If you have meeting fatigue, you may have violated one of the 5 purposes of meetings.

There’s a way to structure your staff / team meetings in such a way that they’ll actually look FORWARD to the meeting, seeing it as the HIGH point of the day (and even the week) rather than as a distraction from the “real stuff” you do.

Here’s how to make it work.

Begin with community.

Connect. Talk. Laugh. Share. This doesn’t have to have ANYTHING to do with work. Rather, it has EVERYTHING to do with the most important asset at your work— the people.

Move to communication.

Now, let’s talk about the “work” we’re here to do. Let everyone share where they’re at in the trenches of their silo.

Collaborate.

Break down those silos and help each other out. Swap ideas. Give feedback. Share what we call the “last 10%” so that everything is on the table.

Coach.

Provide leadership and direction. Offer wisdom. Now that you’ve heard them, instill your values and culture into the meeting. Highlight how things need to be done.

Cheer.

Leave it a high-note, infusing life by blowing wind into their sails (rather than sucking the wind OUT of them.)

Structure the meeting in this way, and not only will your team connect, but they’ll get MORE work done, and they’ll have fun in the process.