It’s happened to all of us. The meeting we’ve been dreading all week. The meeting where we have to pretend like we’re listening, try to stay awake and pretend like we’re not drawing cute cats. Here are some quick tips to create a more fun, more engaging environment where your meetings can take place.

Name tags: Whether they are printed beforehand with the participant’s names or they are self-adhesive name badges, name tags just work. Pre-printed name tags let your clients know you were thinking of them before the meeting. It makes them feel special. We have overheard people say they loved us for having their names spelled correctly on their name tags.

Another purpose name tags serve is they help build relationships. For those not as comfortable approaching people to strike up a conversation (or those with WOO; see that strengths talk?), name tags allow for an easy starting point for some. Let’s not forget the many times we forget the names of somebody, but are too afraid to just ask for their name and instead dance around the subject.

We recommend first name, last name and organization or position at that organization.

Food: Food is crucial to your meetings. Be it candy to snacks or a catered lunch, do something. It doesn’t have to be a 5 course meal for everybody. Having food at a meeting shows that you are thinking about your clients before the meeting, in turn, letting them know you care for them.

At YDN, we are incredibly big on relationship building (heard that phrase somewhere before). Don’t forget to allow 10-15 minutes after your meeting starts to give people time to eat and talk. That time allows people to catch up, tell stories or even meet each other. Don’t fret if that time runs longer than expected. The work becomes easier when the team feels connected to each other. A great man once told me that, “We focus so much on what we need to get done, we forget that we [are human beings that] still need to get to know each other.”

Remember, if your budget is small, candy works or even a vegetable platter like this:

Icebreaker/Check-in Question: A check-in question or energizer allows people to quickly get to know each other. They build… relationships with each other. An energizer does what its name says; it energizes the room. We recommend picking a high energy one that suits the size of your group and meeting space.

A couple of our favorite check-in questions are:

• If you were invisible for a day, what would you do?
  • -Be prepared for this one. We have tried this a couple times and people will start to create rules and stipulations for what invisibility is. Responses to this check in question will take twice as long as anticipated. Trust us.
• What’s the sound of your favorite color? (participants make the sound, everyone else gets to guess the color!)
• If you could stay any age forever, what would it be?
• Or even as simple as, how is your day going?

Agreements: You should set aside 30-45 minutes in your first meeting to create agreements for the group. Agreements are ground rules or norms created by the group on how they will treat each other. Agreements make assumptions explicit and clear, but aren’t often said aloud. Remember, agreements are NOT rules like everyone must bring pencil and paper. Instead they are about creating emotional and physical safety for your meetings.

Our recommended method to creating agreements is to start with flip chart paper. If your group is small enough, a large brainstorm works. People should just start popcorn style by throwing out agreements they feel strongly about. Remind the group not to be afraid to ask clarifying questions if something doesn’t make sense to them. Once the group as reached consensus, the last step is for people to either autograph or initial the flip chart paper. It creates ownership of the agreements.

Now bring those agreements with you to every meeting. We recommend to read the agreements out loud at the start of every meeting. This will continue to be a living document, so remember to give new and continuing group members voice and choice to add or make amendments. 

Now you’re ready to create engaging meetings. Get out there and rid the world of mundane meetings! Comment below with some of your favorite tips to run fun and engaging meetings.