The Ultimate Guide to Motivational Topics for Team Meetings & Sales Contests - Mystrika

Boring, lifeless meetings and disengaged teams? Not on your watch. Transform lackluster gatherings into lively events people get pumped for with fresh inspiration, lively activities, meaningful recognition, and unconventional fun. Rally salespeople to crush goals using smart incentives and healthy competition blended with appreciation. Infuse some spunk into low-energy Friday afternoons with engaging themes and uplifting stories. You have the power to spark motivation through smart meeting design and a culture where people feel fulfilled. This comprehensive guide covers meeting rejuvenation strategies, sales motivation techniques, Friday team recharges, best practices for productive facilitation, and culture building foundations for long-term organizational engagement. Stop dreading the standard “update” meeting and get ready to motivate!

Page Contents

Getting Your Team Excited for Meetings

Meetings often get a bad rap for being dull, lifeless, and downright dreadful. But it doesn’t have to be that way! With a little creativity and forethought, you can get your team genuinely excited for your next meeting.

The key is to think outside the box and incorporate elements of fun, inspiration, interactivity, and novelty. This transforms the meeting from an obligation into a rewarding event team members look forward to.

Fun & Engaging Meeting Themes

An excellent way to get your team pumped up for a meeting is to organize it around a fun theme. This could be a holiday, special event, inside joke – anything that adds a touch of levity.

Some theme examples include:

80’s throwback – Decorate the meeting room with bold neon colors, play retro hits, and award prized for best 80’s inspired outfits.
Winter wonderland – For a December or January meeting, blanket the office in snowy decor and have hot cocoa on hand. Consider a white elephant gift exchange.
Carnival or circus – Bring on the cotton candy machine, set up carnival game stations, and unleash your silliest clown noses and face paint.
Beach party – Trade suits and ties for Hawaiian shirts, leis, and sunglasses. Enjoy tropical snacks like pineapple and coconut.
Super heroes vs. Villains – Assign each team a side and host competitions all meeting long. Offer comic books and movie tickets as prizes.

Themes encourage coworkers to interact in new ways and step outside their comfort zone. Unique shared experiences build camaraderie and give participants fodder for inside jokes that keep morale high long after the theme meeting concludes.

Inspirational Meeting Openings

Meetings often start with dull housekeeping matters like recapping the agenda or last meeting’s notes. While important logistics, these mundane tasks fail to energize attendees.

That’s why leading with an inspirational opening helps meetings start strong. It uplifts team members’ moods and sparks positive energy in the room.

Some ideas for inspirational openings include:

Motivational quote – Choose an inspiring quote that relates to your team’s objectives. For example, for a sales team: “Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” – Helen Keller
Good news highlights – Have attendees share recent accomplishments from their work or personal life. Recognizing wins builds confidence.
Guest speaker – Whether an executive or external expert, a fresh voice sharing their experiences grabs attention.
Positive affirmation – Kick things off by having everyone recite an empowering affirmation together, like “We are bold, brilliant, and better together.”
Success visualization – Guide the team through a short guided meditation where they envision achieving their goals. Mental imagery boosts motivation.
Power anthem – Play uplifting songs like “Don’t Stop Believing” or “Eye of the Tiger” to unite the team in excitement about possibilities ahead.

While just a short opening activity, inspirational beginnings yield an energy boost that carries throughout the rest of the meeting.

Interactive Meeting Activities

Audience participation during meetings helps sustain engagement. Interactive elements also make meetings more dynamic and enjoyable compared to passively listening to presentations.

Some ways to incorporate interactive activities into your meeting agenda include:

Icebreakers – Quick, lighthearted icebreaker questions foster connections, especially for remote teams. For example, show baby photos and have everyone guess the team member.
Polls and quizzes – Tools like Mentimeter](https://www.mentimeter.com/) and [Poll Everywhere allow real-time polling to collect input and test knowledge. Keep it quick and fun, like a team superlative poll.
Games – Friendly competition gets people actively involved. Trivia, scavenger hunts, timed challenges, Pictionary](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Pictionary), and [Two Truths and a Lie make meetings more playful.
Q&A sessions – Dedicate time for attendees to ask leadership or presenters questions. Empower everyone’s voice.
Group discussions – Break into small discussion groups rather than just speak to the whole. Recap key points with the full team.
Role playing – For training exercises, having the team act scenarios out drives home the lesson.

