The energy to fully engage becomes a big challenge right after lunch. As blood rushes to ease digestion, people become lethargic and lose the ability to stay focused and process information. Leaders who schedule important discussions or hold team meetings immediately following the lunch hour experience a detached and low-wattage audience.
During off-sites and strategy sessions, the after-lunch slot is commonly the least productive segment of the day. Skipping the hour after lunch is neither practical nor reasonable. Leaders need a better strategy to combat the dreaded meeting after lunch.
When blood sugars rise, our concentration powers decrease. The key to offsetting the after-lunch-blahs is to make meetings more active. Audience involvement is the key. Incorporating exercises to get people up and moving is a sound tactic. Even 10 minutes of movement can ward off meeting lethargy. If people sit after lunch, they get sleepy. Try a stand-up meeting for all or part of the time. Walking meetings or segments where team members pair up and engage each other standing up or walking together can elevate energy.
If you get slotted as an after-lunch presenter, ask the audience to do something active as part of the talk. Completing tasks that complement the content pushes people to engage and become more active. Even asking for a show of hands or having audience members shout out an answer to a question is a way to get passed the graveyard stares so common after lunch. Anything that adds energy will help. So, get creative.
Meetings immediately following lunch are inevitable, so now is the time to prepare for them. Believing your content or the topic is so powerful as to overcome the after-lunch torpor is wishful thinking. Adding positive energy after the mid-day snack results in a positive meeting. BTW, what’s for lunch?
