The simple internal meeting...
Of course we all lose sleep planning client facing meetings or big productions, checking off item after item on our to do lists, but when it comes to internal meetings, the planning details seem to get forgotten. Below are a few best practices to keep in mind when planning an internal company meeting to ensure your attendees get the most out of their time.
* Start on time. Even if everyone is not in attendance, start on time. They will be in attendance next time. If you tend to begin 10 minutes late, you train the attendees to show up ten minutes late, which then means your program begins 20 minutes late. I'm guilty of falling in that pattern as an attendee - I would to stay at my desk until the start time of one of our regular meetings because I knew it began 20 or 30 minutes late and I would rather get my work done than stand around waiting.
* Put all the presentations on one laptop. No need to have your audience (even internal) wait while sales person 1 unplugs his laptop and the second sales person spends three minutes getting his ready to go. If you calculate 3 minutes times fifty guests, that's a lot of time to waste.
* Serve food outside of the meeting room. Nothing kills the momentum of a meeting like the sound of ice or cookie crumbs falling on a neighbor. Food is great for gatherings, just keep it outside of the room.
* Test the projector several times before the meeting. Ideally you can have someone from IT in the room to ensure no surprise "issues" happen with the computer/projector. Somehow just having one of those guys in the room means nothing will go wrong.
* Lights. Having someone stationed to turn on or off the lights during the videos makes such a difference. It's too much for one person to be coordinating the meeting (no matter how small), worrying about the food and then running across the room to get the lights. Having the lights turn on and off in sync with the show makes a big impact.
* And something that is always appreciated, end on time.
Have a great meeting.
2 Comments
Reader Comments (2)
These are all great points and you're right, they are often overlooked for simple internal meetings. I'd like to add another: Make sure the presenters understand the importance of not arriving at the last minute. They need time to make sure the presentation is working correctly on the shared laptop It also gives them time to become acquainted with the meeting space and the podium (if you are using one).
If you don’t mind, I’d like to mention a blog I recently started that’s all about all the things that can go wrong when you’re giving a presentation (or when you’re supporting someone else’s presentation efforts). It’s called Breaking Murphy’s Law (www.breakingmurphyslaw.com).
I hope you like it and find it useful.
Thanks,
Lee
Thanks for your addition Lee, appreciate it. And your blog is terrific. We'll do a post on your site shortly. Great content!