If your company is like Evans, you may struggle to keep the attention of your employees when presenting such exciting topics as “Logistics, Warehousing, Sales Projections, and Quality and Customer Satisfaction” at corporate meetings. However, attendance at these types of meetings is imperative to not only build a good sound team environment, but also to provide each employee with the information they need to help them focus on the overall company’s goals and objectives.
Here at Evans Distribution Systems we are always looking for better ways to deliver this information in such a way that the content is legitimate, but the delivery is fun and exciting. At our most recent meeting on April 29th, this was no exception. With Cinco de Mayo the following week, we went with a “Spanish Talk Show” themed Quarterly meeting which resulted in our employees receiving great information in a format that created much needed laughter.
After the struggles that our company, and many others, went through in 2009, it was great to have a meeting that generated enthusiasm, looked to the future, and played on the successes that we have had so far in 2010. Our employees really appreciated the opportunity to laugh with their peers and learn some valuable information about the company they work for. The employee feedback we received was outstanding, and they can’t wait until July to attend the next meeting and see what we have in store.
If you are struggling with your company meetings as of late and are looking for ways to spice things up here are some tips that might help.
- Formulate teams of employees (5-8 people works for us, but it may differ depending on your company size) representing a cross-section of departments. This will help employees get to know people they may not often work with and ensure the same people aren’t always doing the planning.
- Pick a theme…skits, costumes, themed decorations, etc. This helps create a visually stimulating environment, especially if you are in the same room where you always hold meetings.
- Purchase some prizes that can be either raffled off or won from a question and answer session. This can help to promote better listening from the employees.
- Ask your employees for feedback after the meeting. This can help future teams refine things such as format, timing, or themes and will ensure you continue to have success with your meetings.
The bottom line is you want everyone to have fun, but make sure the content does not get lost in the party atmosphere.