Stand Up And Be Noticed!
No matter what industry you are in, it’s vital to move with the times. If you don’t? You risk getting left behind, missing out on opportunities, and losing out to your competitors. None of that is good! In the worst case scenarios you could miss out on opportunities to pass on information and generate ideas, which could mean loss of profits in the future.
We’re not just talking abut ensuring you have the most up to date technology and checking that everyone is trained in the most on trend practices, we’re talking about the way you do business too, including internal matters.
Meetings are important brainstorming tools for businesses, as well as a way to transmit information to a large number of people in a quick and efficient way. How you work that meeting however is vitally important in terms of concentration and output.
For instance, think about a meeting you’ve been to in the past, perhaps sat around a conference table and wondering what the meeting had been called for. An hour into said meeting and you were bored out of your mind, struggling to keep your eyes open, and hoping it would be finished soon. Not exactly the way to hold your employees’ attention!
For that reason, looking into new ways to hold and run meetings is vital. If you can engage your employees, you will hold their attention, get over what you need to get over, and hopefully yield a few suggestions from your staff at the same time. So, how can you create a dynamic and forward-thinking approach to your meetings from this point onwards?
Have you heard of stand up meetings?
This is literally what it says on the tin – a meeting in a regular way, which doesn’t have the regular boardroom feel, e.g. no meeting room chairs, and no long table which alienates everyone who is ten spaces down from the Chairperson. Instead, everyone stands.
Why Are Stand Up Meetings Useful?
A lot of studies have gone into this, but basically we are all far too static in our working day, i.e. we don’t get up and move around a lot. When we sit for long periods of time, our bodies become sluggish and our minds follow not too far behind. Have you ever experienced that mid-afternoon or mid-morning slump? Of course you have, everyone has! This is partly as a result of not moving around too much, so stand up meetings go against all of that, hopefully keeping us more alert as a result.
It’s not just the exercise side of things which make stand up meetings useful, and a reason why so many businesses are adopting this new trend. Whilst you’re sat at your office desks, working hard, your body is still under strain, and your posture is damaged as a result of being still for too long. The extra blood circulation from standing in a meeting has been shown to boost concentration, and that’s never a bad thing!
Of course, because of the vertical nature of a stand up meeting, this type of get together is shorter than a regular conference. This is a plus point, because it helps to keep the meeting right on the point, without going off on a tangent and discussing things which aren’t pertinent. The minute taker will certainly be happy about that! Sending out a brief of the meeting beforehand, as well as an agenda, gives everyone a chance to look at what is going to be discussed, and come up with any ideas or suggestions prior to the meeting. This also saves time and ensures that nothing is forgotten.
Is It More Natural To Stand?
Whenever there is a problem at work, e.g. an IT disaster, or someone calls out for help with a particular issue, do people go over to that member of staff and sit down? Not usually; it is more likely that everyone gathers around the table to discuss the issue. This is the natural way, and a more on the spot way of brainstorming. If you want your meetings to be casual and more fluid, then standing is shown to be much move productive and effective.
This is also a way to bring a laid-back feel to events, rather than it being a formal affair, where everyone sits down and shuffles paper, often looking apprehensive about what is going to be discussed. Standing instils a sense of ‘casual catch up’, rather than formal work meeting.
Of course, there are times when sit down meetings are still going to be required, e.g. formal conferences, or lengthy meetings, but it is definitely a good idea to incorporate both types into your schedule. If you’re arranging a sit down meeting then finding the right modular boardroom tables and chairs is vital, to avoid staff becoming uncomfortable during the duration of the conference. Conversely, just because a stand up meeting doesn’t require chairs, that doesn’t mean that you won’t need tables or something to basically ‘lean against’. You can find ideal choices for searching for ‘office furniture near me’, and then opting for the best choice for your organisation’s needs and budget.
Is It a Case of Stand Up And Be Noticed?
Finding out whether stand up meetings are a good way to work get togethers in your organisation is down to trying it once or twice. See how your employees respond, and perhaps ask for feedback. It’s also a good idea to time your stand up meetings at the traditional points of the day where staff have those mid-afternoon or mid-morning slumps. Whilst some reach for an extra cup of coffee or an unhealthy snack a boost, it could really be remedied by simply standing up and being noticed!
Anything new is about trial and error, so certainly give it a go and see if this new way is the right one for your organisation and your individual staff too.