Even those meetings that charge real dollars to a cost center aren’t well thought out. These meetings are typically held “off-site” – where more attention is placed on the location, the food, and the cocktail party! Although major blocks of time are allocated for specific discussions, it still falls prey to the typical meeting pitfalls.

So how much are your meetings costing you? Check out this simple way to calculate the cost of an average meeting.

Let’s use an example of a typical leadership team off-site (I’ll use some numbers that make the math easy!):

The total cost of this one-day off-site is $12,917! Be sure to take into account the costs of the work that isn’t getting done since your people are away from the workplace, as well as looking at the historical trend for your meeting effectiveness. Are all your meetings top notch? No improvement needed?

Consider this: What is the cost to you and your company if this meeting bombs? Hiring a professional facilitator starts sounding like a good investment!

Even those meetings that charge real dollars to a cost center aren’t well thought out. These meetings are typically held “off-site” – where more attention is placed on the location, the food, and the cocktail party! Although major blocks of time are allocated for specific discussions, it still falls prey to the typical meeting pitfalls.

So how much are your meetings costing you? Check out this simple way to calculate the cost of an average meeting.

Let’s use an example of a typical leadership team off-site (I’ll use some numbers that make the math easy!):

The total cost of this one-day off-site is $12,917! Be sure to take into account the costs of the work that isn’t getting done since your people are away from the workplace, as well as looking at the historical trend for your meeting effectiveness. Are all your meetings top notch? No improvement needed?

Consider this: What is the cost to you and your company if this meeting bombs? Hiring a professional facilitator starts sounding like a good investment!

While typical for many meeting venues, and perhaps most comfortable for you, the presenter, meeting planner, or hotelier, it is NOT the best seating arrangement for an audience-centered presentation.

So what’s wrong with straight rows?

1.  Focus.  The seats directly in front of the speaker are the only decent seats in the house.  Everyone else has to adjust the view to get a direct line of sight to the presenter.  And yet we give up this prime real estate to a multimedia projector table or vacant space for a center aisle.  Whenever possible, place the chairs in front of you, the speaker:

2.  Energy Drain.  Any feng-shui expert will tell you that the energy flows out of the room through a center aisle.  Wherever possible, keep the straight row center section right in front of you, with an aisle in between each outer seating section.

4.  Safety.  You may want to have some ability for people to get in and out of their seats, so you can modify the seating with some extra aisles starting a third of the way from the stage.  This way, the energy won’t flow out of the room!

5.  Blocked View.  Unless you are sitting in the front row, there will always be somebody taller or wider in the seat in front of you.  If you are lucky, you will have a semi-obstructed view of the presenter.  Worst case, you have to lean one way or the other just to get a clear view. Wherever possible, stagger the chairs so they aren’t lined up like soldiers behind each other.

6.  Pain.  Unless you are sitting right in front of the presenter, chances are you must turn your neck slightly to see the presenter.  If you are on the far reaches, then you are probably putting more weight on one butt cheek than the other and are constantly readjusting your seat!  Do this for an extended period of time, and it starts to hurt!  Wherever possible, angle the chairs toward the presenter.

7.  Disconnect. If you want to connect with the audience, the best way is to enable the audience to connect with each other.  They simply can’t connect with each other if they can’t see each other. Straight rows allow each person in the row to see only one person on either side (and the back of somebody’s head – but that doesn’t help connection!)  Wherever possible, curve the seating around the presenter, so the audience can see each other.

Finally, if you can, ask for the overhead screen to be placed on the left, looking at the front of the room (otherwise known as upstage right!).  Since we read from left to right, make it easier for the audience to “read” what you are saying by placing the screen to the left of the stage (downstage right in theater terms).  Place the screen at the same depth as you will be standing and close enough to your center position so that your audience’s eyes won’t have to travel a great distance from you to the screen.  Furthermore, should you have to point to something on the screen, you can use your right hand without turning your back to the participants!

Depending on the venue’s capability, you can transform a ho-hum, boring traditional theater-style room set into an audience-centered seating arrangement.  Being able to view the presentation in comfort, as well as to see each other enhances the dynamics of the presentation.  In the best of all possible worlds, orient the seats toward the front so they can comfortably connect with the presenter and with each other.