Interactive activities require participants to think fast, move, speak up, work together, and have a little fun along the way.

Outside-the-Box Meeting Locations

Most meetings transpire in stale conference rooms. Changing up the setting can revitalize your meetings and get people enthused to attend.

Consider these creative options for your next meeting venue:

Local park – Wide open green space inspires free thinking and relaxed conversations. Select a scenic spot with picnic tables.
Coffee shop – The cozy ambiance facilitates camaraderie. Treat the team to morning lattes and pastries.
Museum/zoo – Fascinating backdrops spark imagination and provide natural conversation starters.
Bowling alley – Active excursions build bonds as coworkers playfully compete and collaborate.
Stadiums/arenas – For globally dispersed teams, connect virtually from iconic regional sports stadiums or famous music arenas.
Walking meetings -Escape cramped quarters and hold meetings on the move. Fresh air and exercise stimulate productivity.

When evaluating offsite venues, ensure the necessary A/V capabilities are available for presentations and remote attendees. Also consider any privacy concerns for sensitive topics.

The change of place signals to employees they’re in for something special, not just another tedious meeting. Your team will be chatting eagerly in anticipation.

In short

Theme your meetings around holidays, events, or inside jokes to add a dose of fun.
Open with inspirational quotes, victory highlights, or motivational music to set an uplifting tone.
Infuse interactivity through ice breakers, games, polls and discussions to deepen engagement.
Consider museums, bowling alleys and other atypical options to generate buzz for your next meeting.

Getting your team revved up for meetings is all about tapping into their innate sense of play, purpose, and potential. Apply the recommendations here to demonstrate meetings are valuable experiences, not time-wasters. When participants are genuinely excited to attend, enthusiasm will skyrocket – along with motivation and morale.

Motivating Your Sales Team

Keeping your sales team motivated is crucial for meeting revenue goals and scaling your business. Yet with rejections, slumps, and pressure, sales roles can definitely experience peaks and valleys in drive.

As a sales leader, you play a key role in keeping energy and enthusiasm high even in tough times. This requires a multifaceted approach, from competitions that tap into their competitive sides to inspirational communications that tap into their purpose.

Implement these motivating sales team strategies to inspire your top performers.

Unique Sales Competitions & Contests

Salespeople are naturally competitive. Organizing sales competitions and contests taps into this innate drive. A little friendly rivalry inspires reps to push harder and achieve more.

Some unique and effective sales competition ideas include:

Leaderboard contests – Rank reps by results on a visible leaderboard. Offer awards to the top three finishers.
Team vs. team – Pit sales teams or departments against each other. Tally results collectively by group.
Sales bingo – Distribute bingo cards with tasks (e.g. “Book enterprise demo,” “Upsell 5 customers.”). First with a bingo wins.
Spin to win – For each target met, reps earn a spin on a prize wheel with gift cards, vacation days, etc.
March Madness – Create a sales bracket tournament and track advancement based on weekly/monthly metrics.
Survivor – Host an elimination challenge with a tribal council vote determining one rep “voted off” each week based on the lowest numbers.
The Amazing Race – Teams complete “legs” of sales tasks for points. Highest point total wins grand prize after the multi-week “race.”

Make competitions focused on metrics meaningful to the current sales cycle. Add tiered awards to keep top performers striving for the next challenge. Contests timed to fiscal quarters also give an added urgency.

Rewarding Top Performers

Beyond contests, you should consistently reward your rock star reps. Recognition is powerful positive reinforcement that motivates them to keep crushing goals.

