13 Creative Morning Meeting Ideas

3. Try a Team Leader “AMA”

Bring in the CEO, the GM, or the Team Leader for 15 minutes of questions and answers with the team. Give everyone a general topic in advance, and keep it cordial! Face-to-face contact can solve a lot of issues and invite a more open and thoughtful dynamic.

4. Practice team shout-outs

Did someone finish a large project or get kudos from a client? Is it someone’s birthday? Invite your team to recognize each other by taking a few minutes to point out specific milestones, both personal and professional. This recognition goes a long way for morale.

5. Don’t shy away from identifying pain points

While “upbeat and positive” is the goal, everyone hits a wall sometimes. It doesn’t matter if it’s related to the busy season in your industry, a difficult problem (or client!), or a personal hurdle. This allows your team members to name a pain point when it happens. People need to let it out and feel heard, even if it is not necessarily work-related.

6. Keep things fun with a game of Jenga

After all, nothing says “teamwork” like building with blocks! It’s a game that requires patience, strategy, and a grasp of spatial relationships. The traditional version is great fun, but you haven’t lived until you’ve played Jenga XXL, which your team can build into an 8’ tower.

7. Try a word association game to inspire quick-thinking

Responses in morning meetings aren’t known for being quick, which is why word association games have the potential to dissolve into a lot of laughs. Take turns throwing a Koosh ball around the meeting room. The first thrower chooses the first word, and the catcher has three seconds to come up with an associated word and throw the Koosh at someone else. Players are eliminated if they repeat a word, the word doesn’t fit, or they can’t come up with one at all. Make sure to throw gently! No need to sacrifice a well-deserved cup of coffee by being too aggressive.

8. Plan a friendly debate

Introduce personal but non-invasive questions to the group. What was the first concert you attended? What’s the last book you read? If you could choose your last meal, what would it be? When conversations start about the value of metal vs. pop or whether the book or the movie was better, let it happen! Comfortable coworkers are engaged coworkers.

9. Change it up and play some unexpected six-cup

You may have called it by a different name in college, but everyone knows how to play. Set up 6 cups of water at either end of the conference table, then teams alternate tossing ping pong balls into cups from opposite ends. When a ball lands in the cup, remove the cup from play. The first team to eliminate all of the opposing team’s cups wins!