5 meeting methods that aren’t boring

Meetings don’t have to be boring! In fact meetings shouldn’t be boring. They should be engaging and perhaps they should be fun too. At your next meeting, why not try out a method that’s a little different from the norm. Here are five different meeting styles you can try for yourself.

1. The Stand-up Meeting

The stand-up meeting setup is one that is familiar to computer engineers and tech organizations, however it can be used effectively in any meeting situation. The stand up model has a lot of different aspects that make for a meeting that’s definitely not boring!

One of the core elements of a stand-up is that everyone stands rather than sits. This keeps the meeting at a fast pace, and attendees feel more energetic because they are not slumped in a chair. Another reason why stand-up style meetings aren’t boring is that they tend to be short, for example 15 minutes, which perfect for a sync or catch-up meeting. Finally, there are many different rules and fun elements that you can incorporate into stand-up meetings too, so each time the meeting can be different and therefore more engaging.

2. Open Space Technology

How about trying a meeting method that moves away from the classic facilitator-lead meeting and lets all the attendees take responsibility instead? Open Space Technology is a model that allows leaders to do just that.

Open Space Technology (OST) enables leaders to host meetings, conferences and corporate events in an effective way. What makes OST events unique is that they focus on a specific purpose or task, but start-off without any formal agenda, only an overall purpose or theme.

This is a great method to test if you want to really engage the meeting attendees. We think OST is an interesting and effective way of holding certain meetings and workshops, so much so that we wrote a whole blog post about it, read it here: How to transform your meetings with Open Space Technology.

3. Tech-focused

Technology can be used in a number of different innovative ways to promote efficiency and remove boredom from meetings. When using technology in meetings, aim to avoid using static technology tools and focus on ones which actively engage your audience.

Learn how to use Mentimeter to create engaging meeting with these free resources: Meeting inspiration with Mentimeter.

4. Tech-free

At the other end of the spectrum, try removing all technology from the meeting room. These days, this idea of a meeting without laptops and phones is a novel one, but it can be an effective one when you remove all potential distractions such as calls and emails. This type of meeting is perfect for when you want to get really creative, or if you are focusing on team-building.

5. Mindful meetings

Mindfulness has infiltrated every aspect of our life - from mindful eating to meditation - there’s a mindful way to do almost anything. So, why not apply it to meetings? Mindful meetings focus on deep thinking and the individual in order to promote innovation and creative thinking.

So, however you plan to do your next meeting, make sure that it's fun and engaging for your attendees!