Many people struggle with retaining their focus during meetings. If you lose concentration during a meeting, this will reduce productivity, harm decision making, and make it harder to think of creative ideas. Keeping engaged with the subject of the meeting enables you to contribute positively.
When a meeting keeps the focus of its participants this gives it the best chance of success; however, it can be difficult for staff to maintain a consistent level of focus throughout an entire meeting. Using these helpful focusing tips you can retain concentration and contribute to a positive meeting outcome.
5 Points On How To Stay Focused
Prepare For The Meeting
Establish Clear Goals
Contribute Regularly
Take Notes
Avoid Distractions
Prepare For The Meeting
The foundations for a good meeting are laid before you step foot in a meeting room. Ensure you get enough sleep the night before, eat a healthy breakfast that sets you up for the day, and have nutritious snacks throughout the day. Doing something active also helps refresh your mind so you’re ready to focus on the meeting ahead.
In the days in the lead up to your meeting, research any relevant topics and make notes on any valuable information you discover. Here is a routine that will set up ready to play a productive role in a meeting:
- Research and prepare for the meeting over the days leading up to the meeting.
- Get an early night before the day to ensure you’re well-rested.
- Eat a healthy breakfast on the day of your meeting.
- Take part in some light exercise on the day such as walking.
- Arrive early to the meeting to give yourself the best chance of focusing.
Establish Clear Goals
As part of your preparation, establish clear goals that are achievable and measurable. This is similar to going into the meeting with a plan; ensure you understand what the purpose of the discussion is - this gives you the best chance of success. You can have personal goals, such as ideas and points you want to convey as well as goals that everyone in the meeting wants to achieve.
Contribute Regularly
One of the main reasons you may lose focus during a meeting is you’re not actively engaging. When you’re not asking questions, contributing ideas, or making small talk your mind may wander away from the meeting room. If you feel like you’re key to a meeting's success, you’re more likely to retain focus as you’re engaged in the discussion.
The best tip to help you keep focused is to ask questions regularly. Questions are a crucial tool in business as they help you understand whatever is being discussed. They also ensure your focus is always on the topic of the meeting as you’re looking for opportunities to contribute which ensures you keep paying attention. Don’t constantly ask questions, look for the right time to ask something and this will also show other participants that you’re focused.
Take Notes
Taking notes ensures you're actively focusing on the meeting. They help you remember crucial information, organise your ideas, and plan for future discussion points. Many people think that notes are about helping you remember information. While taking notes is helpful for recall, it also helps you plan for what you want to contribute, such as any questions you want to ask.
Think about whenever you’ve had an idea, even the most creative idea can be forgotten if you don’t write it down. An idea is like a dream, over time it slowly evaporates until it is completely forgotten. Note down your ideas as you can contribute them later on in the meeting. To ensure this practice keeps focused, note down relevant points, don’t write down ideas that aren’t being discussed as this will steal your attention.
Avoid Distractions
Distractions can derail any meeting as they steal participants' attention. Smartphones are the biggest culprit for interrupting meetings, so ensure yours is switched off and in your pocket rather than on the table - out of sight out of mind. While you may need your phone or tablet to take notes, don’t let yourself be distracted by text messages or emails.
Once your attention has shifted towards something unrelated to the meeting, it can be hard to reintegrate yourself into what is being discussed. You will be playing catch up. The solution is to remove any possible distractions and follow our tips to ensure you keep focused throughout the meeting.
Franklin’s Gardens Meeting Rooms & Venues
Sometimes a meeting needs an added spark to inspire the best creative ideas, the best way to do this is through a dedicated meeting venue. Discover unique and innovative meeting rooms fully kitted with modern equipment by getting in touch with our events team.
