OPENINGS
BY DEFAULT The typical opening of a meeting tells you that things are
going to start but haven’t really started yet. It pulls participants’ attention to the stage because that’s where it is all going to happen. Participants expect this ritual to take place; you cannot very well start immediately with the first speaker. People need to be welcomed and pulled in. From this perspective, it makes sense to produce the opening as a show – a powerful, beautiful, and evocative way of attracting attention, with high profile people adding lustre. Their presence conveys a feeling to the participants that the meeting is important (and, therefore, they are, too). At the same time, the opening is non- committal. Very little happens that relates to content. If it does, it is hardly ever an action by the participants. As a result, attendees have not become true participants yet. They are spectators. What you are missing The default opening says little about the way the organiser wants the participants to relate to the meeting’s content, to its outcomes and to each other. That is a missed opportunity. Every meeting has conventions – tacit agreements about expected behaviour by the participants. These conventions are inevitably established at the start of the meeting, probably in its first five minutes. So, any message – direct or indirect – about useful behaviours in the meeting should be conveyed now, at the start. If it doesn’t happen during the opening, it is too late. The opening normally does include various pointers, but these tend to be about the programme order (topics and speakers), logistics (breaks,
The default opening says little about the way the organiser wants the participants to relate to the meeting’s content, to its outcomes and to each other. That is a missed opportunity coffee areas, toilets), the content and opportunities to do something with it (Q&A), and other activities (a trade show or attention for sponsors). What about some of the beautiful openings, with performing artists and impactful videos? Don’t they create an emotional appeal for participants? They certainly do and that is a good thing. However, these productions appeal to participants in a general manner. What is missing is a targeted appeal that tells participants what you expect from them to make the programme a success.
AMIMAGAZINE.GLOBAL 2022 #1 45
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