Check it out here!

I intend to schedule a webinar in March, June, September, and August of this year.  As far as topics go, I could talk for days about teamwork, but we’re only looking at a 45 minute webinar!

So here are some titles/topics I was thinking about, and would like to have your opinion as to what top four webinars you would not only be interested in attending, but would actually sign up!  2012 will be complementary, as I’ll be getting the kinks out of the system.  I’ve done a few, but I wouldn’t exactly call myself an amazing webinar presenter – yet.

TeamSpeak: Words to Use or Lose to Inspire Better Teamwork

Boring to Bravo: 10 Tips to Make Your Presentations Extraordinary!

Beyond Consensus: 3 Little Known Secrets to Achieving Solid Agreements Among Your Team Mates

A Team Leader’s Toolkit for Handing Difficult People

The Do’s & Don’ts of Teamwork & Collaboration: 5 Critical Skills to Take Your Team to the Next Level

Are you a Light Bulb or a Flame Thrower?  How to Manage the Inevitable Conflicts in Teams

Team Player or Spectator?  3 Critical Insights to Building a High Performance Team

Go Beyond the Ordinary: 5 Critical Decisions Every Team Leader Must Make

Any other topics/titles you have in mind?

Thanks for voting now on your top topics and helping me crowdsource the best titles/topics for 2012!  You have until Sunday, January 15th to let me know.  Thanks a bazillion!

Alltop is another site which is supposed to help us. The problem (again) is the number of blogs it lists. More than 50. Wouldn’t it be spiffy if we had a link to a small list of 10 to 15 blogs? Blogs that are great?  Blogs that do more than rehash stale content?  Blogs that make you think?

What blogs do YOU follow regularly? Blogs that have helped you become a better presenter?  Blogs that you absolutely love to read?

Share some names with me by leaving a comment here:

I was recently reminded of the power of the Mastermind with Randy Gage’s Prosperity TV posting.  He spent a few days at the Ritz Carlton in Key Biscayne, FL with a handful of peers to work “on” vs. “in” the business.  He talks about a “kitchen cabinet” – a circle of influence of those people you know and trust to bounce ideas off and give each other feedback.  In his video blog posting, he states three conditions for success for a more formal mastermind:

1)  Sacred.  People agree to the times you meet.

2) Confidentiality. Whatever is said in the group, stays in the group.

3) Size.  4-5 or 8 or max of 11, depending on how much “flavor” you want to have in the group!

I am not only a member of a Mastermind group (actually, we call ourselves the “MagicMind” because our group is where magic happens!), but I also facilitate executive mastermind sessions.   There are a few key ingredients you need to have to make sure the magic comes together:

1) Have the right chemistry.  The success of any mastermind group depends on the combined character of the group.  They can be from the same profession – although having people from various professions or industries gives the group more “outside” than “insider” thinking.  If from various professions, the people may be similarly structured,  facing similar business issues, share spheres of influence, have a common clientele and/or have similar ambitions.  Carefully select whom you invite.  They don’t even have to know each other initially, however the dynamics will need to shift into a trusting relationship.  BTW, They should NOT be competitors – it makes the dynamic go wonky!

2)  Agree on the objective.  A mastermind group inherently shares information, best practices and serves as business advisors and sounding boards in a non-competitive environment.  That’s pretty standard.  Then there are mastermind groups that hold each other accountable.  Entirely new objective – and I’ve seen some masterminds who embrace the notion of accountability and others who reject it.  It’s simply a choice.

3)  Make it intimate.  No, I am not talking about romantic.  Intimate.  So you can focus on the people, tailor the topics, and go deep into the solutions.  Randy’s group went to the Ritz-Carlton; you can have a mastermind in your living room.  It’s a conversation, not a presentation, so you want to limit the number of people you invite.  I agree with Randy on this.  Depending on your group, you may have only 4 or 5 – or as many as 12 or 13.  Anytime you go over a baker’s dozen, you’ll break into smaller groups to have more meaningful discussions – and the more time-consuming each session will be!

