Fold Inspiration Into Your Meetings

I used to hate Tuesdays.  It was one of those days where staff sat in one room for a meeting that lasted for hours. It had been a useful meeting when the team was only 5 people; however, as the staff grew so did the length of the meeting.  Eventually people didn’t want to be there (including myself) and that became obvious.  Instead of leaving full of inspiration, we left drained.  Fortunately, we did a face lift on meetings and made sure that each came with:

• A SENSE OF PURPOSE
• CLEAR AND ORGANIZED AGENDA

Courtesy of timquijano/Creative Commons License

While not all meetings are designed to be fun, they should have an element of inspiration.  The end of your meetings should be a commission. You are sending your people out to go and GET THE JOB DONE.  Unfortunately people have preconceived notions that meetings are boring; therefore, fold in that inspiration by:

• Provoke The Passion – In order to move your team forward you need to help them care. You need to do more than present a problem.  You need to paint a picture. Build inspiration by laying out the impact of your mission. Cast a vision and grow their heart by casting into their lives a vision.

• Lay Out The Facts – Not everyone is motivated by emotion, some people receive inspiration from numbers and stats. Create a clear and accurate account of the data. Provide enough data for people to see how you can accomplish what you need to do and watch them move forward.

• Give Direction – Even if you have their heart strings and filled them with reason, you need a plan to set them forward. Many times we spend a meeting heavy with facts and story, but lack the answer to, “Now what?” Never conclude a meeting or a message without an action plan.

Improve your meetings by preparing ahead of time. Practice your delivery and gain feedback from trusted sources.  Remember it’s not just about getting together, it’s about creating a path, listing out clear facts and growing their hearts.

How do you fold inspiration into your meetings?  What’s your biggest meeting hangup?