Meetings More Engaging

When the topic of a meeting isn't going anywhere, pivot to something else on the agenda. When things get boring, a quick team-building activity is a good transition. Make sure to make it interesting, but not too long. It should provide participants with a way to blow off steam. It also prepares them for the next stage of the meeting. Read on for more tips. Here are some tips to make your meetings more engaging:

Distractions in team ground rules

By establishing ground rules, you can set the stage for your team's interaction and help your members remember the behaviors they should avoid. Ground rules can also serve as reminders for your group when they need to refocus or remind themselves of what is acceptable in their meetings. Come to each meeting with a standard set of ground rules, and make sure to get the group's consent before implementing any of them.

Distractions can come in many forms, including digital and physical. Distractions from mobiles and tabs can cause participants to multitask, reducing their concentration. For example, if someone is typing, they may end up asking the speaker to repeat themselves and their ideas, reducing team engagement. The same goes for meeting rules. Try to avoid allowing employees to take phone calls, check their emails, or check their Facebook status during a meeting.

To ensure that everyone is listening and participating in the meeting, ask for feedback. If a meeting is dominated by one person, make sure everyone feels that they can contribute something to the conversation. If someone is disrupting the meeting, politely interrupt them and ask them to stop. Ask them to take a brief break or leave the meeting. If the distraction continues, stop the meeting and redirect the person to their desk.

Including a camera in the meeting can improve visual engagement. The "camera on" rule will help participants focus and read body language. It also prevents distractions caused by background noise. Also, allowing others to speak is another way to limit distractions. You can also add a "camera on" rule to prevent people from disrupting others. In addition to limiting the number of interruptions during the meeting, this rule will help you control time and avoid tangents and overruns.

Using icebreakers

An icebreaker is a fun activity for team meetings. It can be anything from drawing a cartoon to handing out name tags. It can be as simple as showing participants the kids' art on the fridge or the pet under their desk. It can even be used to loosen up participants who are on a remote call. Using icebreakers can make your meetings more interesting and engaging for everyone.

A simple game to start a meeting or team building activity can help your team bond even if they are geographically dispersed. For example, if your team is dispersed, you can ask each person to say something nice to someone else. Messages must be respectful and in good judgment. Once everyone has said their piece, they can then tell the person behind them and the next person in line. You can also shout out someone's helpfulness and energy.

Using puzzles is another way to make meetings more engaging. Puzzles are good for team building and can be used for small groups as well as large groups. If you have many participants, divide them into four different bags and have each member take one. Afterwards, the team will have to solve the puzzles and work together. Depending on how hard they think it'll be, you can also use icebreakers to encourage creativity and problem-solving.

An icebreaker is a fun way to get delegates chatting and getting to know each other. If you want to engage the entire group, try an icebreaker game or question about their personalities. It's guaranteed to improve the overall engagement and bonding within the group. Just remember to follow virtual meeting etiquette to avoid making your meeting unnecessarily difficult and boring for everyone.

An icebreaker question about your co-workers can also get people laughing. The best part about an open-ended question is that it is anonymous, which makes it easier for people to participate in the meeting. Using a would-you-rather question can also promote team bonding. Try a different type of icebreaker at each meeting and see what works for you. It's easy to come up with new ideas when you use an icebreaker question that everyone enjoys.

Using Poll Everywhere

Using Poll Everywhere to make meetings more engaging is a great way to involve meeting attendees. It allows you to create interactive dialogues and visualize audience responses in real time. Poll Everywhere works with PowerPoint, Keynote, Google Slides and other presentation software. You can also use Poll Everywhere to create a live, interactive poll and invite meeting participants to answer the question via their mobile devices. It's easy to add these activities to your presentation and use them in a virtual meeting. The results of the polls update live as you present the content.

In addition to enhancing meeting engagement, Poll Everywhere can also foster communication in a distributed workforce. A word cloud can break the ice or encourage watercooler chat, and Poll Everywhere activities can help gather feedback and keep teams connected. They can even be customized to fit your presentation style and slide theme. You can even make the polls more interactive by adding a customized slide theme to the presentation. The customization options available with Poll Everywhere are extensive and can enhance your presentation style.

In remote meetings, using Poll Everywhere allows you to create interactive activities. You can create word clouds, Q&As, and clickable images. All of these activities can help you gauge audience understanding and avoid misconceptions. The polls can even be saved in your meeting minutes. You can then look back at the results of the polls and summarize what people have said. When using Poll Everywhere, it's best to do it in small groups so everyone is aware of what the other members of the meeting think.

Using Poll Everywhere for Webex makes it easy for presenters to share interactive questions and activities from the Poll Everywhere app. Before you can use Poll Everywhere, however, you need to create an account with Poll Everywhere. You can sign up for a free account on the Poll Everywhere website and use the entire app's features. Afterwards, you can use the app in a Webex meeting.

Sharing the load

Shared responsibilities make team meetings more efficient. Assign different responsibilities to different people in the meeting, such as creating the agenda, taking notes, summarizing key points, or determining who will ask questions. Live polls can be used to determine which members will contribute to certain activities during the meeting. Without sharing the load equally, team members may not fully grasp what is being said during the meeting or when discussing certain topics. Moreover, they might become distracted and not listen to all the points being made.

When you share the load, people will feel empowered to contribute to the meeting content and take ownership of their part. They will also continue to contribute. Make regular requests for input from different participants and reward their contributions. Asking questions before the meeting will encourage more contributions. Rewarding people for their ideas will motivate them to contribute more. Using Slack or email is another option to make meetings more engaging. If you can't find the time to share the load, consider implementing a standing meeting.