🎈Make Meetings More Fun! 🎉
🧟♂️ Let's End the Work Zombie Apocalypse! 🧟♀️
Use this guide filled with easy-to-implement ideas to make your meetings more
ENGAGING, EXCITING, and PRODUCTIVE!
The Prescription for Any Successful Meeting is a Heavy Dose of ENGAGEMENT! 🤸♂️
This guide contains several ways to accomplish just that.
However I must warn you:
There is a lot of information here!!
To avoid information overdose, quickly scroll through and pick just a couple ideas that jump out at you and start there.
I have divided this guide into 3 sections:
Games that encourage participation where you incorporate your content.
Tactics for discussing potentially difficult conversations.
Fun games to layer into your meeting that just add some levity.
Then at the end there's a special offer and 2 Bonus gifts. 🎁🎁
I can tell you I have successfully used ALL of these techniques for YEARS. They work. Just find the ones that work for YOU. 👍
And I'm just an email away if you need further recommendations!
🌟 GOOD LUCK!! 🌟
🌟 GETTING PARTICIPATION 🌟
Poker Night
Ok I'm giving you my best secrets right off the bat!!
This is by far the most popular game for getting participation in a meeting and it's so simple.
Play Poker. 🃏
Watch this short video for the best explanation.
(The video is Part 2 of a 2-part series on how to increase engagement, which details the Poker concept. Email me if you're interested in Part 1- which is a completely different concept with whiteboards!)
Depending how many people you have you will likely need multiple decks of cards. The object is to form the best 5-card poker hand from all the cards you receive.
Cards are earned when someone participates; asks a questions, gives input, answers correctly, etc., you make the rules. Just don't be stingy with the cards, give people a real chance and they will get excited as they earn more cards.
I have used this game in all kinds of settings and even people that have never played poker get into it.
This game hits the jackpot every time. 😆🌟🃏 Here is a free cheat sheet of what hands beat what:
Guess Jar
This is a super easy way to encourage participation. Fill a jar with something pertaining to your topic, your business or a theme you've chosen.
For example I used to sell medication for fleas and ticks and I filled a jar with raw beans and rice and said it was fleas and ticks, haha gross I know.
But it always got a laugh. Get creative. You can use candy and say the winner gets the jar!
The premise is this: at the start of meeting, show the jar, announce the prize and say the only way to submit a guess is to participate in some way. If you want, you can allow multiple guesses to encourage continued participation.
Ideas for filling the jar: pennies, candy corn, jelly beans, gumballs, M&Ms, ANY candies really; lego pieces, marbles, poker chips, cheesepuffs, nuts, pretzels, (I must be hungry 😆) small toys, q-tips, rubberbands, paperclips,etc.
Just be sure you count them first! I like to write the answer on a small piece of paper and tape it to the inside of the jar lid.
The Magic of Eggs
So underrated! Eggs can make your meetings so much fun! 🎉(not real ones, silly, I'm talking those plastic eggs!)
You can put lessons in the eggs and hide them. Then after the "egg hunt" have each person open their eggs and share what's inside. Expand on the lesson or ask them to share what they know about that topic.
It gets people involved rather than you just standing up in the front as a talking head. (YES you can even do this with subjects as boring as The Budget, SOPs, Sales Tactics, Expense Reports, etc.) 🤮
Or fill the eggs with written prizes and let people draw from a bucket as they participate. I like to give out free silly prizes like "A pat on the back from everyone around you" "A standing ovation" (yes, invite them up to the front and then have everyone give them a standing ovation 😆)
Of course you can also include things like: "Free lunch delivered to you at work!" "A milkshake (or coffee) delivery!" "A bottle of wine!" (if it's appropriate of course!)
🔥 CONVERSATION STARTERS 🔥
Change
If you are making changes and need a way to discuss with your team, start out by having them do a basic exercise that will get them to FEEL what change means and then connect your discussion to it.
For example, ask them to sign their name with their opposite hand. Or ask them to cross their arms and notice how they do it - which arm is on top, are their hands tucked in or out? Now ask them to uncross and do it again - this time completely opposite. Most people have a really hard time doing it!
Change is always strange and uncomfortable at first. These simple activities break the ice and can start a lighter approach to your discussion on change.
Expectations
A fun way to open a discussion on expectations is to quickly click through some slides where you type the name of a color, but the color of the word is a different color.
For example, the word GREEN would be in blue font, the word RED would be in green font, etc. As you move through the slides, ask them to call out the color of the font.
This task becomes difficult because our brains have an expectation, and when it's suddenly disrupted, we are thrown off.
So you can relate your discussion by sharing that expectations can sometimes lead us astray, as in shouting out the wrong color! Or when you are in an elevator pushing the button, not seeing the sign on the outside that says "Out of Order." 😆
Perspective
This is always a fun discussion because everyone has such a different perspective, but inevitably we think everyone else thinks like we do. 😬
A good demonstration of this is to show some photos that can be perceived completely differently depending how you look at them. They are like optical illusions; you've seen these type of pictures before?
