I've been in a number of fun and productive brainstorming meetings at work this past week. The people in the meetings are from different parts of the organization, so some people know each other well and some are meeting for the first time. There has been a lot of energy in the room and people are openly contributing their ideas. At the end of each meeting, I discuss our next steps and ask people if we should have another meeting. The answer keeps being "Yes!". A few people have even said "This is fun!".

This makes me think about what is making these meetings so productive and fun. My mind keeps going back to one explanation- it's the people. People are coming to the meetings with open minds, and they are also coming to the meetings "ready to have a good time". Since these are brainstorming meetings, the success of these meetings really depends on the people, their attitudes, and their ideas.

I put together a list of the top 10 things you can do to make a meeting successful. These tips apply to brainstorming meetings, but to meetings in general. These are extracted from the behaviors I'm seeing from my colleagues. Thank you, team!

1. Be ready to talk. Be ready to listen.
2. Be ready to contribute, both during and between meetings.
3. Be ready to create a great result.
4. Be ready to collaborate.
5. Be ready to meet team objectives and goals. Be ready to go with team decisions.
6. Be ready to share your best ideas. Be ready to accept and build on other people's ideas.
7. Be ready to have your ideas supported. Be ready to have your ideas shut down.
8. Be ready to argue politely. Be ready to concede.
9. Be ready to be positive. Be ready to have a good time.
10. Be ready to energize yourself. Be ready to energize others.

Note that the last two tips are perhaps the most important. When you come to a meeting with a positive attitude and ready to have a good time, you not only bring your own positive energy to the group, but you also have the effect of energizing others. This energy builds and helps create the dynamic collaborative environment needed for new ideas to flow and for the meeting to be successful.

Have you been in dynamic, creative meetings?
What were the key factors for success?
What do you think of the items on my top 10 list?
Which ones do you agree or disagree with?
Which ones are the most meaningful to you?
Do you have any to add?

Tags: career tips, successful meetings, brainstorming, creativity, collaborative dynamic environment, energizing others, HP

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