Some ways to reward top sellers include:

Public praise – Celebrate standout reps in team meetings and company newsletters. Highlight specifics on what they’ve done well.
Perks – Special perks just for top performers – a coveted parking space, extra vacation days, gift cards – make them feel valued.
advancement opportunities – Prioritize top sellers for coveted promotions and leadership training programs.
Trips and events – Host an exclusive dinner or major league sports event annually just for sales reps meeting select benchmarks.

Always tie rewards directly to measurable results. This reinforces the performance behaviors and outcomes you want to see more of from your sales team.

Inspiring Sales Team Emails

From first thing Monday morning to late Friday afternoon, frequent communication that lifts morale helps sales reps stay focused and motivated.

Use emails to connect with reps’ deeper purpose and remind them of the meaningful impact of their work. Share inspiring quotes from sales legends like Zig Ziglar. Feature stories of clients whose lives were changed by your product. Highlight heartfelt testimony from grateful customers.

Beyond external inspiration, motivate with encouraging emails that make reps feel seen and push them to exceed their potential:

Recognize outstanding successes
Express your belief in reps who are chasing stretch goals
Thank reps who secured a big account after many attempts
Remind slumping reps of past successes as evidence of their capabilities
Attach inspiring songs, videos, articles etc. personalized to individuals

Emails take little time but deliver motivation that lasts all week long when strategically optimized.

Budget-Friendly Motivation Ideas

Contests, luxury retreats and lavish prizes aren’t feasible motivation solutions for all companies. Fortunately, you can implement proven sales motivation strategies on a modest budget.

Some affordable options include:

Gamification – Develop a points/badge system where reps unlock rewards as they hit metrics. Physical rewards don’t have to be expensive.
Recognition walls – Print and frame certificates or accolades for sales wins and post throughout the office for all to see.
Verbal praise – Brag on stellar performers during team meetings and to executives. Public recognition is hugely motivating.
Flex time – Offer small increments of extra time off as incentive. Even a couple extra hours off can provide a sense of freedom and relief.
Feature stories – Spotlight rock star sellers each month in company publications so all employees can celebrate their success stories.

With a little creativity, you can implement no-cost and low-cost sales motivation strategies that make top reps feel valued and keep energy and passion high across your sales organization.

In nutshell

Contests timed to sales cycles add urgency, friendly competition and fun rewards.
Recognize achievements publicly, offer exclusive perks and advancement opportunities to star reps.
Share inspiring stories and quotes via email to connect salespeople with their purpose.
Gamification, praise, flex time and feature stories are budget-friendly motivators.

Rallying an all-star sales team requires equal parts strategy, encouragement and creativity. Apply the tips here to pump up the sales motivation, meet revenue goals, and have a great time along the way.

Energizing Friday Team Meetings

That critical 3pm meeting on a Friday afternoon poses extra motivation challenges. Energy levels dip as folks yearn for the weekend. But with thoughtful planning, you can energize your team to stay focused and end the week on a productive high note.

Getting your attendees actively engaged on a Friday requires tapping into inspiration, fun, recognition, and creativity. Apply these tips to make your Friday meetings truly motivational.

Uplifting Quotes & Images to Share

Words have power. Curating and sharing inspirational quotes and images helps ignite positive mindsets.

Sources to pull motivating content from include:

Books by leadership experts like John Maxwell
Speeches and talks from influencers like Les Brown
Song lyrics from upbeat artists like Journey or Katy Perry
Movie scenes showing teams persevering against the odds
Cartoons and comics adding humor and wisdom
User-generated memes and quote graphics from social media

To disseminate this inspirational content:

Email before the meeting to put attendees in an uplifted frame of mind
Display as people enter the physical or virtual meeting space
Share your screen to show a short motivational video or slideshow
Print handouts with quotes or slide them under attendee doors/leave on desks

Pick quotes and images tailored to your team’s current challenges and goals to maximize relevance.

Planning Fun Team Activities

Injecting fun team building activities into meetings grabs wandering attention spans on Fridays.