4)  Appoint a Facilitator.  Whether you identify one person from the group or you bring in an outside facilitator, somebody needs to set the agenda and keep them focused and on track.  Otherwise, it just turns into a bitch session – and we don’t want that!

How do you tap in to the potential synergy of a group?   Each member commits to maximizing each other’s success…through the power of the Mastermind!

Regardless of who has control over the room temperature, sound quality, or other environmental issues, you are ultimately responsible for the audience’s experience. No one else. Find out the room logistics prior to your presentation and set the room so the participants will be able to easily connect with you and with each other.

Room Size. If you have any say in the matter, try to get a room large enough to hold the expected number of attendees—and nothing bigger. If you have to choose between a room that is slightly too small and one that is slightly too large, choose the smaller room with standing room only.

Seating Arrangements. To allow participants to comfortably accomplish the activities you have in mind, set the chairs so they can be close to you and to each other.

Tables. The table configuration you use can support interaction as well: For example, with small audiences (fewer than twenty-five people), try a U-shaped arrangement where the audience fans out around the speaker on three sides. This enables the presenter to walk into the audience easily and encourages participation not only with the speaker but also with each other.

Screen to Their Left. Since we read from left to right, make it easier for the audience to “read” what you are saying by placing the screen to the left of the stage (downstage right in theater terms). Place the screen at the same depth as you will be standing and close enough to your center position that the audience’s eyes won’t have to travel a great distance from you to the screen. Furthermore, should you have to point to something on the screen, you can use your right hand without turning your back to the participants.

Lectern. For the same reasons as outlined for your screen placement, set the lectern, if you must have one, to their left (downstage right) so that you can have the center stage free to move about.

Clutter. Get rid of the clutter that tends to build up in a meeting room, especially at the front where you will be doing most of your speaking. What kind of clutter? Empty water glasses, piles of materials left over from a previous session, furniture that serves no purpose.

Want more tips?  Click here to sign up for my newsletter and receive my free speaker tools!

Focus on the Audience. Talk to the participants, not to the visual. Stand so that the visual is stage right. Practice this a few times—not just in your head, but physically practice using the visual. Do a practice run until you feel comfortable using the visual and any associated equipment.

Be Relevant. Any visual you use must be relevant and enhance your message. Otherwise, the audience will spend their time trying to figure out how the visual connects with your message.

Be in Sync. The visual should complement your spoken words and not be redundant. As you speak, the logic of the visual should be revealed to your audience. You should not have to explain its meaning in excruciating detail.

Be Visible. Your audience should be able to see or read the visual within a few seconds—even those sitting in the back row. If not, try something different.

Keep It Simple. The best visuals are simple and easy to understand. If the material is complex, or you want more impact, think about how you can do a gradual build: start with an easy-to-understand visual and work up to the more complex. You can also put more detail in a handout or takeaway.

Avoid Clutter. Remove anything in the line of sight of the participants that does not add value to your presentation.

Customize. For each visual, see if there is a simple way to customize it for your particular audience: the topic, the event, the theme, and the organization—including its logo, tagline, mission, vision, and goals. When you personalize your visuals, it shows you care about the audience and what’s valuable to them.

Fire when Ready. Show your visual only when you’re ready to use it. Introduce the visual and then reveal it—or, for a hint of surprise, reveal the visual and then introduce it. Don’t forget to put it out of sight when you have finished referring to it.

As we were reviewing the data from our recent survey, Director of Marketing Janet Traylor effectively demonstrated the multigenerational mix of our membership:

For every survey response, she placed one of four different dried beans in a container – depending on the age of the respondent:

A Green Pea Bean for Millennials/Generation Y (born approx. 1977-1994)

A Red Kidney Bean for Generation X (born approx. 1965-1977

A White Navy Bean for Baby Boomers (born approx. 1944-1964) and

A Garbanzo Bean for the Traditionalists (born approx 1922-1943).

Janet then held up the container to show the demographic “mix” of our membership.  MUCH more effective than projecting a bar chart.

What do you do to bring a statistic come alive during your presentations?