4 elements of engaging meetings

Engaging people in meetings is a perennial problem.

And yet meetings are the crucible of engagement. They are where you have the conversations and make the decisions that inform the attitudes that determine your behaviours.

Here are 4 essential structural elements for any meeting you might find yourself in or leading.

1. Greet everyone

Greeting someone is the setup for their further engagement in the meeting. Why should someone engage when their presence isn't even acknowledged?

Greeting is very effective in online meetings where people might not have their cameras on. As you greet each person, politely ask: “If you’re able, can you switch your camera on?” I have found 95% of people are able to, and will.

2. State your intention and desired outcomes

How often are we 20 minutes into a meeting and then realise we don’t even have a clear idea of why we’re here and what success looks like?

It will take you a mere minute to state your intention and desired outcomes. Begin with intention, and people will be more engaged.

You can remember this by the phrase they use at Kaospilot: “I DO” — Intention and Desired Outcomes. I have the word “intention” taped to my computer screen under my camera.

3. Triage agenda items as you go

Meetings can easily be derailed by down-the-rabbit-hole conversations.

When one of these distracting topics comes up, allocate it to the agenda for a future meeting, when you can discuss the matter properly. This works better when you have a consistent meeting system.

4. Review outcomes

Finish where you began: reviewing the meeting against your intention and desired outcomes.

First, recap your OWN actions that you’ll be taking. Model that you take the meeting seriously.

Then, ask each person, one-by-one, by name, if they have anything else to comment on, and what their actions are.

What if you’re not leading the meeting? You can still do these. Just ask: “What is the intention of this meeting?” “Should this be discussed now?” “Here’s my actions. What are everyone else’s actions?”