Are you in the office this week? Is the diary already filling up with meetings of which you’re either the organiser or participant? Do you want to make your meeting time worthwhile?

If the answer to any of the above is ‘yes’ there’s no time like the present to make a bold commitment to making your meetings (both face to face and virtual) a more enjoyable and productive experience (for everyone)!

Here are 5 quick tips for a great meeting start in 2022:

1. Seek forgiveness, not permission …

If you wait for permission to be granted to make your meetings stand out you may be waiting a long time. Start with a bang – be bold and just do it!

2. Make time to be prepared …

Running from one meeting to the next doesn’t make for better meetings. Be intentional about setting aside time to prepare for your meetings, especially those where the outcome is super important.

3. Engage and involve others …

You don’t need to do this alone. Give yourself a break, especially when others are equally invested in the outcomes of the meeting. Share the preparation and responsibilities within the meeting, such as capturing the key points and distributing information.

4. Bin the minutes, take photos …

Don’t waste time typing out meeting minutes when a photograph of a flipchart or a screenshot would do just as well. Send it to participants in seconds after the meeting – job done.

5. Get kitted out …

If you plan to make your meetings stand out you will need the resources to make it happen. You don’t need to spend a fortune, just make sure you have the essentials.

Visit www.inkythinking.com/shop for sustainable pens, paper and a wide range of visual meeting tools. Inky Thinking is a UK reseller of Neuland, Germany visual facilitation products.

Content taken from ‘The Visual Meeting Coach’ bi-weekly newsletter by Tom Russell. To subscribe to Tom’s newsletters visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasrussell/

About Tom …

Tom is a facilitator, graphic recorder and founder of Inky Thinking, a visual communication agency specialising in bespoke visual communication, enabling leaders and organisations to communicate effectively. Tom works with leaders and teams in global organisations to design and facilitate conferences, meetings and workshops.

Tom’s book – ‘Meet with Impact – 40 visual tools for productive meeting and engaging workshops’ was published by Pearson Business in 2019.