Creating a Positive Atmosphere for Successful Meetings

Teamwork & CooperationEfficiency & Time ManagementAll employees≈ 15 min

Key skill: Meeting facilitation

Summary

A successful meeting is decided before it even opens: choose the room layout suited to the goal and number of participants, then craft a personalised, welcoming reception to open minds and encourage exchange.

Target audience

Anyone who leads or takes part in meetings.

Learning objectives

Set up your room according to the goal and number of participants
Kick off your virtual meetings well to quickly engage participants
Welcome participants in a personalised, friendly way
Lay the initial groundwork to ease interaction and exchange between participants

Module outline

StorytellingA metaphor for building an inclusive environment through the story of a company garden
ArticlesA coat of arms for greater inclusion: a reflection and sharing exercise · Inclusion best practices: Thank-You Day, Transparency, Walk in My Shoes
Expert videoAn overview of the core values: truth/authenticity, fairness, recognition, and trust
AnchoringA quiz and true/false exercise to explore the topic further and cement what you've learned
Memo cardDownloadable memo card: the key takeaways from the expert video
CommitmentConcrete examples to help you define your own commitment
BonusA selection of videos to go further (TED, YouTube)

Models & methods

Room layouts (round table, theatre, U-shape, islands, stand-up); personalised welcome; breathing exercises and a minute of silence.

Research-based

A mindfulness exercise from Chade-Meng Tan, mindfulness instructor at Google, shared with L'Express: one to three breaths before the meeting.