There’s nothing worse than a stale meeting. If you’re running out of ideas for shaking up your meeting cadence, you might need to take it just one step further. Even if you’re already set up with a meeting tool, there’s nothing wrong with adding some pizzazz to the agenda. Here are a few ways to keep your team on their toes by getting creative in your next meeting.
Make it sweet
Who doesn’t love when meetings come with a snack? If your team has a time crunch, grab doughnuts on your way to the office or foot the delivery bill for your remote employees to get their desserts delivered. Enjoy your tasty treats together in the office, over Zoom, or as a hybrid team while you have your meeting!
Music is your friend
Who said meeting intros have to be a capella? Try playing music as team members join the meeting, and put some thought into the tunes you pick. Are there any lyrics that match the agenda theme? Perhaps a universally-loved track, or something that elicits an inside joke? Whatever you choose, don’t be afraid to have fun with it!
Have a pun-off
This is a great option for more casual, laid-back meetings. Here’s how it works: the first person to fit a pun into the discussion starts the pun challenge. Pause the meeting (if you can) and vote on how good it was. Then… keep it going! See how well everyone else can fit their wit into the meeting. At the end of the meeting, vote on who had the best joke. (Here’s a hint: If you’re worried about getting off-track, set a pun limit. Once the limit is reached, your team can take a brief moment to celebrate their hilarity, and the productivity resumes!)
Enlist a dress code
Dress codes don’t have to be boring. Switch things up by encouraging people to come to recurring meetings dressed for a theme. Some suggestions:
- Something you would wear to a wedding
- A favorite band t-shirt
- An outfit you wore when something embarrassing happened
- Pajama day
In this, the point is to help people feel relaxed enough to boost creativity. Don’t force anything on anyone; if it doesn’t work for them, that’s okay!