It’s Time To Meet: Focus on the Future

Posted in: Great Gatherings
Tags: conference center, coffee break, meetings, focus, event professionals, events, incentive, business, success, woodlands resort and conference center, conference, teambuilding

Have you ever been to a meeting where half the people are checking their Blackberry or iPhone and the other half are staring at the presenter with that glazed-over look? Even small, departmental meetings at your office might seem like time wasters because let’s face it ... there are too many things vying for our attention and time. So how do planners keep attendees focused during a meeting especially if it’s an all-day or multiple day event? While there are many tactics to help keep the focus of your participants, here are three to consider:

High-impact meetings begin with content. Know what your attendees want and expect from the meeting by utilizing a pre-event survey. Questions such as “what topics would you like addressed?” and “what outcomes do you expect as a result of this meeting?” help planners prepare clear objectives. Ultimately, a strong agenda with clear objectives convinces participants that the meeting is important and worth their time to attend.

PowerPoint gets a bad rap for being a boring way to present information. The key is that the presenter should be the focus of the session and not the technology. Look for enthusiastic speakers who engage the audience and provide interactive presentations – not just lecturing from the PowerPoint. There are different technologies available, such as Twitter, to help carry the message to your attendees. Just remember these technologies play a supporting role.

Take breaks. There’s no faster way to lose the focus of your audience than meeting sessions that drag on endlessly. Give attendees time to network, stretch and energize with continuous coffee breaks. Coffee breaks with a wide variety of fruits, snacks and beverages are a sure-fire way to create an energizing and productive meeting environment. Plus, if the group starts to lose focus, a continuous coffee break means you can break earlier than scheduled because the snacks and beverages are available throughout the day. Tip: ensure the coffee break is set-up outside the meeting room so attendees aren’t distracted and tempted to interrupt presentations by helping themselves to snacks or beverages.

Frankly, isn’t hosting a meeting similar to planning a party at your house? You put out your best dishes, make sure the food is hot, the drinks are cold and the conversation is flowing. The goal is knowing your guests left thinking it was a great night and worth hiring a babysitter.

And so it is with a meeting, you want to know that your attendees got what they came for and it was worth the time spent away from the office.  It's Time to Meet. Click to Focus on the Future.