Human interactions consist of people coming together with a shared purpose. They may take the form of bargaining sessions or annual retreats; task forces or staff meetings -but whatever the format, meeting environments are often full of barriers that block productivity, stifle innovative and intuitive potential, and actually sanction mindlessness as an acceptable mode of operation.

What if . . . you could create "communities for thinking" rather than "time slots" where people sit robotically ticking off agenda items?

What if . . . you could unsitck your employees instead of letting them be stuck in meetings, task forces, and committees?

The catch is this: while meetings burn up time and people, they are still a resourceful communication and management tool. And predictions are that this tool will continue to act as the link that connects us in our organizations. Your challenge is making these interactions more effective.

One of the simplest things you can do to counteract common meeting pitfalls is to turn the meeting room on its ear. Imagine your eighteen-foot mahogany boardroom table scattered with bags of bee pollen - not set up with your typical executive tools of legal pads and sharpened pencils - and on the walls around the table are pictures of fat bumblebees. Every time the participants look at the bee pollen, they remember the purpose of their meeting - to cross-pollinate each other’s ideas. The bee motif reinforces their purpose and adds an energizing, humorous theme. This deliberately prepared environment frees the participants to release their spontaneous, creative selves. Check out the Thunderbolt Thinking Jump Starts for more ideas!

Michelle Mink, Market Manager for US WEST Communications, took part in a forum whose purpose was to present ideas and initiatives, find out what other groups were working on, and discuss opportunities to use and expand the ideas. For her part of the meeting, a presentation on a "Free Installation Proclamation" known at the company as "FIP," Michelle wrote a song entitled "Frosty the FIP Man," printed out lyrics for everyone at the meeting, and had them all sing along with her (to the tune of "Frosty the Snowman") right before her presentation.

The results? Michelle says, "Everybody sang. I was surprised. Everyone lightened up a little bit." Michelle thinks that the lighter atmosphere in the room may have allowed for a freer exchange of information and questions during and after her presentation, which came at the middle of the meeting. "It got their attention, got their blood flowing," she says.

To maximize your meeting potential be proactive, aware of and prepared for change. Plan to deliberately transform the environment -- think about freeing individuals from their "institutionalized conditions" so that they can think differently. Turn your next meeting into a 30-minute think tank with the following tips:

• Find a unique way to let participants know you welcome their contributions (example: have the agenda pre-delivered to their desks via singing telegram).

• Break typical meeting patterns. If the meeting’s purpose is to generate ideas for making the most unpopular office area more workable, hold the meeting there instead of at a conference table.
  
• Finally, expose yourself (figuratively!): share your passion, and others will respond. Discuss how to expand that passion to the rest of the organization. Serve "purple passion punch" to keep the commitment level high.

As manager of a National City Bank branch, Connie Schoeller wanted to enhance customer service. To build on the potential of her team Connie instituted daily "pep rallies" to celebrate successes. In weekly sales meetings, she helps the team raise customer service awareness. She once came to work in mismatched shoes and earrings and gave the group five minutes to describe her appearance. This exercise launched a discussion of awareness - attention to detail and listening when communicating with customers - but it also helped Connie learn more about individual staff members.

When one customer service representative’s sales figures lagged, Connie had the team draw their brains on easel-size paper. The most noticeable differences were the brains’ sizes: some were as small as dimes, others as large as pumpkins. When the customer service representative saw her drawing next to others, she recognized that she’d been focused on her own "inability" to succeed, which kept her from listening to her customers. As a result, she began to shift her perspective. "In the last six months, she has often been the (sales) leader," Connie says.

Your challenge: hosting a meeting that adds value and enriches those who attend. Jump start your next meeting by introducing fresh, creative ways of approaching the meeting process; develop a think tank environment that stimulates participants to generate ideas and communicate with one another; and encourage change. Ultimately, it is by combining creativity and change that innovative solutions will emerge at your next meeting.

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