Consider incorporating:

Icebreakers – Quick lighthearted icebreakers relieve stress. For example, ask funny hypotheticals or play Two Truths and a Lie.
Games – Friendly trivia, Would You Rather, and other group games inspire laughter and camaraderie.
Competitions – Split into small teams and compete in contests. For instance, a trvia face-off or Scattergories-style creative brainstorm battle.
Physical challenges – Assign silly mini-missions like balancing a paper plate on a finger the longest or tossing the most marshmallows into mouths from across the room.
Purposeful play – Facilitate playful team bonding activities with a purpose. For example, assemble structures/contraptions with limited supplies or participate in group storytelling.

Seek suggestions from your team on their preferred games and activities. Employees feel empowered when their voices shape meetings.

Giving Recognition & Awards

Celebrating accomplishments in meetings gives Fridays a festive vibe. People feel happier and more motivated when their efforts earn positive recognition among peers.

Integrate praise and awards organically:

Cheer on individuals who won new accounts, executed innovative projects, or helped teammates.
Award humorous superlatives voted on by the team like “Best Zoom Background” or “Always Brings Donuts Guy/Gal.”
Allow employees to publicly recognize others’ work by presenting peer appreciation certificates or making thank you toasts.
Announce promotions and work anniversaries happening over the weekend so the team can congratulate.
Show gratitude to the entire team for persevering through a challenging quarter. Order a celebratory cookie cake!

Sincerely praising contributions builds camaraderie and reminds employees they make a difference.

Getting Creative with Themes

Go all out on passion-igniting meeting themes to spice up Fridays. Themes guide every part of the meeting from decorations to activities.

Fun Friday themes include:

Luau – Encourage Hawaiian shirts and leis, share tropical snacks, and hold a limbo contest.
Carnival – Line up carnival games, serve cotton candy, and award silly prizes.
Game show – Mimic shows like Family Feud and Jeopardy with customized content.
Holidays – Bring the festivities for occasions like Halloween or the December holidays.
Sports – Rally around favorite teams. Wear jerseys, incorporate ball tosses into icebreakers, and snack on stadium food.
Decades – Embrace nostalgia. Play 80s music or do the Twist for 60’s flair.

Silly costumes, music, inside jokes, and food/drink matching the theme help people loosen up. These shared positive experiences transfer into greater motivation and engagement with actual meeting content.

In short

Share inspirational quotes, song lyrics, movie clips etc. to spark optimism on Fridays.
Infuse playfulness through games, competitions, challenges and icebreakers.
Motivate with peer recognition, awards, promotions and wins announcements.
Go all-out on fun themes with related decor, costumes, music, food and activities.

When creatively engineered, Friday meetings become can’t-miss events your team gets pumped to attend. These strategies transform obligatory meetings into meaningful moments of inspiration, appreciation, and celebration.

Facilitating Productive Meetings

Beyond generating initial buzz and excitement around meetings, leaders must also cultivate an environment conducive to efficiency and results once the actual meeting commences.

Accomplishing agenda items successfully and keeping participation lively for the duration both require strategy and finesse.

Apply these tips to facilitate truly productive motivational meetings from start to finish.

Setting Clear Goals & Expectations

ambiguity surrounding the purpose and desired outcomes of a meeting is a productivity killer. Before going in, set crystal clear goals and expectations.

Best practices include:

Establish priority topics – Resist cramming the agenda. Identify the 1-3 most important items to cover to guide discussions.
Send pre-reads – Distribute documents or preparatory materials in advance so attendees arrive informed and ready to dive in.
Describe expectations – Be explicit about what success looks like, the ideal outcomes you seek from the gathering.
Outline the agenda – Share the objective, topics, and flow of the meeting ahead of time so everyone stays on task.
Assign action items – Note who is accountable for leading various agenda items and deliverables coming out of the meeting.

With desired goals and responsibilities defined upfront, you set the stage for an on-point meeting where you accomplish what you intended.

Following Best Practices

Abiding by fundamental best practices ensures your meetings check the boxes for effective facilitation.

