Training Magazine - June 2008 - (Page 62)

MEETINGS CPR from different departments get to speak with each other,” explains Saretta Holler, marketing communications manager. At the first luncheon, about one year ago, the CEO discussed the company’s goals. Since then, each department makes a fiveminute presentation discussing what’s new or noteworthy in its own area. Importantly, the responsibility of presenting is passed among individuals within each department, resulting in everyone at some point having to learn more about their own department and its initiatives. QUICK TIPS Mary Boone, president of Boone Associates, earned the nickname “The Secret Weapon” because of her expertise in helping execs design meetings that connect, inform, and engage people in complex, networked organizations. Here are three of her key tips: • RETHINK who the stakeholders are, and find ways to include them before, during, or after the session, perhaps as Webcast speakers or in roundtable discussions. • MAKE A LIST of the business and learning objectives for the meeting. For example, the learning objective may be to introduce a new program, but the business objective may be to increase cross-selling using the new program. • USE TECHNOLOGY to extend the boundaries of the meeting. Use Webcasting, podcasting, blogging, threaded discussions, wikis, or social networking to help people connect. TIME TO REFLECT Not every session should be interactive, though. Participants need time to listen, to reflect, and to put the ideas they’re hearing into context. Krizan likes to begin a general session with a high-energy opening, ideally with an entertainment factor such as music or a video woven into the message. “At 8 a.m.,” she points out, “it’s important to get the brain energized.” After the general session, shift gears to breakout sessions that let attendees move around. “The later in the day you go, the lighter the content should be.” Meetings don’t have to break into small groups for audience interaction, though. Audience response systems are a high-tech method to involve the audience and can be valuable if they’re used to get actionable information. For example, Krizan says,“If a franchise organization is trying to get franchisees to rebrand their businesses to become more competitive, they may ask how many of the attendees have started rebranding. Then, of those respondents, how many have seen a 20 percent increase in business, a 40 percent increase, etc.” Speakers then can address their comments to the actual needs of participants, as well as the company. Consequently, “the presentation becomes a conversation, and that’s powerful.” The idea of tapping into collective insight is compelling.“What executives need in today’s complex business environment is the ability to tap into the wisdom of large groups of people,” Boone says, “and to allow them to learn from each other, as opposed to strictly selling them on ideas in broadcast mode.” t BREAK OUT THE TOYS Doubletree Hotel Bethesda recently got creative in its quest to solve the classic “meeting doldrums” that afflict thousands of meeting attendees each year. “We thought, ‘What if we reduced the level of activity in the analytical side of the brain and stimulated activity in the creative side [during refreshment breaks]?’” says General Manager Michael McMahon. “Would that make meeting attendees less anxious and more receptive when they went back into the meeting room?” McMahon, with the input of behavioral psychologist Dr. Jeffrey Turner, decided to look at different activities that would engage an adult’s creative side, such as comics, puzzles, and toys. “We begin to doodle when the analytical side shuts down and the creative side wakes up in the brain,” says Dr. Turner. “And adults love to pick up a child’s toy and regress for 2 or 3 minutes to a happier time in their life.” McMahon incorporated these activities into afternoon meeting breaks. One day it’s all about comics, another day it’s children’s 62 toys, etc. The next challenge was to link these activities to the break foods being offered through more creative presentations. For example, when the toys are out, McMahon offers deep fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches. “Not only is it entertaining to support the playtime theme, it also stimulates the senses of sight, taste, and smell,” says McMahon. “When it’s comic day, we’ll sauté spinach. When it’s puzzle day, we’ll have folks working to reconstruct a 6-foottall puzzle of the Statue of Liberty while we are cooking New York City street food.” As the finishing touch for these “Intellectual Breaks,” the hotel plans to have celebrity impersonators serving and preparing the food. Popeye will sauté spinach, Frank Sinatra will prepare New York street food, and Elvis will handle the peanut butter and banana sandwiches. | JUNE 2008 t r a i n i n g w w w. t r a i n i n g m a g . c o m http://www.trainingmag.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Training Magazine - June 2008

Training Magazine - June 2008 Contents Online TOC Editor’s Note Live & Online Training Today Soapbox How-To World View Changes With Penguins Keeping Forced Ranking Out of Court Across the Board Certify Me Meetings CPR How Secure Is Your Data? Training Leadership Summit Wrap-Up Tools of the Trade Inprint Questions for Covey

Training Magazine - June 2008

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