5 ways to make an impact in your next big meeting
No matter what level of employee you are in a business, it’s important that whenever you are called into a meeting you make a big impact. You can leave your mark on any sort of business setting through your body language, your ideas and the way you talk. Therefore, it is imperative that you know how make an impression no matter what the situation is. Here are the top 5 ways you can make an impact on your next business meeting.
- Set a preliminary goal and expand
Whether you are having a face-to-face meeting with staff, or perhaps or using a Virtual Office from Be Offices, it’s important to go into any sort of business meeting with a clear agenda and set goal. If you know what purpose your meeting holds then you will stick to your task and keep the meeting structured and well-organised. That way you will not waste time and make sure your work colleagues are on the same page as you.
- Be Flexible
Not all meetings are going to fall easily into everyone’s schedule. Some people will have very tight-knit schedules and others may be working under a flexible schedule. That’s why you may want to make an impact on your colleagues by being flexible with your meeting scheduling. Meet them for a coffee or have your meeting over lunch. If your work mates feel more open with you, you will find that they are more relaxed and willing to respond to what you have to say.
- Invite who you need
One of the worst things that you can do is invite people into your business meeting who don’t need to be there. You don’t want to waste their time, so make sure to see the colleagues in your work that your decisions will affect. Consider their roles and how they are going to help you. That way you can be proactive and directly let them know what you need. The more information you can give them, the more likely that they will understand you and your perspective.
- Brainstorming
Whilst you do need to take an active approach as a leader, it’s important to take other peoples’ ideas on board. Brainstorming is a great way of doing this. Pick several topics that are relevant to the meeting and get thoughts and ideas on how they can be improved. You can then set out their suggestions in a mind map. Together, you can then pick the best course of action and see it through. This can increase the bond between you and your work mates.
- Visual Direction
Anyone can go into a business room and speak to a few workmates. However, this is not the most effective means of communication between people. Why not create some visual effects to help capture the attention of your workmates? If you have a whiteboard then you give your words a visual meaning. Create images or use colours to capture different emotions and scenarios. This will keep your colleagues engaged with what you are saying during the business meeting.