Make meetings more fun.

Do you notice your colleagues dropping off half way through a meeting you've called? Do they make any excuse not to turn up at all? Or do your meetings tend to drag on and on with no satisfactory ending? Don't despair, poorly managed meetings can waste an enormous amount of time, tying up people with better things to do, but some firms have found solutions. Now that everyone is coming back refreshed from their summer holidays, it could be time to try out some new techniques. If nothing else, it may bring an end to non-essential meetings forever.

* Act like a game show host (your least favourite) and award points every time somebody speaks or contributes a good idea.

* Take all the chairs out and hold the entire meeting standing up.

* Shout "crackerjack" every time somebody agrees with or suggests a good idea.

* Get everyone to wear sunglasses.

* Replace the chairs with deckchairs, have two tonnes of sand delivered and make everyone turn up in their beach gear, play Beach Boys' songs and serve ice-creams and fizzy drinks. (Yes, this has actually happened !)

* Play loud music at the beginning and end of every session -- making sure people dance in and out of the room.

* Write and sing a company song.

* Deliver your presentation in rap.

* Give out whistles and hooters that people must use immediately they hear management-speak, jargon, or waffle.

* Have a karaoke coffee break.

* Seat participants in an unusual order -- by age, alphabetically, birthday, height, shoe size, length of hair, time in the organisation.

* Buy everyone an ice-cream instead of biscuits.

* Hold the meeting in a lift, a cupboard, a coach, a plane, or an airport lounge.

* Hold the meeting in McDonald's (and benefit from the free coffee refills).

* Hold a juggling or impression competition.

* Play charades.

* Use an eggtimer to "time out" talkative people.

* Fine people for being late.

* End the meeting on time, by just walking away.

* Respond to every sentence that someone says with "that's easy for you to say ..."

* Start every sentence with "click click whirr ..."

Source: Graham Roberts-Phelps 50 Ways to Liven Up Your Meetings, Gower 2001 ISBN 66083922