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How to Convince the Boss

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Changing a traditional meeting paradigm to a more interactive and engaging experience can be tricky, says meeting designer and strategist Mary E. Boone. The key to convincing top brass to try your new way, she says, is to cast meeting objectives in the context of the organization’s overall mission for success.

Some Boone points to consider before making the big pitch:

  • What else is going on in this organization right now, and what are the issues of most concern to senior executives?

  • What can this meeting do to address the larger organizational objectives in addition to the meeting objectives?

  • Find the owner of the meeting—the one responsible for those meeting objectives—and ask him/her to describe what success looks like at the end of this meeting. Have a discussion with that person or persons about what they are trying to accomplish at the event. In the process, identify the stakeholders—those who will be affected by outcomes. (Note: Stakeholders may or may not be meeting participants.)

  • Larger meetings often require a team effort for good outcomes. This may include a meeting designer or architect, an in-house or outside production company, meeting planner/logistician, people from the organizational development group, and maybe information technology people. Don’t try to go it alone.

For more on ways to claim your seat at the proverbial decision-making table, plan to attend MPI’s WEC (World Education Congress) 2008 Aug. 9-12 in Las Vegas. Boone is on the agenda with a full-day preconference workshop to educate planners about interactive meeting design. She will explain how to secure senior executive approval for meeting paradigm change.