In my last post, I talked about why meetings often drain us rather than energise us. This week, I want to show you how to change that and how to design meetings that actually matter.
Meetings do not have to be soul-draining marathons where everyone pretends to look engaged while secretly planning dinner. They can be productive, energising, and, dare I say, actually enjoyable.
The thing, though, is this: it is not magic. Great meetings are designed. They flow because someone, usually the leader, sets the mechanics in place.
Think of mechanics as the choreography of a meeting. The steps. The flow. The beats that make it more than a group of people staring at each other on Zoom or across a table. Get the mechanics right, and you have got alignment, energy, and momentum. Get them wrong, and you have got dead air, confusion, and “let’s take this offline” on repeat.
So, what to do? I am going to break it down into mechanics you can actually use.
Ritualised check-ins: How we start matters
Starting a meeting is like setting the tempo of a song. Too rushed and no one catches the rhythm; too drawn out and everyone checks out. Ritualised check-ins bring people into the room (virtual or otherwise) and create a moment of collective arrival.
A check-in doesn’t need to be fluffy or forced. We did them regularly in previous workplaces I was in, and they worked as long as it was clear what it was for.
So for many, it is simply a ritual that shifts people from whatever they were just doing into this moment together (to what Adam Fraser calls the 3rd Space).
Humans crave rhythm and predictability because it reduces friction. Ritualised check-ins become the meeting’s “soundtrack,” reminding the group that this is a space with purpose.
Examples that work:
- A quick round: “What’s one word for how you are arriving today?”
- A pulse check: “On a scale of 1–10, how clear are you on what we’re working on?”
- A context set: “One headline from your week that could help us understand your lens today.”
- Or a simple: “How are you showing up today?”
Checklist for check-ins:
- ☐ Keep it under 5 minutes.
- ☐ Make it inclusive (no long monologues) or “forced sharing”.
- ☐ Tie it to the purpose (don’t just do it for show).
- ☐ Be consistent: same style each week creates rhythm.
The key? Do NOT overcomplicate it. A check-in is a doorway. Once everyone steps through, the group is inside the same room together.
Shared energy anchors: Keeping the room alive
Ever been in a meeting where energy drops so low you can almost hear the fluorescent lights buzzing? That is what happens when we forget the second mechanic: anchoring energy.
Shared energy anchors are cues, practices, or rituals that keep people engaged throughout the meeting. They are small, almost invisible interventions that stop the collective energy from flatlining.
Humans are sensory. We respond to tone, pace, visuals, even silence. When you consciously manage the sensory environment, you manage the group’s energy.
This isn’t about being the cheerleader as a leader, it is about being the conductor.
Examples of anchors:
- Changing the format mid-meeting: move from group discussion to breakout or pair share.
- Using visual cues: Miro boards, Post-its, or even a shared document, something for the eyes to land on. This is especially important in longer than an hour Zoom calls.
- Building in pauses: a 60-second silence to regroup can do more for clarity than another 10 minutes of talking.
Checklist for energy anchors:
- ☐ Notice when energy dips (are cameras off? silence heavy?).
- ☐ Have a “pattern interrupt” ready: a question, a visual, a quick turn-and-talk.
- ☐ Balance pace: not everything needs to be fast, variety is what keeps people alert.
Meetings are not just intellectual or transactional; they are experiential. I think many of us forget that in the day-to-day hustle.
So, anchor the energy, and people don’t just understand,they feel.
Markers of meaning: How we end matters
If the start sets the tempo, the end is the last note people carry with them. Too many meetings end with a limp “thanks everyone” before half the room has already left the call. That is wasted energy.
Markers of meaning close the loop. They signal to people that what just happened mattered. They give shape to the experience.
Closure creates retention. Brains love completion; it makes information stick. Without closure, meetings blur together and feel disposable.
Examples of markers:
- A reflection round: “What’s one word you’re leaving with?”
- A summary: “Here are our three decisions today and who owns them.”
- An acknowledgment: “I want to thank Sarah for bringing that client insight, that shaped our direction.”
BTW: own the marker. Do not leave it to chance or to someone in the audience or team, as it might end on an undesirable note.
Checklist for endings:
- ☐ Always close with clarity (decisions, next steps).
- ☐ Layer in meaning (what mattered, who contributed).
- ☐ Keep it brief; 2–3 minutes is enough.
Endings do not need to be dramatic (unless that is what you are going for). They just need to signal this mattered, you mattered, and here’s what happens next.
Customisation: one size does NOT fit all
Every team is different. What feels energising to one group might feel awkward to another. The mechanics only work when you customise them.
Think of mechanics as a framework, not a script. Leaders who cling too rigidly to “best practices” end up running meetings that feel like they belong in someone else’s organisation or to a different type of leader.
Customisation makes it real.
How to customise:
- Notice your team’s natural rhythms: Do they like fast-paced exchanges, or do they need more reflection time? Find a happy medium if it is both.
- Match check-ins to culture: A creative agency might love one-word mood shares; a finance team may prefer a pulse check on clarity.
- Adjust anchors: Some groups thrive on visuals, others on dialogue.
Checklist for customisation:
- ☐ Observe what lands and what doesn’t.
- ☐ Ask the team: “What would make our meetings flow better?”
- ☐ Keep tweaking as mechanics evolve with the group.
Customisation is where mechanics become yours.
The leader’s role: architect, not hero
Here is the trap I see many leaders fall into: they think running a great meeting means doing all the talking. Wrong. A great meeting is not a solo performance; it is an ensemble. Your job is to be the architect, not the hero.
When leaders step back from centre stage and instead focus on designing the flow, the group takes ownership. And that is when engagement skyrockets.
What this looks like in practice:
- You hold the structure (start, middle, end), but others hold the content.
- You intervene when energy dips, but you do NOT monopolise airtime.
- You model presence; frankly, if you are distracted, they will be too. I can’t tell you the number of times I have seen leaders on their phones, and they are supposed to be chairing the meeting! And no, they are not taking notes. Anyway, back to the program.
Checklist for leader stance:
- ☐ See yourself as the meeting’s designer/architect.
- ☐ Notice the group dynamics, not just the agenda.
- ☐ Create space for others to step in.
Leadership here is about holding the container. The group fills it.
The template: A simple flow to steal
Sometimes it helps to see it all together. Here’s a basic meeting template you can steal, adapt, and make your own:
- Arrival (2–5 mins): Check-in ritual.
- Focus (5 mins): Frame the purpose and desired outcome.
- Engagement (bulk of time): Content, discussion, or co-creation. Keep energy anchored.
- Closure (5 mins): Summarise decisions, reflect, acknowledge, set next steps.
That’s it. Simple, clear, and flexible.
Checklist for using the template:
- ☐ Keep it time bound. Meetings expand to fill the space you give them.
- ☐ Stick to flow, not rigidity. Let it breathe.
- ☐ Don’t skip closure. Always land the plane.
Why are we talking about meetings of all things?
Meetings are not going away anytime soon. So, getting this energy connection right between people needs to be understood and addressed. Yes, the mechanics might sound dry, but in practice, they are the difference between meetings that energise and meetings that drain. They are not about being performative or adding unnecessary rituals; they are about designing for flow, alignment, and meaning.
As a leader, your job is not to host the perfect meeting. It is to set the rhythm, anchor the energy, and create the container. When you do, meetings stop being obligations and start becoming moments of real progress.
The next layer, the art of facilitation, builds on these mechanics. But for now? Start with the choreography. Set the tempo, anchor the energy, land the ending. Watch how everything shifts.
And as always, if you invest in yourself, and your team, the rewards will be unfathomable.
Until next time.
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