I’ve often wondered why live comedy-shows begin with someone coming out and kibitzing with the audience before they go live. Shouldn’t they be backstage getting ready? Now I get it! They do this so when the show begins, the audience has already been energized and laughing so the show’s jokes draw immediate response. I realize this is also why speakers often tell a few jokes before getting into their message. It gets the audience warmed up, loose, and ready to listen to what you have to share with them.
It’s somewhat like that with meetings. I urge the Chairs of a committee start every meeting with a warm-up, where everyone gets an opportunity to say something, often light and humorous, before the business begins. Last week I saw what this really means.
At one meeting, the Chair began with, “Barrie said we should have some fun,” and the Board began sharing anecdotes from their recent experiences. This went on and on, with people interacting a lot and having fun. It almost got out of hand, for what was scheduled for 10 minutes went on for 20, and I had to remind the Chair we had a full agenda to cover. The rest of the meeting was highly interactive and productive, and people left the room feeling great.
Later in the week, at another meeting, the Chair, even knowing how important these warm-ups can be, just went around the room and asked everyone to introduce themselves, and went into the heart of the meeting. The speaker was there to discuss the importance of committees and how to utilize them, and began by asking the Board some fundamental questions, only to be greeted with blank stares and silence. What should have been a lively discussion about an important topic turned into a didactic presentation.
So please don’t treat this first 10-15 minutes of a meeting as just a waste of time. It can transform the rest of your meeting. We recognize that boards are more effective if people enjoy each other and feel like a team going out to get an important job done. You can’t do this if the members of the team don’t know and care for each other. So before the game, let’s get together and cheer.