We all know what it’s like to be in a meeting that lacks motivation. Time slows down, and thoughts drift to areas outside of work, before you quickly snap out of your daydream and get back to the agenda.

In today’s article, we’ll be getting into motivational topics and activities to make sure your teams are freshly motivated and raring to go.

If you’re aiming to add some excitement to your meetings, these ideas will provide the perfect spark to motivate your teams, so let’s open up.

Why your team meetings need motivation

Anyone who has ever played multi-player sports will know. Having star players on your team is a good thing. But how many times have we seen a team of superstars that don’t quite gel? They’re missing something, and we believe that something is “motivation,” meaning to fight toward a common goal as a team.

Companies like McKinsey highlight teamwork as one of the biggest factors of excellent performance, stating a 1.9 times increased likelihood of having above-median financial performance when the team is working toward a common vision.

We’re getting into a list of topics and activities to inject a boost of motivation across your teams. Let’s dive in!

Ways to motivate your team meetings

Here are our 9 leading topics and activities aimed at motivating your squad:

Shoutouts of recognition

Starting things off, take time for shoutouts for high achievers. This is focused on genuine appreciation for the hard work and dedication that your teams bring to the table every day.

Start off your team meeting by dedicating a few minutes to heartfelt recognition for those who have gone above and beyond. Create a recognition board, virtually or physically, where everyone can post shoutouts for their peers. Update it in real-time and give a personal touch to the praise dished out. Be as specific as you can when praising, showing you never miss a beat when hard work is being done.

Implement a regular schedule for these shoutouts, and keep track of your daily or weekly star performers. Take it up a notch later by giving annual or biannual awards for members who shine repeatedly. 

Make sure the next time you and your teams gather, take a moment to celebrate your victories together. It’s your golden opportunity, which shouldn’t be overlooked, to cheer on your team for all the awesome stuff they’ve been up to.

Icebreaker bash

Icebreakers are a surefire way to get people into a more relaxed and playful mood, ideal for building bonds and getting the atmosphere pumping. Create a bash dedicated to icebreakers for your next team meeting.

Quick icebreakers help to spark conversations and build connections in a fun way. You can keep it simple, like asking everyone at the start of the meeting what superpower they could have if they could choose any. These are especially good for newcomers to teams who might be taking time to open up and share more of their personalities.

Take it a little further with “human bingo”. Print out cards containing some cool facts about your team members, like “has traveled to 5 different countries” or “speaks more than 3 languages.” Team members can mingle to find someone in the room who ticks that box. This keeps it light and engaging.

Don’t miss out on icebreakers as a great way to quickly build motivational bonds between team members. Here’s to all the ice we’ve shattered so far!

Mentorship moments

Taking a few moments from the schedule to dedicate some mentorship programs can transform team meetings into powerful collaborative sessions. 

Start the meeting off by bringing up some honest opening reflections, asking everyone to share their thoughts on the current projects and tasks. As any difficulties or challenges arise, propose a mentorship moment. At this point, it’s up to you to establish the best possible mentor to create a pair, helping the person overcome their obstacle.

This is especially useful for new employees. By ensuring you’re genuinely open to feedback and insight at the start of the meeting, they hopefully become encouraged enough to express their thoughts. Use senior members with key skills in the problem area to get things rolling in the right direction for them. 

With seasoned vets guiding office newbies, or anyone for that matter, your teams are bound to grow into more productive units with stronger bonds. Get a culture of continuous learning for your teams with mentorship moments. Don’t leave staff who need a mentor feeling alone in the dark.

Battle of the products

Bring out the spirit of debate with this activity, aimed towards getting your teams to communicate and compare products as effectively as possible. Using this is especially useful at the start of sales meetings, your sales members should take to selling like a duck to water!

Create 2 teams and spread them evenly. Pick a product or feature that the team has been working on recently. Select a few different versions or prototypes, with some unique features between them. Give one to each team and ask them to use their best marketing skills to showcase the product. 

Keep the discussion as structured as you can, while allowing some playfulness for that extra touch. Make things slightly more competitive with a scoring or judging system, and at the end of the activity, open up free discussions on what has been learned.

Battle of the products is a useful way to kickstart a fun meeting while getting everyone more attuned to the actual product they’ve been working on. Have your teams battle it out and watch those creative sparks fly!

Mindful mornings

Time to get a little more reflective. In the spirit of mindfulness, this activity works great as a morning meeting activity, before everyone’s workload ramps up. Take a few minutes to gather your teams, that could be virtually or in person, and find a comfy spot suitable for meditation.

Bring in some books or quotes on mindfulness, inviting everyone to get into a relaxed posture. Use guided breathwork videos from YouTube, with eyes closed if they wish. Let them know they’re in a moment of calm and to let go of the normal distractions and challenges that come through work. This is a moment outside of everyday pressures.

The session’s outcome should be a state of peace and harmony. Try a little music or ambient soundtrack throughout the session, and afterward, ask everyone to share their thoughts. 

