How to ensure your meeting makes an impact
A valuable meeting may be remembered for a long time, or it may be quickly forgotten yet be one that shapes future work in a company or professional group. The work done to prepare for a meeting can have a huge impact on whether the meeting is successful and how it affects the guests. While you can’t guarantee that every meeting will be life-changing, you can create an atmosphere that encourages success. Read on to find out how.
Get the right people
For decision-making meetings, you may find yourself asking people to stay away, as a smaller group of key stakeholders can make better decisions quicker. However, for larger meetings, for example, ones where the goal is to present information to the wider company, update a sales team on a new product or give members of a professional body the chance to learn about new developments, then the key people will be those presenting. As well as big names who can speak with authority, it’s worth finding individuals who are good speakers and have something interesting to say, even if their topic is less mainstream.
Remove physical distractions
Humans are very physical creatures, and it’s easy for an entire lecture hall audience to be distracted by a relatively trivial matter, such as hard seating, a buzzing broken light or a problem with the sound system. Selecting an appropriate venue which is well maintained and comfortable will help your guests remove their attention from the physical, and focus on the presentations they are witnessing. Comfort breaks and good meals are also essential, as these remove petty physical distractions, such as thirst and hunger. Good space management to avoid delays will also help. Our halls for hire in Northampton may be something of interest for you.
Add some theatre
Give your speakers the chance to really stand out and convey their message dynamically. At Kents Hill, some of our meeting rooms are fitted with high-tech equipment, including light and sound equipment, as well as screens to show videos or images. When used appropriately, these theatrical elements can dramatically increase the engagement of audiences, as well as making speakers more effective by letting them present their information in the ideal format.
Get the audience involved
Another way of increasing engagement with a topic is to let the audience get hands on and try it themselves (ideal if you’re demonstrating a new product or technology) or to discuss and debate it in small groups (better for new methods and policies). For this reason, as well as booking a large lecture hall to fit your entire group, you may want to book one or more smaller rooms where demonstrations and seminars can take place. At Kents Hill Park we have 70 meeting rooms and event spaces, which means that we can find the perfect combination of rooms for you for any meeting. Whether you need space for 8 or 350, we’ve got a room that will suit you. Contact our dedicated events team to find out more.
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