5 tips for inspiring and fun openings of your meetings

Scheduling a meeting, of course, we can all do that. But how do you ensure that this really gets off to a good start? Read here how you can get a strong start to your meeting with icebreakers, quotes and visual resources, together with our useful tips!

Tip 1: Start with a fun icebreaker

Who doesn't want to start a meeting on a fun note? You've all sat down, put your things on the table and are ready to go. The only thing missing is a good atmosphere. Examples of fun icebreakers are: exercise exercises, a puzzle, game or competition, an interactive poll or quiz. This way you still have a lot of them with which you can attract the attention of the participants. A small challenge makes people more alert and productive. You can also make the icebreakers more personal by relating them to personal interests and experiences. This makes the participants feel more involved and at ease. There will then be more focus for the rest of the meeting.

Tip 2: Use an inspiring quote or story

Using an inspiring quote or story for your opening can set the tone for the meeting in another fun way. This makes the topic of the day a lot more interesting and also gets the participants thinking. This text may have to do with the purpose of the meeting, the vision of the company or something completely different that you would like to share. You can get the text from the internet or come up with it yourself. Give yourself and the participants some courage to make the most of the rest of your time. The start of the meeting determines the further course of the meeting. Therefore, make sure that it is positive.

Tip 3: Use creative visuals when opening meetings

Do you really want to attract attention at your opening? Then use visual aids and creative expressions. For example, to show the purpose of your meeting you can create an interactive PowerPoint or use fascinating photos. You can also show a fun or interesting video that is in line with your vision or related to your meeting topic. Doing it this way can inspire and spark creativity among the participants. This also allows you to introduce or summarize what the meeting will be about in a fun way.

Tip 4: Start your meeting with humor

Is humor more your thing? Then make use of that. It doesn't have to be too much fuss, you can also keep your opener short and light. For example, do this with a fun joke or a riddle to get the brain thinking or just to have a good laugh. Break the routine of statically naming the agenda items and the standard round of questions. By doing things differently and involving humor, participants can relax and that works well during a more serious meeting.

Tip 5: Break the ice

If you want to break the ice in a different way, it is an idea to have participants work together. You can also open your meeting with a statement or multiple statements, you can make it as crazy and extensive as you want. You can turn it into a game where participants have to raise their hands as quickly as possible or come forward to answer. Or you can split the participants into teams or duos to work on the topics more intensively. You can also turn it into a group discussion! This is a fun way to let everyone get to know each other and strengthen the team. This way you can immediately get started interactively with the meeting and focus on the participants.

What is also never a bad idea is to open the meeting with a nice round of chatting. Not the usual introduction round, but fun talking about the plans for the near future. You can also relate this to the meeting and talk about what everyone is most looking forward to.

Conclusion: So how do you open a meeting?

So there are many different methods to start your meeting. Decide for yourself which one suits you and the participants best. You can also apply some of these options in between to pause the meeting and regain concentration. Be innovative and give it a try! You will undoubtedly experience your meeting in a completely different way.

Now that you know how to open your meeting, the only thing missing is a nice meeting location. Book your unique, inspiring space now at Meet Tuesday!