more complicated by asking them to make the shape of a dog. Maybe even inviting them if in a safe space to do so to close their eyes or not to speak to make it more challenging as their communication improves.

Providing intentional spaces for your team to practise communicating where the stakes are low will vastly help them build their confidence and communication skills for when it really matters like the next big project they bring to life or ensuring your customers or clients feel supported!

Idea #3- brainstorm warm up

Before most of us head out on a jog or do something physical we take a moment to warm up or stretch. Warming up is a chance to let our body get ready for what is to come on our run or on our workout. So often during team meetings we build in time to brainstorm or explore the solution to a current challenge we are facing without that simple step of a little warm up first. If your next team meeting includes a brainstorm or solutioning time, why not first invite a little warm up to help everyone get ready! By providing a warm up that means the warm up doesn’t have to happen during the important part where you and your team are trying to find the most impactful idea or solution!

Here is a simple brainstorming warm up you can start your next meeting with:

• Grab any item from the office before your next meeting and bring it with you. Proudly display it to kick off your meeting inviting individually or in small groups as many ways to repurpose that item as possible. Maybe the stapler could actually be used as the next big fishing hook technology or maybe that old office coffee mug is a priceless industrial style work of art.

• Ask each team to pick their best idea and make a small pitch to the larger group about that items new purpose! Best pitch wins bragging rights and the entire team is now warmed up and ready for the important brainstorming where the solution actually matters!