Show the picture and ask what they see. I provide a free set of photos below!
Discussing perspectives is like trying to agree on the best temperature in the office – one person's 'comfortable' is another person's 'arctic expedition'! Let's learn to laugh and have fun with it. 😆
🎉 JUST FOR FUN 🎉
Barnyard
If you need to break people up into small groups to work on something together during your meeting YOU MUST TRY THIS! 😆 It's a FUN way to assign what groups they're in.
The video explains it best, but basically it's a great way to generate energy, laughs, and connection before you even begin your small group activity!
I promise the results you get from your small groups after doing this will be FAR BETTER than if you just simply count off or say form groups with your table. NO! Get people up and moving around and acting silly; it will open up their brains for more creative, interactive, productive work.
And isn't that the point?
Buzzword
This is a staple in my arsenal of games - I use this at nearly EVERY event I do, no matter the size. It is always a big hit and the beauty is, it can be played throughout the event without having to stop and get everyone's attention, it just happens.
Come up with a "Buzzword" - a somewhat common word that might come up in casual conversation. The object is to NOT say it.
Everyone puts on 1 string of beads upon arrival. Post the "Buzzword" on the wall for everyone to see and make sure everyone knows NOT to say the word... if they catch someone saying it, they take ALL their beads. 😲
You can add words throughout the night to make it even more of a challenge. (Adding a new word does not replace the old words... now there are multiple words they cannot say!)
Typically for a networking event, the 3 words I've always used are: WORK, DRINK & GAME... you could do any words you want really that might be more common for your group.
The person with the most beads at the end of the night, wins! This is an easy addition to a gathering of any size and adds a surprising amount of fun. A sudden outburst of screams and laughter is quite common with this one. 😂
**TWIST: If you have other games going on, you could make one of the prizes that they get an extra string of beads! This gets some people back in the game and makes it a little more competitive! 🎈
Bingo
This can add some hilarity to any meeting, and is a great way to let everyone know this meeting is going be fun, and that you don't always take everything so seriously.
This is the mood you WANT for a productive meeting, so people engage and feel safe to contribute.
There are a variety of ways you can play this game:
They can fill in their own Bingo boards by coming up with their own content.
You can have everyone fill in their own Bingo boards from a list of options you provide.
Or you can premake a standard Bingo board.
The idea is to have some common words or occurrences on the Bingo board that may come up during the course of the meeting.
When it happens, fill in the person's name or simply mark off the square.
Have fun with it, get creative, lighten up and have fun!! 🎉
These could be potential Bingo squares:
Someone says "Aligned"
Someone says "Hard Stop"
Someone says "Incentivize"
Someone says "Low-hanging fruit"
Someone comes in late
Someone has to leave early
Someone asks a question that's already been answered
Someone starts eating something
You get the idea. Find the funny in what you do and make light of it. 😆
The one rule is that a person cannot use their own actions to mark off a square.
🎈 SPECIAL OFFER 🎈
Gamification Works! 🔥
If you're enjoying the ideas and activities in this webguide, you might be ready to take it up another notch...! Now this may seem counter-intuitive, but trust me... there is science behind this! 🧠
If you really want to get your employees engaged, increase productivity and profitability and create some massive energy with your team, try having a meeting where you just play a game. JUST. FOR. FUN. 🎉
If you think this will be a waste of time, think again. There is a TON of data out there that proves better business metrics when employees are having fun. 💥
You could host a live game show! I have 3 ready-made classic game shows your employees will love!! 🌟 And for purchasing this webguide, I'd like to offer you HALF OFF! Head over to my Pharmacy of Fun and use discount code: MANIA50 🎁
🎁 BONUSES! 🎁
BONUS #1: Themes!
If you don't know where to start, pick a theme and let that guide you! Whether it's a full on event with themed decor and costumes or simply adding a light touch to an otherwise boring meeting, a good theme goes a long way.
Here is a guide with over 50 theme ideas to get your brain going and suggestions for how to implement into meetings or events!
BONUS #2: Appreciation Tactic!
I have MUCH to say about APPRECIATION but here is a simple and effective start. 😍
Don't underestimate the power of a gold star! 🌟 Or a fun sticker or an achievement ribbon. Sure to bring a laugh and bring out the kid inside - which of course releases positive chemicals in our brains and bodies, making us happier and more productive.
Appreciation is one of the most underutilized and free methods to maximizing performance and creating loyalty. 💖
For a deeper dive into appreciation, my signature training (a live, in-person event) has a POWERFUL impact. Listen to what this CEO had to say after experiencing it and schedule a free consultation to see if this is something that can help your team!
THANK YOU! 😍
I hope you found this guide helpful!
Please let me know if there are other ways I can help!
This idea of bringing more fun and joy to people's lives and work is SOOOO important! Thank you for taking fun seriously and helping to make the world a happier place! Let's keep going! 🎈
I offer speaking, training and consulting services as well as tons of other templates and guides to help. Please visit my website for more information or email me at Megan@TheDoctorofFun.com 🌟
