Skip the small talk. Start with a reason to care.
EXPERT OPINION BY ANDREA WOJNICKI, EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATION COACH AT TALK ABOUT TALK
Perhaps you’ve led a meeting where everyone was locked in. The ideas were flying, and everyone walked out feeling like they’d gotten something done. Two weeks later you run the same meeting with the same people, and it’s crickets.
The leaders I coach say the same thing. They can’t figure out how to make all their meetings good ones. It’s almost never a content problem. The agenda is fine. The people are capable. Your presentation skills are stellar — right?
Here’s my diagnosis: The difference traces back to the first minute or two. If you’ve lost people that early, you’re fighting an uphill battle until the end.
How do you kick your meeting off
How do you kick your meeting off with a bang? Well, if you search for advice on how to successfully open a meeting, you’ll probably be told to tell a story. Stories work, but shoehorn one into the top of a project status meeting and watch people check their phones.
Refreshed leadership advice from CEO Stephanie Mehta
An Inc.com Featured Presentation
I’ve written before about communicating with precision and gravitas. Meetings are where all of this gets tested. Here are three things that work in any meeting, and together they cost you about three minutes.
1. Tell them where the bus is going.
Would you get on a bus without knowing where it’s headed? Unless it’s a double-decker and you’re snapping photos of landmarks, obviously not. But that’s what plenty of meeting leaders ask of their teams. They send a calendar invite with a vague title, kick off with “okay, let’s get started,” and wonder why everyone looks checked out.
Your team is running a calculation in the first 30 seconds. Is this worth my time, or should I pretend to listen while I check my email? If you leave that question unanswered, their brain answers it for them, usually with probably not.
Source: www.inc.com
