Sometimes getting your participants to show up at a
meeting can be difficult... and you know its not a
matter of them having the right time and location.
What actions can be taken to make sure everyone
attends? The following are a few suggestions of bait to
increase attendance at any meeting or conference
call.
First, do you have the right audience for the
meeting?
People only want to attend meetings or calls that are
relevant to their work or interests. For small meetings,
actually think about each participant for the value they
will bring to the meeting, or the value the meeting will
bring to them. For larger meetings, examine the group
at category levels, such as departments or industry
groups. Can single representatives go instead of
everyone?
Second, sell your meeting. Yes, actually
promote why
your participants should attend your meeting. Lay out
the benefits that they will receive or miss out on if
they don't show up. Your meeting is taking up time
that they could be doing something else, so remind
them why it will be worth their while.
Third, have an agenda and publish it in
advance. This
lets participants know what to expect both in terms of
time, content and advance preparation. This is the
output of the first two points above and demonstrates
that your meeting will be orderly, on time and relevant.
Also ensure all location and time details are included.
Fourth, tie incentives to attending the
meeting. Some positive incentive examples include
offering a random prize (candy bar, vacation day,
baseball tickets), recognition of an individual, telling
humourous stories, food or drinks -- any variety of
extra incentives. Even the smallest reward will go a
long way in what may otherwise be perceived as a less
than fun event. Negative incentives are also sometimes
useful, such as the removal from a particular group or
failing to fulfill a predefined performance criterium.
Choose something that fits within your company's
culture.
Find the right bait and your meeting participants will
return again and again.
