How to get Attendees to Pay Attention
Attention must be paid and it costs dearly. How do we get meeting attendees to actually pay attention in a meeting? Lets step back and think about what you like paying for. I personally like paying for things that I value. I got some new shoes recently. I was glad to pay because I got something in return. I recently bought some fruit. I really enjoyed eating it.
When I pay for something I want value back.
What does value look like in a meeting? For a work meeting, value appears in three parts:
I feel like the meeting is making progress towards common goals
I feel like I am included and heard
3. I feel like my time is being respected
How can we accomplish these three things?
1) State the purpose clearly in the meeting invitation
2) Make the environment feel safe for me to raise my voice and share my thoughts
3) Ensure the facilitator has the meeting proceed in a timely manner and that it executes the purpose
When a meeting is run this way, I feel that I am recieving value. I pay attention because I am getting back what I put in. Take care to organize your meeting around providing value to your attendees. This way they will pay attention in it.
I hope you enjoyed this post. Have you been to an especially valuable meeting? What elements made it feel that way? If you have ideas on how to make your attendees pay attention, share them on the LinkedIN or Facebook post.
