Using simple visual meeting techniques can turn a dull meeting into an engaging and memorable experience. Visuals engage and focus the group – why not try a visual agenda at your next meeting?
A visual agenda will engage your group in advance of the event – and a large hand drawn image on the wall will provide a talking point on arrival and give you an anchor as you go through the meeting.
Your agenda could be a simple list with timings, based on a pie chart or bar chart to show chunks of time or you could use some imagery to go with your topic. Include timings, topics and required outcomes for the meeting – you can even leave space for participants to sign in on arrival.
Prepare in advance send copies round to the participants with a note reminding them when and where the meeting will take place, the expected outcomes, and what they need to do to prepare. Don’t forget to attach any pre-reading material and the notes of the last meeting. A prepared agenda and full joining instructions show the participants that this meeting is important.
You can also use a visual agenda when you need to have a quick unplanned meeting – if you have several topics to cover draw a pie and work out how much time you need to spend on each topic by slicing up the pie.
And have a separate sheet of paper available to record the key outcomes and actions from the meeting – take a quick photo and circulate it immediately.
