Like many, I’ve extended my offerings so that people can continue to access professional leadership development and connect with one another even while confined to home. So the question is How to Make Events Meaningful for your attendees
Whether we gather virtually or in person, events should always be meaningful, full of purpose, and mindful of feelings.
Here is my quick list for when you begin planning your team interactions again, especially live gatherings.
Purpose
Are you focused on:
- Change
- Culture
- Strategy
- Productivity
These are distinct and need to be kept separate from one another. Otherwise the purpose of the gathering can become diluted.
Type
Are you planning on:
- Generating ideas
- Making decisions
- Problem solving
- Answering questions and clarifying
- Celebrating
These require different cognitive functions and facilitation processes. Best to keep them separate.
Outcome
At the end of the meeting, what do you want to walk away with?
Some examples are:
- 3 ideas to test
- A decision on strategic priorities for the next three months
- Changes to simplify a troublesome system
- Answer staff questions on the current change initiative
Knowing where you want to end up will help sharpen the focus of the meeting.
Feeling
During and following the meeting, how do you want you and your team to feel about the experience?
Some possibilities are:
- Curious
- Hopeful
- Interested
- Focused
- Exhilarated
- Excited
This is a hugely neglected aspect of the gathering experience. Feelings will happen regardless, so we might as well be intentional and thoughtful about it. When we keep in mind the emotional experience of a gathering, we can avoid problematic emotional distractions, as well as emphasise the positive ones.
