There are many reasons you could be hosting a meeting. It could be to do with business, your children’s school, or maybe a local community meeting. Whatever the reason, if you are the host you want it to go well and to impress those present.
Try To Avoid Being Predictable
Predictability will just produce boredness so try to do something different. For instance, most meetings start with someone talking and end with questions from the audience. Turn it around and ask them what questions they would like to see answers to at this meeting.
If it is a much smaller business meeting, listen carefully to what other people are saying, and judge their moods from their questions. This can affect the way you answer them. Whether it is a small meeting or large meeting, always answer the questions as though you care, and then people will be more inclined to listen to you.
Looking After Important People
It could be that your meeting is with potential new clients or clients of long standing that you want to impress. If that is the case, you should consider using a better venue, or at least sprucing up yours, putting on your best clothes, and perhaps even using a professional contract catering company when impressing important clients, as a good atmosphere, impressive clothing and great food will stick in their memory as much as everything you have had to say to them. Really, you could have put months of hard work into the hosting of this meeting and want everything to be perfect. With you and your team being fully prepared and at their best, some good food can clinch the deal.
Remove Anything That Is Distracting
While the meeting is in progress you want everyone there to be listening to whoever is speaking at any one time. To ensure this happens any distractions need to be removed. Ask people to turn off their mobiles for the duration of the meeting, and make sure there are people at the doors to stop any distances from outside the room.
When everyone is focused on what is being said, you are much more likely to have a successful meeting.
Build Relationships
There will always be people that turn up early for the meeting, just as there is usually someone that is late. When you have time before the meeting starts, chat to some of these people and start to build relationships with them. It is very easy to find out things like if they were stuck in traffic on the way so are a little agitated, or was the train crowded today. Tell them something little about yourself, you may be surprised how much people like that. Simple chitchat is all it takes, but it will make them feel closer to you and give you some friends in the meeting before it gets underway.
Meetings come in all shapes and sizes, and no matter what the reason most people do not look forward to them. Make your meeting interesting and different and you will get a better response than if it just follows the normal run of the mill discussions where everyone goes home and forgets about it.