Key guidelines to follow include:

Start and end on time to respect people’s schedules and model punctuality
Take notes or use tools like Airgram to document key discussion points, action items, and decisions
Use an agenda to impose structure and logically sequence topics
Limit distractions and multi-tasking that divert focus from the meeting goals
Encourage active participation from all attendees through discussions and activities
Manage time wisely and keep conversations focused to avoid going over
Summarize agreed upon next steps and deadlines before adjourning

Following meeting basics keeps your team’s energy centered exactly where it should be – on accomplishing the outcomes you gathered to achieve.

Keeping Things Organized

Efficiency hinges on organization. Apply these strategies to guide an orderly meeting that stays on track:

Follow the agenda – Keep all discussions and activities tied to agenda items to avoid going off course.
Assign a facilitator – Appoint someone to steer conversations andmoderate to prevent tangents and monopolized air time.
Take timed breaks – Schedule short bio breaks at logical intervals to maintain sharp focus.
Use a parking lot – Note extraneous topics raised that deserve future attention in a “parking lot” doc to handle later.
Summarize periodically – Recap the key threads so far and remind all where you stand vs. the desired meeting outcomes.
Manage remote tools – For virtual or hybrid meetings, have an organizer handle mute/unmute and screen shares.

Organization produces clarity. With increased order, your team leaves energized by accomplishments instead of drained by confusion.

Encouraging Participation

Ideally, attendees do more than passively listen – they actively contribute insights. But participation requires encouragement.

Tactics to stimulate wide involvement include:

Pose questions – Direct questions to specific quiet individuals to draw them into the dialogue.
Go round robin – Give every person the opportunity to provide input on a topic serially.
Poll the audience – Use quick polls or surveys to collect perspectives in real time.
Break into small groups – Discuss topics in smaller breakout groups, then share themes with the full team.
Allow anonymity – For sensitive topics, collect anonymous feedback to surface honest thoughts.
Use hand raise features – In virtual meetings, take advantage of hand raise reactions to manage engagement.
Park egos – Establish you want all voices and opinions to create an open exchange.

Getting broad participation prevents stagnation and generates more innovative solutions – but it requires deliberately coaxing people out of their shells. Employ these techniques to maximize diverse input.

In short

Provide lots of context upfront so everyone’s clear on the purpose and expectations.
Follow fundamentals like using an agenda, taking notes, and starting on time.
Keep order through facilitators, breaks, recaps, and a “parking lot” for side topics.
Draw out quiet people directly, take polls, use small groups and anonymity to get all talking.

Productive meetings don’t happen by accident. They require planning, organization, and finesse to unlock people’s motivations to actively engage. With these tips, you’ll lead efficiently run, lively meetings that consistently yield results.

Building an Engaged Company Culture

Sustaining team motivation long-term requires cultivating an uplifting company culture where people feel purpose, belonging, and support day after day.

While events and incentives may provide quick boosts, achieving deeply embedded engagement calls for broad initiatives that reshape how employees experience your workplace.

Leadership Techniques

Authentic, empowering leadership sets the tone. Adopt supportive management techniques that bring out the best in people.

Essential leadership drivers of engagement include:

Role modeling positivity – Let your passion and purpose energize others.
Emphasizing strengths – Help people identify and flex their innate talents.
Fostering autonomy – Give employees agency over how they work.
Encouraging growth – Invest in people’s professional and personal development.
Providing feedback – Recognize contributions and coach to extend capabilities.
Building trust – Take actions that demonstrate care for employees’ wellbeing.

With motivational leadership, you ignite engagement top-down by fulfilling basic human needs for mastery, connection, and autonomy.

Employee Resource Groups

Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are volunteer groups that share common interests and experiences. ERGs provide connection, development, and community.

Some examples of impactful ERGs include:

Women’s groups – Foster growth through mentorship, events, and open discussions.
New hires groups – Ease the transition for new employees through peer bonding.
Working parents groups – Discuss the unique opportunities and challenges of balancing responsibilities.
Green teams – Channel love of the environment into workplace sustainability initiatives.
Toastmasters groups – Help members gain presentation skills and confidence.

