Company meetings are excellent opportunity for cultivating new ideas and nurturing creative thinking. Contrary to popular belief, meetings are not just about checking off task lists and assigning new work. Meetings are also a great time to tap into the creative potential of your team members. You will be surprised at the collective creative ability of your team if you only knew how to harness and maximize that potential!
Getting the creativity flowing in meetings is easier said than done. The majority of people are used to task-oriented meetings as opposed to creative think tanks. Changing this way of thinking is paramount in creating a shift in the expectation of how meetings are conducted.
Follow these steps to make your meeting task-oriented and also creative.
- Restructure the order of your agenda – change your agenda around; shift the usual order of things to show your team members that it is OK to challenge the status quo. This will allow them to think differently. And thinking differently is the precursor to creativity.
- Give everyone a chance to speak – the more your team members feel that their voices are important, the more likely they are to share ideas on improving processes. You can simply ask each team member to give their opinion on certain topics. This is also a great way to keep your team engaged. Sometimes it may not be feasible, time considered, to do this in every meeting. In this situation, you can select different team members to speak in every meeting which eventually gives everyone a chance to share their thoughts.
- Lead by example – begin to share your creative ideas with your team. Present struggling areas of your business or department as opportunities for creative problem solving. You will be surprised by how many great solutions your team provides.
- Stay in the know – keep up with the latest trends in your industry and present them at team meetings. To get everyone involved, set aside time on your agenda for trends and hot topics. Each meeting, one person or two can present a new trend or something exciting in your field. Take time to review the trends and the impact to your way of doing business. Also, consider other resources that can help your team in the creative process.