“Real change happens on the level of the gesture. It’s one person doing one thing differently than he or she has done it before.” - Cheryl Strayed

If your #meetings are feeling stale, stiff, or sloppy, it’s always the right time to try something new. And something new doesn’t have to mean cute (or JUST cute). It can and should be meaningful.
 
➸ Here are 3 ways you can dramatically improve the quality of your meetings without a ton of effort.
 
1. Let people know why you’re inviting them to the meeting. (And “because you’ve always been invited” is not a good reason). It should include “here’s what I think you can get out of attending” and “here’s what I want you to contribute to the discussion.” Focus on benefits and contributions. And if you can’t articulate at least one of those, maybe they don’t need to attend.
 
2. Start on time no matter what. Otherwise, you train people to show up late. What if your key decision maker isn’t there? Start with a topic that you CAN discuss while you wait for them. As someone who is compulsively early, a late meeting drives me bananas. Start with SOMETHING on time — and come to the meeting prepared with what that something might be.
 
3. Check in with people even if you’ve already checked in with them before. These are difficult and divisive times. On Zoom, you can share a word cloud of emotions and ask people to annotate which ones resonate for them right now. In person, you can ask people to draw a picture that represents their “weather” right now - sunny, cloudy, stormy, etc. Or you can just ask “how are you?” In the meeting — and also follow up after the meeting. And make sure you make any and every answer okay.