How to Ramp Up Your Collaboration Experience

“Not Another Meeting…” Creative Ways to Ramp Up Your Collaboration Experience

Meetings are essential in any business. They enable teams to solve problems, map out new strategies, reach important decisions, and work together to drive the business forward.  What’s also essential is to make those meetings as engaging and productive as possible.  That’s because 95% of meeting attendees lose focus and miss parts of the meeting, according to Owl Labs.

What’s more, 92% of employees have admitted to multitasking during meetings. Given the constant barrage of notifications from smartphones and other mobile devices, it’s unsurprising that meeting attendees are so easily distracted. (Source: Flowtrace)

It’s clear that a lack of engagement and productivity in business meetings is a widespread problem. This can have a negative impact on employee morale, decision-making, and overall business performance -- not to mention the impact of wasted time.

Keeping focus is essential, and one way to do that is to be clear about the meeting structure. Here are some of the main reasons why business meetings are unproductive and how to put things right:

• Unclear purpose or agenda: Have a clear purpose or agenda for each meeting and share it with attendees in advance.
• Too many meetings or meetings that are too long: Only schedule meetings when necessary and keep them as short as possible.
• Lack of preparation: Be prepared for each meeting and encourage attendees to do the same.
• Domination by a few people: Facilitate the meeting to ensure that everyone has a chance to participate.
• Multitasking: Discourage multitasking by requesting that phones are turned to silent.
• Lack of follow-up: After the meeting, summarise key decisions and action items. Request that progress is made or tasks are completed by the next meeting, and schedule the next meeting date as soon as possible.

Get Creative with Your Meetings

Planning your meetings and communicating the structure will help get your meeting productivity back on track. Try these creative tricks too:

Change your location. Do you always use the same meeting room or the same venue? Perhaps it’s time to make a change. Choose from 15 locations at UBC and Inigo, ranging from Southampton right up to Edinburgh. What’s more, each business centre has 2 or more meeting rooms -- some with fantastic views -- so you can regularly enjoy a change of scenery.  For example, one of the meeting rooms at Inigo Windsor has impressive views of Windsor Castle!

Head outdoors. Have you ever tried a walking meeting?

Whenever the weather is clear and dry, gather your team and head out into the great outdoors. We have some fantastic outdoor spaces to enjoy right outside your front door, such as:

• Birchwood Park adjacent to Rutherford House, Birchwood.
• Birmingham Business Park, which has plenty of well-maintained footpaths (look out for delicious foodie stalls, too).
• Rutland Square, an attractive tree-shaded space right opposite Inigo Edinburgh.
• Park Square, a well-tended Georgian public park just a few steps from Inigo Leeds.
• The yacht-filled marina at Ocean Village near Southampton, home of UBC’s Enterprise House.

And let’s not forget the health benefits of walking meetings. You’ll increase blood flow while simultaneously relaxing your brain -- and you’ll be a better and more engaged meeting attendee, too. After all, you can’t get sidetracked by your smartphone while you’re focusing on walking and talking.

Order refreshments. Few people will remember a standard Monday morning meeting. That is, unless you order a tasty breakfast with fresh pastries and coffee. It’s easy to treat your team (or your clients) -- simply speak to your UBC or Inigo manager and we’ll arrange the catering order for you.  

It's also important to take breaks during meetings, especially if they are long. Stopping to enjoy coffee and a croissant is a great way to break up the meeting and keep everyone feeling refreshed.

Ask questions. One surefire way to keep your attendees engaged and listening is to ask questions throughout the meeting. It will encourage everyone -- including the quiet ones -- to contribute and share their ideas.

End with a call to action. Regardless of how long your meeting, always end with a clear call to action. Tell people what you expect them to do after the meeting, and by when. This could be to complete a task, read an article, or prepare for the next meeting.

Ready to try out some of these creative solutions at your next meeting? Book a meeting room online at any UBC or Inigo Business Centres location and enjoy a 10% discount!

Book online with a 10% discount here.