Bored in the boardroom? This will surely liven things up!

Think back to 2019, You drive to work, and when you arrive, you start the day with a cup of coffee, settle in behind your desk, and once you open the calendar, all you see is meeting after meeting… for the rest of the week.

You scan the meetings ahead, what they are about, and the manager in charge and you already know which ones will be a total drag and which ones will be half tolerable.

Fast forward to 2021, and maybe just maybe the old routines of 2019 will once again be part of everyday life,

‘Hallo, back-to-back meetings my old friend’ (I did not miss you).

Not to say that the past years’ online meetings were any better, in fact, it might have even been worse because all of a sudden quick chats in and around the hallways of the office turned into full-on Zoom meetings.

i am so bored

Virtual meetings became just as boring and irritating as what we experienced at the office pre-pandemic.

But it does not have to be like that!

Let’s have a look at 3 things that can help you brighten things up in the boardroom

i am so bored

Shout-outs

It is important to acknowledge and celebrate individual and team wins.

Never miss an opportunity to give thanks and praise to those that work hard to make a success of their project.

A shout-out can also be about someone’s personal achievements or life events such as becoming a parent or sports-related success.

When people feel heard and seen and their achievements are commended, they feel appreciated and tend to work harder.

Shout-outs will also have a psychological impact on everyone in a meeting because it allows the brain to escape intense concentration for a moment and allows for a more relaxed and informal moment.

i am so bored

Happy hour fund

Now, this tip is really for a bit of fun.

Based on the principles of a swear jar

Every time a meeting goes overtime then the person that organised or led the meeting has to place for example R20 into the ‘happy hour fund’ jar.

This may even sometimes shorten meetings 😃

At the end of the year take that money and spend it on a fun get-together with the team.

This can easily be applied to virtual meetings as well, choose one person to whom the funds must be transferred and that will keep tabs on all the admin, and then when the time comes to buy everyone a drink is a card swipe away.

Implementing some or all of these tips will surely bring a fresh and fun dimension to your meetings and will have a positive effect on your team’s morale.

Invite a guest speaker

We all like to hear from someone new, someone respected and that knows their stuff in their field of work.

Have quarterly seminar-type gatherings either in person or online whereby you invite a guest speaker to share new developments, ideas, or projections in your line of work.

We all benefit from outside counsel because we encounter someone that thinks differently from us, who can inspire us and can bring about a light-bulb moment.

Your team will also feel that you thought about their needs and made the effort to find someone that they can relate to or learn from.

Inviting a guest speaker shows that you invest in your team, the work they do, and their knowledge.

Be sure to really make an effort in getting someone of worth that will add value to your work and team.

So, will you be the drag meeting host or the fun and inspirational one?

You decide…