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You might be looking at the title of this piece and raising a curious eyebrow. There’s only one way to hold a meeting after all, right? Get all participants in the room, say what you came to say, maybe open it up for a little Q&A and call it done. Lunch if it’s a marathon. Yes, that is fairly standard practice, but it’s not the only way. Below, you’ll find some intriguing alternatives that might serve you well, depending on what you’re trying to accomplish.<\/p>\n
The Field Trip<\/strong><\/p>\n As a kid growing up, I used to love field trips. Museums, parks, it didn’t matter. The sense of wonder and adventure made those days some of the best school days ever. Fond memories were created on those trips.<\/p>\n Depending on what you’re trying to do with your meeting, you may want to consider an impromptu field trip. If you’re holding a brainstorming or creative jam session, the same old surroundings probably won’t be as productive as going somewhere else, and let’s face it, nothing unlocks the creative juices like the unexpected. So why not, for your next brainstorming session, take your crew to a national park. Or on a picnic at a city park. If neither of those sound appealing, go whitewater rafting and hold your meeting after, while you’re dripping and exhausted over lunch. Or hit an amusement park and meet over burgers and soft drinks after three hours of rides.<\/p>\n Remember, the goal of a brainstorming session type meeting is to actually do some genuine brainstorming. The ideas above might seem like frivolity, but they’re not. You’re unpacking the burdens of the day and putting your attendees in the perfect mindset to get creative. That’s powerful, and your meeting will be vastly more productive than all those long, uncomfortable silences in your break or conference room.<\/p>\n Standing Room Only<\/strong><\/p>\n One of the frustrating things about meetings seems to be that everybody wants to talk about the issue, but nobody wants to make a decision. There’s a fix for that, it’s radical, but it gets the job done.<\/p>\n About an hour before the meeting is scheduled to start, remove all the chairs from the conference room. Inform all meeting attendees of your purpose, and the key decisions that are to be made in the meeting. Nobody sits down until the meeting ends. You would be amazed at how quickly decisions can be made.<\/p>\n