If the meditation sessions go down well with everyone, think about bringing it into a regular routine. A little mindfulness goes a long way for a lot of people, showing you’re invested in their overall well-being and mental health. Start the day with a smile and a calm mind!

Overcoming obstacles

There aren’t many things more powerful than a team with unbreakable bonds. Create an activity called “overcoming obstacles” to get problems identified and help motivate your groups as a team. The aim of the session is to cement a rock-solid foundation for everyone and to clearly establish that you’re all in this together, as a team.

Start by identifying any unique challenges or roadblocks of the current project. Encourage open discussion where everyone shares their perspectives and insight on current challenges. Then, use brainstorming techniques to drill down into the problem as specifically as possible. Emphasize teamwork and collaboration when designing a solution, and designate teams to tackle each problem.

It sounds simple, it is simple, but sometimes the simplest things are easy to overlook. Address challenges as a squad and get a culture of resilient teamwork going. Dedicate a time in your meeting to “overcoming obstacles” and get your teams sent out, on the double!

Failure as fuel

Now comes a time filled with potential for turning setbacks into valuable learning experiences. Create a topic of “failure as fuel” and practice some stoic resilience with your teams. 

Begin by creating a safe and open space for everyone to share a failure or setback they’ve experienced. This works best if your senior members go first, as newcomers might feel a little too nervous to open up. If they’re really struggling to mention any setbacks, try lightly asking them about any setbacks they’ve mentioned previously, through your check-ins with them, and their onboarding process.

Try to emphasize a relaxed atmosphere, where everyone can share or even be vulnerable. The overall goal is to turn lessons learned from failures into stepping stones for success. Any projects that didn’t go to plan, or missed deadlines, all provide a few learning experiences.

A lot of people learn very effectively from mistakes, so once the stories are out there, shift the focus to learning. Celebrate the courage it takes to share failures and spin them into powerful insights. Let these lessons drive continuous improvement, as many people know, you have to “fail it to nail it!”

Skill surge sessions

Maximize productivity among your teams by setting some time in a meeting dedicated purely to skill workshops. To get the ball rolling, it’s on you, as manager, to identify the key target areas of improvement. Use a skill surge session as a meeting warmup energizer. Maybe your team is coming up a little short on their programming skills. Craft a workshop dedicated to coding for half of the meeting. Or perhaps you have technical wizards, but sometimes messages don’t get relayed as well as they should. Dedicate a workshop for soft skills and communication to get them more communicative.

Bring in leading experts to help the workshop and offer fresh perspectives. Design some tailored feedback forms for participants to glean what went well and what didn’t, and mark it for improvement. The aim of the sessions is to prioritize continuous learning and work on improving workplace skills. You might find members are excited to try out some skills outside of their daily tasks too, motivating new areas of interest for them.

Skill surge sessions breathe new life into meetings, deepening skills and team bonds. It shows you’re invested in their future and professional growth. So try a skill surge session for meeting motivation, because with the right skills, the sky’s the limit!

Inspiration station

Wrapping up our topics and activities for your next meeting is a topic aimed to motivate and inspire. Dedicate some time to “inspiration station” to spark new levels of positivity. 

It involves a little dedication and preparation. Before the meeting, ask everyone to find something that inspires them. Usually, this would be family members, children or loved ones, but don’t forget, not everybody has those. Encourage them to think across the board. It could be a quote, video, or story that inspires them. Famous leaders and books work great too.

At the start of the meeting, dish out a few minutes to each person to share their chosen relic of inspiration. Encourage them as best you can to explain why it resonates with them and how much it means to them.

If your teams are feeling confident, set up a big “station” or stage where they can share, with a screen and speakers if needed. You could even create the event in an offsite meeting if you have the resources. Alternatively, keep it light and just do it round-robin on the meeting table too.

Open the floor to informal talks after. Each member can reflect on how the inspiration relates to their current projects or challenges, in work or in life. Simple activities like this go a long way to show your teams you’re there for them, and that their personal lives matter a lot. 

Motivate your teams to the next level with one of our team retreats!

Here at Surf Office, we know that getting teams motivated is a catalyst for workplace productivity. One of the best ways to gain this motivation is by inviting everyone to a team retreat. A twice-annual retreat bonds employees in new ways and gets everyone freshly energized.

We've had the pleasure of organizing over 700+ retreat experiences, including remote teams, for many different companies. Here’s what we offer:

• Stress-free transfers? We got you! ✅
• Quality-assured accommodations? Check! ✅
• Engaging team-building activities? Our speciality ✅
• Restaurant reservations? That's on us! ✅
• Expert retreat planning assistance? Of course, we have this covered! ✅
• Onsite support, tailored to your needs? Absolutely ✅

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Not only this but we also have access to 160+ locations around Europe, APAC, the US, Latin America, and now Africa, meaning the sky is your limit when it comes to choosing the right location for you and your team.

Motivate past the office walls. Use serene beaches and slick city skylines to leave a lasting impression that motivates your team in unforgettable ways. Spaces are limited, get in touch now.