Enable employees to self-organize ERGs that align with what matters most to them. Support groups with funding if possible, and give members opportunities to share learnings with leadership.

Social Events & Bonding Opportunities

Camaraderie and human connections lift engagement. While meetings accomplish tasks, social gatherings nourish relationships.

Dedicate time for bonding through:

Company parties for holidays, achievements, or just for fun
Group volunteering giving back to local charities
Outdoor retreats and activities like hiking, camping, and kayaking
Sports teams, theater clubs, or wellness classes coworkers participate in together
Brown bag speaker sessions where employees share hobbies and interests
New hire orientation events and mentor programs

The more coworkers get to know and like each other as human beings, the more they will enjoy collaborating on teams.

Workplace Perks & Benefits

Part of feeling valued involves working for an employer who cares for your needs inside and outside the office.

Perks that cultivate engagement include:

Work from home flexibility – Trust people with options on when and where they work.
Learning stipends – Invest in continued employee education and growth.
Wellness benefits – Offer gym discounts, provide healthy office snacks, host mindfulness sessions.
Paid volunteer time off – Let employees take a few paid days annually to support causes they care about.
Sabbaticals – Grant eligible long tenured employees a few weeks off to recharge.
Profit sharing – Share company success by adding employee stock options and bonuses when goals are met.

The perks you provide demonstrate your commitment to employees’ whole lives. By having their back, you earn their hearts and discretionary effort.

In nutshell

Lead in supportive ways focused on strengths, autonomy, growth, and purpose.
Support employee networks and communities around shared interests.
Bond teams through social gatherings, volunteering, and recreational outings.
Offer meaningful perks that help employees manage life and work demands.

Vibrant, engaging cultures arise from empowering leadership, strong connections, and benefits that let people bring their best selves to work. By getting culture right, the motivation flows – without constant nudging.

Key Takeaways

Motivating your team requires tapping into human emotions and needs for connection, fun, meaning, and creativity. Use the strategies provided throughout this guide to turn your ordinary meetings into catalysts for inspiration and events people truly get excited about.

To recap the top motivation boosters covered:

Energize Meetings with:

Themed decor, foods, costumes and music to lighten the mood
Icebreakers and friendly team competitions to break down barriers
Inspirational quotes, videos, anthems and affirmations to unite everyone
Recognition of wins and achievements to validate hard work
Creative venues from museums to walking trails that spark new thinking

Incentivize Your Sales Team via:

Contests, leaderboards, wheel spins, and bracket challenges with tiered rewards
Public praise, generous perks, and advancement opportunities for top performers
Emails and content that connect salespeople with their purpose
Low-cost recognition, gamification, and flex time alternatives

Get Fridays Fired Up Using:

Uplifting images, quotes, songs, and clips to set the tone
Games, trivia, and physical activities that make meetings more fun
Peer recognition, superlatives, promotions and win announcements
Over-the-top themes with costumes, music and related food/drink

Facilitate Productive Meetings by:

Providing clear expectations, agenda, and pre-reads
Following fundamentals like starting on time and using an agenda
Maintaining order through designated facilitators and recaps
Actively involving everyone through directed questions and anonymity

Create an Engaging Culture Through:

Supportive leadership focused on strengths, autonomy, and growth
Employee communities built around affinities like working parents
Bonding activities from volunteer days to office parties
Perks demonstrating you value employees’ whole lives

Bringing this level of intention to your meetings, motivation practices, and culture fosters an organization that people are thrilled to be part of. Soon, intrinsic motivation replaces external nudging. Your teams will be firing on all cylinders, producing their best work not because they have to – but because they truly want to.

While implementing these ideas requires an investment, the returns inperformance, retention, innovation, and joy make it well worth it. Peopleallocation is the most important allocation you make. When your teams feelappreciated, energized, and supported, everything your organization doesbecomes easier.

