We Can't Keep Meeting Like This - Part 1

As a Corporate Trainer and Professional Volunteer I have attended and hosted my unfair share of meetings. More often than not they have been as enjoyable as one of Dante’s' levels of hell.
Our family's motto has been "If it's not fun -- then it's not done" and that mantra can believe it or not be applied to professional life too.
Here is one of my suggestions for energizing your next meeting:
Open with a fun question that everyone can answer. This clears the air of posturing and lets each member feel heard. Some of my favorites are:


*Where should we hold the next meeting? (No constraints -- we can dream can't we?)


*Who would you have for a dinner guest if you could have any living or historical character?


*What book have you read lately that you loved?


While I was on the Board of the Philadelphia Junior League we surveyed  members as to why they had joined. I thought the most frequent answer would be some lofty sentiment like "To change the world." You know what? The most frequent answer was "to meet new friends."
If you give people a chance to connect as people first then they will become a team of friends and ultimately the job will get done -- with joy.