How to make your project meetings more productive

Meetings are a necessary part of any project success, but typically have the reputation as a bit of a waste of time. Employee’s groans and downcast eyes as they enter the meeting room are tell-tale signs that this is not a meeting that is going to go well.

Research by Verizon has shown that 91% of meeting attendees admit to daydreaming and not paying attention during meetings, and a staggering 39% have actually nodded off during the course of the session! None of this is productive for your team, or encouraging for you, so how do you make a meeting that has the oomph to keep everyone engaged?

What is a meeting?
Meetings can be anywhere, anyhow and should be a valued opportunity to engage with everyone on the project team. Unfortunately most meetings look and feel the same as the last, and it is this repetition that really grinds everyone into a state of defeat. The critical piece of information to take on board when thinking about your meetings is:

If your meetings are always the same, the outcome will be the samer
So if you are happy with your meetings and the outcomes you are achieving, then keep doing what you’re doing. If you know you could make improvements and would like to see better outcomes, it’s time to spice things up a bit.

Fun… at a meeting?
Fun and meeting are two words not usually seen in the same sentence, but if you really want to get something different from your project meetings then it’s time to master the art of ‘fun’ meetings. Of course you need to have serious elements too, if you are to get your outcomes, but breaking it up with some more light hearted fun will help to ease tensions at keep everyone awake. Here are some ideas:

• Intersperse long discussions with a game of charades or hangman
• Get everyone to stand up and contribute one idea to the mix – this gets blood flowing and makes sure everyone is heard
• Give people jobs. You’ll need a note taker, a timekeeper and a ‘host’, but make the jobs fun by adding in some props. Give the note taker a special seat in the room with a footrest and cushion, give the timekeeper a bell or gavel, and get the host to wear a hat
• Give out awards, either for contribution to the meeting or for activities on the project in general. Make them silly so people don’t feel they are not being recognised for real work achievements though (e.g. silliest tie award rather than best worker award)
Where are you having your meeting?

Most meetings are conducted in meeting rooms, everyone around a table gazing listlessly at a projector screen. If you really want your meetings to be different, change the location. Go outside on a sunny day, meet in cyberspace or even go off site to a café. Changing location will change the outcome and successful project management does not have to occur in a formal environment. Thinking creatively about your meetings could be the start of a new approach to creative project management.