No more snoozefests! 4 ways to improve finance meetings today

The coronavirus pandemic ushered in the Zoom meeting craze for many companies. But the more things change, the more they stay the same, and that certainly applies to meetings.

Bottom line: Most employees think meetings are by and large a waste of their time and frequently don’t see their point!

You’ll never win over all the meeting haters out there. But there are a few proactive steps you and other meeting holders can take to get people more engaged and reduce negativity in regards to your organization’s meetings.

Try one or more of these tactics:

1. Assign jobs before and during meetings

Want a no-fail way for making people pay more attention?

Give them an assignment.

If you know certain folks either get distracted during meetings or take the discussion off on a tangent, ask if they can help you out.

You might put one person in charge of tracking everything that’s tabled for later. Or ask someone if he/she can explain a certain topic.

If people feel involved, they’ll really pay attention – not just “show up” for the meeting.

2. Set the room for participation

If you’re like most organizations, people are back in the office full-time or at least a couple of days per week. Companies are trying to reduce Zoom meetings for in-person confabs as much as possible.

Idea: People in an on-site meeting will participate more if they’re facing each other, and not just the presenter.

Suggestion: Arrange furniture in a U-shape if participants can’t sit around a table.

Have one or more staffers arrange the room ahead of time so it’s set up the way you like it.

3. Keep the focus on the outcome

Start the meeting by clarifying what you’ll accomplish.

Stating a clear outcome will give participants an incentive for staying engaged.

Reason: They know there’s an expectation of them.

It’ll also help keep the meeting from getting off-track.

4. Make them smile

The best public speakers start a talk with a joke. It works.

If you’re good at humor, share a joke – one that you know everyone will get.

You might also relate a funny story involving the topic you’ll be talking about or the company. And yes: keep it brief so the whole group can get on to the business at hand.