Meetings
come in all shapes and sizes. There are board meetings, stakeholder meetings,
staff meetings, sales meetings — the list is endless. But no matter the
purpose, every meeting has one thing in common: how clients, customers and
stakeholders perceive you can directly determine the outcome.
Months of hard work and tireless effort could all go to
waste if you aren’t able to pitch an audience your company’s latest
idea, project or venture. Here are five ways to run a successful business
meeting and ensure you always leave a positive impression.
1. Measure the mood. If you want your meeting attendees to leave impressed, make
sure you exceed their expectations. One way of going above and beyond — without
anyone even realizing it — is to take a mental note of the mood of each person
as they arrive and sit down. Use a basic scale of 1–10; the lower the
number, the more unhappy or irritated the person appears. Then use that
information to tailor your actions throughout the meeting. If someone was
caught in traffic on the way over or appears to be agitated, give them some
space or treat them with extra compassion. Know your audience. When you go out
of your way to lighten the mood and make everyone feel comfortable, attendees
begin to relax and focus on the topic at hand.
2.
Remove distractions. Try
to limit or remove those items that can cause distraction. Whenever possible,
ask your attendees to silence their cell phones, put them aside, or step
outside to take a call. An agenda can also be a distraction. Why? It’s easy for
someone to review the agenda and skip ahead in their mind. When a person
anticipates a topic of discussion, he may be more focused on his response or
input than what you have to say. If it’s important to deliver specific details
or facts and figures to those who attend your meeting, hand out a report or
packet when you get to that topic.
3. Build rapport. The first few minutes of a meeting usually involve some
level of chitchat. As people arrive and sit down, it’s typical to talk about
the weather, traffic or current events. If most of the people in the room know
each other, personal questions about family, vacation and hobbies are also
common. Small talk helps build camaraderie, however, not everyone enjoys idle
chit-chat. If everyone agrees to start on a positive note, go around the room
and ask if anyone has some good news to share or something they want to
celebrate. Limit the social time and then focus on the business at hand. The
last thing you want to do is waste everyone's time.
4. Open with a question. The type of question will depend on the reason for your
meeting. For a sales meeting or a product pitch, ask your customers about the
pain points or challenges they experience. For a stakeholder meeting, ask what
threats or challenges they’re most concerned about as they look at the next
quarter. The question will help you hone in on what matters most to the group.
Once everyone’s concerns and personal motivations are addressed, you’ll be able
to focus on running an efficient and productive meeting.
5. Show them why they should care. Passion is contagious. Entrepreneurs usually become excited
by new ideas, projects and goals. If you tell someone your plans and they don’t
seem as enthusiastic as you are, don’t become frustrated because they don’t
“get it.” It’s unfair to expect those who attend a meeting about your company’s
next big project to be as excited as you. Instead, demonstrate why the idea is
important, relevant and profitable. The most successful meetings focus on the
big picture and do much more than relay facts and figures. Tell the story of
your concept. How did you get the idea? Was there a particular catalyst? The
more personal the story, the better.
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