Truth: morning meetings are tough, even for the early bird. Whether it’s because the caffeine hasn’t hit yet or they pulled an all-nighter, your office probably may not be as fully alert as usual. How can you combat this and make sure you start off on a productive note? We’ve compiled a list of ways to perk your group up and get your message across, no matter how groggy the audience is.
Send out an agenda the day before.
List what you’ll discuss and any key points they need to know beforehand.
Ask questions.
Whether you start your meeting with highs and lows of the past week or simply ask what they did over the weekend, engaging everyone from the get-go is important.
Restate the agenda.
It sounds repetitive, but briefly reminding the group at the beginning will help jog their memories.
Allot small increments of time for each topic.
This will ensure that you stay on time and avoid any distractions.
Skip the lecture.
If your audience is tired, they might zone out and miss critical information. Encourage and leave room for others to contribute any thoughts or questions.
Bring a treat.
Be it brownies or doughnuts, a little sugar can go a long way and break up the usual coffee-and-cereal routine—or even provide food to those who missed breakfast.
Ban cellphones.
This rule can apply to any meeting, but people are inclined to check and respond to emails they received earlier in the morning or the night before. Consider having a bowl that all phones go into at the beginning of the meeting so everybody is present.
End with something unusual.
Whether you lead your group in stretches or go around and ask what each person is grateful for, a quirky-yet-positive end to the meeting will start everyone’s day off on the right foot.
