When you gather your team for a weekly alignment session, stand up to give a presentation to your board, or plan a conference… No matter how big or small or mundane your meeting is, your attendees arrive with a set of expectations, assumptions, and preconceived notions.

The first 3-5 minutes of your meeting are your opportunity to make sure all those expectations and assumptions are aligned across the group, and folks are motivated to participate. You can do a lot in a few minutes; aim to establish operating norms or ground rules, share the agenda, and perhaps most importantly of all, set the tone. It’s in these 3-5 minutes that your attendees will make a decision about how much or little they will engage as participants and it’s your job to invite them in properly.

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