Inject Some Fun Into Your Meetings

You are probably asking yourself how the words “meeting” and “fun” can co-exist in the same sentence. Meetings are generally not fun and many people believe that meetings are no place for fun. However, given that the average employee typically runs the other direction when invited to attend another meeting or fakes a scheduling conflict, maybe a little bit of fun is exactly what meetings need. Injecting a little fun into meetings is a good way to encourage people to attend and participate as well as stimulate some creativity and increase team morale.

Injecting some fun into meetings does not entail dressing up in a clown costume or standing at the front of the room reciting jokes. There are more appropriate and more subtle ways to add some fun to a meeting. So keep your clown costume in the closet and try some of these ideas instead.

• Get participants engaged through hands-on activities such as games or field trips.
• Use contests as a way to generate creative ideas.
• There are always people who attempt to dominate the conversation. Use the penny method to ensure others get an opportunity to speak. Give each participant 3 to 5 pennies. Participants must spend a penny each time they talk. Before you know it, those who dominate the conversation will be broke!
• Change of scenery is always fun. On a nice day, take your meeting to the park.
• Bring in snacks that relate to the topic of the meeting.
• Try a different meeting format such as interview or talk-show host style.

You may hear the argument that meetings are to get work done, not have fun. Remember, a little laughter goes a very long way and when it comes to the last meeting of the day, a little laughter may be just what people need.

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