Tips to Recover from Low Attendance and Participation in Meetings

by | Jan 9, 2019 | Business Excellence

A group of six people in business attire are engaged in a meeting around a conference table, with papers, tablets, and laptops in front of them. Large windows in the background show trees and natural light streaming in, creating an inviting atmosphere to increase meeting participation.

Are the number of people that attend your meetings suddenly dropping? Or do you struggle to get views from the attendees? When there is a low attendance in a meeting, it cuts on the effectiveness of the gathering. And how are you going to ensure that all the views of the people are put into consideration if you can’t get them to voice them in the first place? If you want to address these issues, here are some tips:

Innovate

When you hold regular meetings, it’s easy to get caught up in a schedule doing the same things over and over again. This eventually becomes boring, and members may grow bored and lose interest. To counter this, change the schedule occasionally to maintain the excitement levels. One way to do this is to change the venue, but if this is asking too much, you could change the decor of the site, layout of the meeting location or even the menu. In fact, simple steps like adjusting the lighting or opening the windows will help keep things fresh.

Keep track of attendance.

If the number of attendees drops, see who was absent and make a follow-up phone call. For example, if a regular attendee misses a couple of meetings, give them a call to check-in on them. Don’t send an email. They are impersonal, and chances are they won’t write back.

Develop a call squad

Create a small team that will make calls to members and encourages them to come to meetings or events. This will prove useful on inactive members and make them more involved and also boost their enthusiasm. Besides, phone calls beat emails.

Update your website

You want the members to be in the know on important dates and thus ensure your website and member newsletters are up-to-date. And by circulating a member newsletter, you’ll communicate to them about meetings and other updates.

Encourage communication

In the start or end of the meeting, give each attendee a chance to introduce themselves, provide feedback or raise a question. This will help improve communication.

Get on top of problems.

If issues are arising, don’t leave them to stew. The leadership team should address problems by meeting with the affected parties to discuss the problem and come up with a solution.

Snacks

No one can resist snacks at a meeting. Appeal to the attendees’ sweet teeth. Offering treats on the dessert table will help do this. You can also offer beverages such as tea and coffee.

Reduce low attendance in meetings and stunted participation by applying some or all of the above tips.