Writing the Agenda for Your Strategy Meeting
Goals aside, a well-planned agenda is crucial for keeping everyone focused. You’ll need to include clear and actionable objectives, of course, but don’t forget icebreakers and rest breaks to keep everyone motivated. You’ll need to allow fairly rigid time slots for
each part of the meeting, so you have time to discuss each agenda point thoroughly, but it always helps to build in some buffer time. Don’t forget to keep some time at the end to summarise outcomes, action points and next steps!
It’s important to be prepared with the right tools to keep everyone focused on the agenda during a strategy meeting. A large, good-quality whiteboard is essential for outlining your meeting objectives visually, ensuring everyone in attendance can stay on track. As meetings can happen anywhere, a portable whiteboard, like the Nobo Move & Meet Mobile Revolving Whiteboard, is ideal for transferring between office spaces and meeting rooms with ease.
How to Create an Engaging Environment for Your Strategy Meeting
You’ve defined your goals, written up your agenda and invited your key stakeholders – everyone is raring to go, having (hopefully!) read the agenda and prepared for the meeting. Your next step is to set up your meeting room for optimum engagement and participation. If it’s anything like the strategy meetings we’ve attended, you and your colleagues will be in the room for a long time – so it’s important to create an environment that's both comfortable and inspiring. We find that a circular desk setup makes it easier for everyone to engage in a discussion, a U-shape is ideal for watching presentations, and smaller clusters of desks are perfect for breakout groups. What is the purpose of your strategy meeting, and what desk setup would work best for it?
Next, if you have ergonomic seating available, it would be best put to use in a strategy meeting where colleagues will be sitting for long periods of time. Check everything is working correctly – think: lighting, A/V equipment, internet and projectors – to avoid any technical mishaps scuppering your carefully planned agenda. And lastly, equipment. To save a last-minute rush to the stationery cupboard, fully equip the room in advance with pens, markers, highlighters, sticky notes and anything else you think would be useful. Enhance your strategy meeting further with products that encourage participation, like the Nobo Premium Plus Steel Magnetic Whiteboard for note-taking, with ample space to affix visual aids and attendees’ notes using magnets.
How to Encourage Active Participation During Your Strategy Meeting
Getting everyone in the room is one thing; encouraging active participation is another. Never underestimate the power of a good icebreaker to encourage team bonding and set a positive tone for the meeting. You could try simple questions like "what was the last thing you laughed really hard at?" or "if you could learn a new skill instantly, what would it be?” And there’s always the classic "Two Truths and a Lie.” Whatever you choose, you can be sure that your participants will feel more comfortable sharing their ideas if they’re warmed up. Interactive tools can help too, like the Nobo Move & Meet Collaboration Whiteboard and Notice Board Accessory Kit, which comes with everything you need to get everyone engaged and participating, such as multicoloured whiteboard pens, magnets, erasers, cleaning spray, gridding tape, push pins, moderation cards and adhesive spots.
If your strategy meeting will be taking place across multiple rooms throughout the day, or will include lots of breakout group work, then the Nobo Whiteboard Accessories Kit Bag should be on your radar. Complete with handy tools such as multicoloured whiteboard pens, magnets, magnetic writing squares, gridding tape, mini whiteboards and mini whiteboard pens, it’s essential for the flexibility you need. The kit bag also features a comfortable carry strap, making it easy to transport between meeting spaces while keeping all your essential accessories neatly organised and within reach — so you’re always prepared wherever your strategy session takes you.