Business Meetings: Five Things to Do to Keep Your Attendees' Attention

Business meetings are notorious for being slow, dull and boring. If you are presenting at a meeting, how do you keep the attention of everyone in the room? It may take some work, but you can use these tips to keep everyone focused the next time your team gets together.

Make It Interactive

People enjoy being involved in meetings. You should make sure there is plenty of time for people to talk, share ideas and get engaged with others in the room. This interaction ensures everyone is thinking about what you are saying while not allowing anyone's mind to wander off.

Provide Plenty Of Breaks

If your meeting will be a long event, make sure you provide snack and bathroom breaks at least once 30 minutes. The breaks don't have to be long, but you should be sure no one is losing focus because of hunger or an urgent need to go to the bathroom.

Keep The Lights On

A dark room can cause people to get drowsy. When people get drowsy, the only thing they want to do is go to sleep. Even if everyone is wide awake when they enter the meeting room, it may be hard to fight the natural urge to take a nap when the lights go out.

Don't Rely Solely On Videos

People these days live in an infographic world. Instead of taking the time to talk about key statistics or figures, they are condensed into a short blurb viewers are supposed to read on their own. This condensing creates a situation where no context is provided to the attendees of the meeting. It also creates a situation where those in the room get distracted in their own thoughts while the speaker in the video drones on. Make sure you change up the presentation to incorporate a variety of multimedia effects including PowerPoint, YouTube, infographics and photos.

The Room Shouldn't Be Too Hot Or Too Cold

The only time people should be sweating in a room is if they are in a sauna. The only time people should be freezing in a room is if they are going ice fishing. If you are holding a meeting, you want to make sure the room temperature is comfortable enough to keep everyone focused on the meeting at hand.

A business meeting is a time for employees and managers to get together to chart the course of the company. It is not supposed to be a time where people watch TV or take naps. If you can keep everyone focused, your next meeting will be a huge success.