So use the guidance provided to turn your next meeting and any meeting into amotivation-filled experience. Tap your sales team’s competitive spirit withfun contests. Get Friday productivity soaring with engaging themes andrecognition. And lay the cultural foundation where passion, creativity, andaccomplishment flourish automatically every single day.

With these motivational meeting, sales, and culture strategies in yourtoolbox, your teams will be an unstoppable force of inspired ingenuity andcontagious enthusiasm. So bring on the tough challenges – because your teamwill tackle them with purpose, perseverance, and a littlething called motivation.

Summary

Motivating teams requires a multifaceted approach that incorporates inspiration, celebration, incentives, and engagement. Use the strategies outlined below to keep your team’s motivation high.

To Energize Your Team Meetings:

Incorporate fun themes, decorations, costumes, and activities to lighten the mood
Open with inspirational quotes, music, guest speakers, and individual wins
Facilitate interactive elements like games, competitions, and physical challenges
Hold meetings in creative spaces like museums, walking trails, coffee shops

To Motivate Your Sales Team:

Run contests, leaderboards, bracket challenges, wheel spins, and gamification
Offer public recognition, coveted perks, promotions and leadership opportunities to top performers
Send motivational emails with quotes, wins examples, and personalized encouragement
Use low-cost strategies like verbal praise, feature profiles, and flex time

To Make Friday Meetings Memorable:

Share inspiring images, song lyrics, movie clips, quotes and cartoons
Plan team building activities, trivia, and competitions into the agenda
Recognize achievements and announce promotions to end the week on a high
Go all out with themed decorations, music, costumes, food, and fun

To Facilitate Productive Meetings:

Set clear objectives, desired outcomes, and responsibilities upfront
Follow fundamentals like starting on time, using an agenda, and assigning action items
Maintain order via breaks, parking lots, facilitators, and recaps
Encourage participation through directed questions and anonymity

To Build an Engaged Culture:

Lead in ways focused on autonomy, strengths, growth, and purpose
Support employee communities around common interests and demographics
Foster friendships through parties, volunteering, clubs, and recreation
Provide perks that respect work/life balance and personal growth

Rallying your team around a common motivation to perform at their peak and enjoy working together just takes a little creativity and care. Apply these tips to unlock inspiration, fun, and meaning for your team.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I make my regular team meetings more motivational?

Incorporate interactive elements like games, competitions, and physical activities to get people engaged.
Change up the location regularly – try coffee shops, walking trails, museums etc.
Start with something inspirational like a motivating video, quote, or recognition of recent wins.
Use fun themes related to holidays, events, or popular culture with related decorations, music, and food.

What are some good sales incentive ideas?

Leaderboards, contests, bracket challenges, or wheel spins with tiered rewards and recognition.
Exclusive perks like parking spots, gift cards, or extra PTO for top sellers.
Points or badges for completing tasks that unlock prizes in a gamified system.
Low-cost incentives like verbal/public praise, feature profiles, and additional flex time.

How can I get employees motivated for Friday meetings?

Share inspirational images, movie clips, quotes, comics, or songs to start upbeat.
Get people collaborating and laughing with games, trivia, competitions, and physical activities.
Recognize achievements and celebrate promotions or work milestones.
Go all-out with fun themes including costumes, music, food, and decorations.

What are some tips for more productive meetings?

Clarify the purpose, ideal outcomes, agenda, and roles upfront.
Enforce basics like starting on time, following the agenda, and assigning action items.
Maintain order through an assigned facilitator, scheduled breaks, and recaps.
Encourage participation by directly inviting quiet people to contribute and allowing anonymity.

How can I create a culture of engaged employees?

Demonstrate trust and inspire with autonomy-supportive, strengths-based leadership.
Facilitate communities around demographics and interests via employee resource groups.
Nurture relationships through parties, clubs, volunteering, and recreation.
Provide perks that support work-life balance like flexibility, stipends, and sabbaticals.