Zoom Fatigue? How to Make Meetings More Engaging and Productive

Are you spending hours every day in meetings? Do you find them boring or frustrating?

Want good news? There are ways to host meetings that are time well spent for all involved.

Think about it. Why are shows like The Voice and American Idol so popular? It's because viewers get a voice and vote. They care about the outcome because they co-create it.

Amy Poehler says, "I get a little itchy if I don't have some kind of control."

Face it. We all get a little itchy if we don't have some kind of control.

That's why, from now on, your goal as a meeting host is to share control so people feel they're a part OF the process instead of apart FROM the process.

Want an example of a meeting host who did this successfully?

A club president was concerned because registrations for their monthly virtual meetings were dropping. They normally started with 10 minutes of business, featured a guest speaker for 30 minutes, 20 minutes of Q & A.

When I spoke for them, I asked if we could change the format to make it more interactive. I told her, as a professional speaker for 20+ years, I have 100% clarity that expecting people to sit and listen to a presentation - especially after a l-o-n-g day - is unrealistic.

She readily agreed and we flipped the agenda to make it more engaging from start to finish.

5:30 pm: START ON TIME: She sent an announcement saying, "We know you're busy, so you can trust us to honor your time by starting on time. You are welcome to join the "green room" starting at 5:15 so you can connect and get caught up with each other beforehand."

5:30-5:35: 5 minutes of updates (not ten) about the organization's upcoming activities.

5:35-5:50: 15 minutes from guest expert with real-life examples and current insights.

5:50 - 6:15: Host facilitates group conversation where each of the 20 participants contributes a one minute comment on the speaker's topic.

You may be thinking, "One minute?! That's not enough time. And what if people run over their time? Actually, this produces a pace and momentum that keeps everyone on the edge of their seats. Plus, the host interrupts if necessary to keep people on track and on time.

6:15 -6:30: 15 minutes from speaker with more real-life examples and best-practices.

6:30 – 6:55: Host facilitates another discussion where participants have 1 minute to share what they and/or their organization are doing to thrive in these challenging times.

6:55 - 7:00: Host announces three topic options for the next event and asks attendees to VOTE FOR THEIR favorite. This gives them skin in the meeting game. They will be more likely to show up because they played a role in co-creating the upcoming show.

Guess what?

Everyone loved this new format because they were the presenters, not just the listeners.

They appreciated having an opportunity to share something current and relevant to them.

They enjoyed hearing from - and seeing - each other after not having attended an in-person meeting for months. Furthermore, the diversity of input created a meaningful momentum that kept everyone on the edge of their seat - which is quite a feat at 7 pm at night:-)

Want people in your next meeting to feel connected - even if they're miles apart?

Feel free to adapt and use this format to create a proactive, productive "rising tide raising all involved" meeting where everyone feels seen, heard and valued, and where everyone wants to come back and is already looking forward to your next meeting.

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Sam Horn is the CEO of Intrigue Agency and the Tongue Fu! Training Institute. Her 3 TEDx talks and 9 books have been featured in NY Times, on NPR, and presented to Intel, Capital One, Fidelity, NASA. Want more Clarity Stories? Join Sam's Clarity Calls zoom casts.