How to Stay the Center of Attention at a Business Meeting

If you hold regular business meetings, you may have found yourself with a less-than-enthusiastic audience and one point or another. To prevent complaints in the future, consider the following when planning a meeting:

First, timing is key. It's not a good idea to plan a meeting early in the week when people are still attempting to recover from the weekend and plan their work schedule. Afternoons are also a proven detractor from a good presentation. Don't even consider choosing to hold your meeting late on a Friday, when everyone simply wants to go home.

Be sure to invite the people who will gain the most from your meeting; people who will make regular contributions to the given topic or project, and those who have the ability to make the important decisions. Send the minutes to everyone else.

Also, keep a specific goal in mind. Meetings are likely to keep on track when its members understand the purpose behind it, and what the end goal to the presentation will be. Figure out why you're calling the meeting before commencing: do you want to exchange information? Come up with a solution to a daunting problem? Have an agenda typed up and sent to each member before the meeting so they're briefed.

The presentation itself is far more important than the words themselves when you're trying to be understood. And in today's instant gratification-minded society, people are more easily distracted. These points are especially significant considering the large number of companies who are utilizing expensive technology (such as live video feed) to offset the ever-increasing cost of business.

To keep your next meeting interesting and its members engaged, here are a few tips to keep their attention:

In all meetings, humor is king. Use a (good) joke, humorous anecdote or other story somehow related to the subject at hand. Failing that, use a picture or quote that the audience can easily relate to.

As mentioned before, encourage the meeting's members to actively participate. Ask for the views and opinions of all involved. Make eye contact to reel them in. taking a cue from the playground, try using a stick or other item that each person can hold, symbolizing they have the floor. You can even ask whether they agree or disagree by a show of hands.

Visuals are also vitally important. Shake things up a little with an interactive demonstration. Make variety your friend.

Lastly, go out with a bang. Maybe not literally, but you need them to walk away with a better impression of the meeting than a memory that it ran on too long. Keep summaries to a bare minimum, and try not to repeat yourself.