Facilitate Proceedings » Meeting Design

Lessons in engagement from a collaborative conference

Julia Young — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 23:56:17 +0000

Exploring Innovation in Community Development Finance may seem like a dry topic but the St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank’s recent conference was anything but. From planned spontaneous conversations and plenary dialogue processes, to the rule of two feet and building collective priorities for action, there are several lessons that we can draw from the design of this conference…

4 ways to own your meeting experience

Danuta McCall — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 00:22:47 +0000

Says Reid Hastie: “I USED to be the disengaged participant — one who had good ideas about how to solve a problem or conduct a meeting, but didn’t contribute. I now take a more active role, aiming to make meetings more effective.”

To at least some degree, we own our experience in meetings and we play a role in making them either a waste or a good use of our time. That leads me to think about four things that we can and should take ownership of to improve our own meeting experience.

Good Meetings – Like Organizations – Are Guided by a Mission Statement

Danuta McCall — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 23:45:00 +0000

One way to know that you’ve arrived at the very essence of an issue or solution is when you can articulate it completely and accurately in very few words. That’s why good mission statements are short, some even crafted in a single phrase. One description I like is “short enough to remember, and strong enough to inspire”. And that’s why it sometimes takes a while to get it right.

Get the Point Across… Without PowerPoint

Julia Young — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 16:38:08 +0000

I recently came across this super example of a different type of presentation. The topic is “Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us.” Not only is the message clearly articulated, it is beautifully drawn so that we are captivated as we listen. Enjoy!

Engage Event Participants to Generate Bottom-line Results

Ron Springer — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 02:33:51 +0000

It’s time for a new approach to meeting design.

Unfortunately, many companies assume that a well-polished PowerPoint presentation delivered from a beautifully-lit stage is all that’s required to get their message across. This once exciting medium, which is now 20 years old, has sucked the life and excitement out of many meetings.

Companies today are typically speaking to a new generation of tech-savvy participants who demand a different approach. Attendees today want to be engaged participants, not passive recipients of information. Adept at using social networking sites such as Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook, meeting attendees are accustomed to receiving information real-time, and to engaging in continuing dialogue. Here’s an example of what I mean.

Meeting Tech Talk: Using YouTube in Your Meetings

Mike McCall — Thu, 07 May 2009 23:27:38 +0000

It is often helpful to start a meeting with an ice breaker exercise or a bit of humor to give everyone a chance to relax and start to bond. Especially in a virtual setting, a humorous video clip can be an effective way to relax the group. In the past folks would use a video clip ...

No Travel Allowed: How to Turn a Full Day Meeting Into 2 Hours Online

Julia Young — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 17:39:29 +0000

You had planned a full-way working session for 12 participants to create a detailed action plan. Due to travel and time constraints, you now must accomplish the same results with the same people in a 2 hour remote meeting. You have two weeks to make this happen. Where do you begin?