Category: Company Meetings

How To Plan a Company Meeting

Planning a company meeting?  A successful meeting plan and an engaging agenda for your company event require careful planning, creativity, and a deep understanding of your participant’s needs and preferences. So, here are some steps and tips to help create a plan that leaves a positive impact:

Understand Your Audience

Before you start planning, know your participants. Above all, understand their interests, preferences, and expectations. Tailor the agenda to cater to their needs.

Set Clear Objectives

Define the purpose of the event. Are you aiming for team building, education, networking, or a combination? Clear objectives will guide your agenda creation.

Create a Balanced Schedule

Include a mix of activities, such as workshops, presentations, interactive sessions, team-building exercises, and socializing opportunities. In conclusion, this variety keeps participants engaged and prevents monotony.

Theme and Flow

If appropriate, choose a theme for the event. In other words, create a logical flow that takes participants through different stages, from icebreakers to more intense sessions, and concludes with a meaningful wrap-up.

Allocate Time Wisely

Give each activity the appropriate amount of time. For example, avoid cramming too much into a short timeframe, which can lead to rushed sessions and disengaged participants.

Interactive Sessions

Incorporate activities that encourage participation, such as group discussions, brainstorming sessions, Q&A panels, and hands-on workshops

Guest Speakers and Experts

Invite relevant and dynamic speakers who can provide fresh insights, knowledge, and inspiration. That is to say, a well-chosen speaker can add value and excitement to the agenda.

Breaks and Networking

Schedule regular breaks to allow participants to recharge and network. As a result, you’ll find these informal interactions often lead to valuable connections and idea exchanges.

Incorporate Technology

Use technology creatively to enhance engagement. As a result, this could include live polls, interactive presentations, and digital feedback mechanisms.

Visual and Aesthetic Appeal

Incorporate visuals, graphics, and multimedia to make the agenda visually appealing and easier to follow.

Surprises and Fun Elements

Introduce unexpected elements that add an element of surprise and fun. This could be a quick team-building game, a short video, or a light-hearted competition.

Incorporate Learning

Provide opportunities for learning, growth, and skill development. To sum up, this could be through workshops, training sessions, or discussions on industry trends.

Feedback Mechanism

Include a session or a method for participants to provide feedback on the event. Most importantly, this shows that their opinions are valued and help you improve future events.

Customization and Flexibility

Allow some flexibility in the agenda to accommodate unexpected situations or last-minute changes. In other words, being adaptable demonstrates your responsiveness as an event coordinator.

Pre and Post-Event Engagement

Engage participants before the event with teasers, pre-event surveys, or discussions related to the agenda topics. After the event, share resources, session summaries, and follow-up actions to maintain engagement.

Your Next Meeting?

These are some key areas to think about as you create a successful meeting plan. Let’s discuss how Corporate Calm can add more flavor and fun to your next company meeting.

How to Survive A PowerPoint Presentation

We’re Stuck With It

How to survive a PowerPoint presentation

Let’s talk about how to survive a PowerPoint presentation. PowerPoint burst onto the scene in 1987. It launched around the time that PC purchasing was increasing and more companies and businesses were becoming computer savvy. Bill Gates did not invent PowerPoint, contrary to popular belief. It was created by Robert Gaskins, and he originally called it Presenter, under a company called Forethought. Who knew he would be responsible for the brain drain?

However, the story gets better. Microsoft got a sweetheart of a deal buying the software for $14 million.  By comparison, Google paid a billion dollars for YouTube. They made it better, of course, and today we use its stylish features and special effects in our day-to-day business worlds. Post-COVID, I doubt it will ever go away.

Presentation Survival

I was at a conference when the “featured presenter” took the stage, let’s call him “Jeff.” The topic looked interesting. I was ready. A new learning opportunity. After his bio introduction and topic overview, he clicked on slide one. Seated in the front, I noticed something jarring on the bottom of the slide. It read 2 of 156.

This was the PowerPoint buzz-kill moment. I was stuck, literally, in PowerPoint prison, forced to gut out a 156-slide presentation. Content aside, it was the longest hour of my life. Have you been there? I turned around and saw the “nodders” and the “bailers” going into a PowerPoint coma or just leaving. When Jeff concluded, the next presenter began. Not one break, a pause, or time to stretch. More presenter pain. I had eye strain, a headache, was sore, and certainly bored.

A Big Surprise

The moderator out of the blue asked everyone to stand up and stretch. “Before we move on let’s all stand up together and stretch before our next presentation.” What a simple idea. She knew that was an hour of pain. By adding a simple ‘body and mind break’ everyone in the room had a chance to refresh as the day went on.

That’s what Corporate Calm does. We enter during those presenter intervals and teach simple techniques to keep you focused and energized. Without coffee. Without Redbull.

A Lesson Learned

As you are building out your meeting agenda, we can help with where and when we can add the most value. Corporate Calm will help you get through your meetings. I’ll walk directly on stage, and share a story, and the collective audience will go through some very basic mindfulness and stretching techniques. My rapport with the audience creates engagement. It’s the mind-body balance so one appreciates until they do it. I’ll come back at the end of the day to help people wind down, and prepare for their evening.

What I’ve Learned

Audience receptivity is very positive. The approach is well received. We know the grind of PowerPoint and multi-presentation days. I also conduct breakout sessions giving participants a broader overview of how we exhaust our mental energies in front of a computer each day and then forget to take care of our bodies. Along with that, I’ll lead yoga classes in the morning or evening, with no experience required. I care about getting you through each day. Your teams need to be mentally alert, focused, energized, and ready to tackle that next PowerPoint presentation. I hope this gave you some ideas and solutions for how to survive a PowerPoint presentation.

That’s what we do.