When flowers are a better way of working

Some days during these pandemic times are better than others. We may feel better and brighter on some days or feel more rested and hopeful. 

Some days though .... Urgh! 

It can help to look for a better way of working. Something that’s more: 
- Productive
- Creative
- Effective 
- Collaborative. 

Here’s a better way of working I’ve used through some of the many weeks in lockdown in Melbourne, Australia. 

It’s a vase ... with some flowers in it. 

Over recent weeks I’ve bought a bunch of flowers for my desk; a cheap and cheerful bunch of coloured blooms!

It’s a little luxury, and I’m getting an enormous benefit from them. 

I look at them, the intricate design, the beauty of nature. I meditate on them, gaze at them and think and write and breathe them in. 

This is a better way of working, for me. 

They’ve made my office space a better place to be. 

There’s no dog at my feet or cat on my keyboard but there are pretty blooms to enjoy when indoors is a work space and a living space in a time of lockdown. 

How creative could you be

Too many boring and dull online meetings, right?

How do we make things more interesting? And are we waiting for someone else to do the ‘be more creative’ thing?

There’s a personal scale of creativity - things that I think are creative and engaging, you may not. And vice versa. 

With that in mind, we can design and lead a number of creative exercises or activities that work in online meetings. 

Things like:
- Starter or kick off activities 
- Short icebreakers
- Introduction questions
- Quick energizers 
- Focus exercises to bring us back on topic 
- Get to know you activities 
- Idea generation exercises 
- Wrap up and summary tasks.  

None of them have to be long and drawn out. Some people wrongly think we don’t have time to bring more creativity to online meetings.

Even short bursts of a different activity can lift a mood, boost interest and attention or change the level of engagement. 

Times are tough anyway. We don’t need to make the mood worse with dull and drawn out online meetings!

It’s worth a little more effort to make the hours we spend online more interesting and more effective. 

We can all make a creative contribution here, whether leading the activity ... or participating in it. 

Why aren’t our meetings more creative

We’re not to blame! Our meeting cultures date back decades, even centuries to how parliaments and governments functioned. 

These old systems run deep and aren’t quick or easy to change when they’re passed on via generations, leaders and cultures. 

It’s a risk to change or suggest something needs to change. Instead we endure, tolerate and bemoan boring, inefficient and ineffective meetings ...online or otherwise. 

Why else? 

- Some people believe work is serious and creativity isn’t serious enough. 

- For others it’s easier to do what they’ve always done and play it straight.  

- Change can be difficult to make working in dominant and powerful structures and systems. 

- We may not want to stand out, mess up, look foolish or be criticized for trying more creativity. 

- We may not think we’re creative enough. 

- And we can wonder ... is it even possible to be creative in a meeting? 


There are many activities and ways of working in meetings that are clever, help us think better and make easier progress. 

These are creative ... and they’re effective and productive too! 

Why it’s worth being a little more creative in meetings

You don’t have to go way out there creative. Just a little can make a difference. 


🔶 For participants 

Are they participants - they’ll be doing, contributing and participating? Or are they attendees, an audience of spectators just watching and listening?

Creativity brings focus, stimulation to keep interest high and helps hold attention. 

Creativity makes memories. If you’re dealing with dry or complex matters, creativity anchors the key points. 

It brings content to life!


🔶 For you 

Creativity helps you stay interested. If it’s good for you, it’s likely to be good for them too. 

Moods and energy are infectious. If you’re not feelin’ it, they won’t be!

Creativity helps keep content fresh if it’s repetitive or the same topic as the last meeting. 

Variety alerts us. 


Many meetings are experiences of monotonous boredom. They benefit from injections of creativity. 

You don’t have to go for crazy creativity. A subtle or clever activity can build engagement, make swifter progress and help reach better outcomes. 

Are you using creativity in meetings?

Creative activities for online meetings

We often hear the tappity-tap of people working on emails while they’re online in a meeting.

It’s not their fault. 

They’re BORED!

They’ve had four of these boring meetings today. And you're dragging them through another one? YAWN!

We must make things more relevant, more creative - and it will most certainly be more effective.

If you’re inviting people to an online meeting to work, plan, contribute or decide, be sure you have a range of inspiring activities on hand. 

Giving people a question and putting them in breakout rooms is done - overdone! And it's just ONE activity. 

There are MANY OTHER WAYS to add connection, relevance and creativity to online meetings.

And it need not be ‘crazy creativity’ but relevant, smart and brilliant creativity!

I’ve spent years creating activities for meetings. And I’ve adapted, edited and morphed existing activities to make them more interesting ... and they work online too.