📋 Why the room matters more than the agenda

This is one you’ll want to take notes on, especially if hybrid community-building (or IRL gatherings) is in your near future

Agendas are meant to guide us, and for a long time, especially through the pandemic when we spent the majority of our time online, we focused more on the “agenda” than the “room”.

We learned how to run efficient meetings, packed out calendars, optimized talking points and timelines, and in many ways, that made sense.

Now things are shifting.

It does not matter if it’s a team meeting on Zoom or an in-person event. You can have every line item listed and every talking point prepared, but none of that really matters if people aren’t taking “something” home with them. Literally, but mostly, figuratively. 😉

They might stay for the meeting or gathering, but might not be engaged. They might hear what is said, but might not carry it with them.

And as we move deeper into hybrid ways of community-building, this is definitely worth paying attention to.

Over the past five(ish) years we got very good at running meetings, but now the work is focused on deeper connection.

I do want to clarify two things really quickly though:

1. When I use the word “rooms” here, I am talking about literal, in-person spaces, but I often also use it to describe online spaces. A room can be physical or digital. It is any place where people gather.

2. Online connection is very real and possible, but as more of us find our way back into offline spaces, the way we gather needs to be intentional and meaningful in ways online cannot eveeeeeen comprehend. That’s how you make it a real BONUS + key differentiator. Same goes for online — the goal is to give each their own unique qualities.

You following?!?!

THIS is the work I am paying very close attention to right now.

Even as we continue showing up online, across screens, time zones, and different seasons of life, more and more people are desperate (hiiiii GENZ) to unplug even if just for a bit.

And I don’t know about you, but, yes pls and thank you! Let’s do it! 😮‍💨

SO HAPPY I had the chance to catch up with Deb Boulanger, Fatima Teos, & Natalie Madrigal

Think of it this way:

Your online community is the foundation aka the place people can return to again and again. It holds the conversations, the relationships, and it’s how and where people stay connected in general.

IRL is not mean to replace the online spaces, but to strengthen them.

One supports the other.

THIS shift is NOT about choosing one or the other, it’s about learning how to intentionally design AND show up in both.

I know this because I have been in and around enough rooms over the years to notice the pattern and the ones people remember are never about the agenda.

They couldn’t tell you what happened at 10 AM or what was scheduled between 2 and 3 PM, but they will remember:

1. How a conversation made them feel

2. A speaker who said something that stayed with them

3. The energy in the room

4. The music playing

5. The way it smelled

6. The details, the goodies, etc.

7. How thoughtful it all felt vs forced

8. How they felt when they arrived AND then how they felt when they walked out of there

9. That one takeaway that inspired a post or piece of content

10. The moment they felt seen without trying

That’s the difference.

I was reminded of this last week at a Dreamers & Doers gathering in NYC. There was no formal agenda, and that was part of what made it so enjoyable. The host, Taylor, set the tone early, and everything else just flowed so naturally. And it worked because Taylor Harrington was being intentional and thinking ahead about how she wanted attendees to not only feel in the moment, but also walk away with.

So, let this be your sign to stop trying to fill every minute and instead focus on what people will walk away with when they leave.

Especially if you’re building a business, a brand, or a community, because the way people feel in your “rooms” whether online or IRL, directly impacts whether they come back, refer others, or stay connected after the event ends.

🌱Ingrid

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This week’s challenge

Before your next meeting or gathering (online/IRL), think about how you can contribute to the room. That might look like:

• Making an introduction between two people who should know each other

• Following up with someone who shared something that stuck with you

• Being fully present instead of rushing through the “agenda” 😉

• Creating space for someone else to speak or take the stage

Quote of the week
°‧ 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 ·｡°‧ 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 ·｡°‧ 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 ·｡

“The only impossible journey is the one you never begin.” — Tony Robbins

Click-worthy links

• OpenAI to begin testing ads on ChatGPT in the U.S. | CNBC

• Great Outdoor Shift by Boatsetter — I am DIGGING deep into this in next week’s Sunday Send-Off, but in the meantime, take a peek. Came across Caitlin Coble’s post on LinkedIn where she was talking about Boatsetter’s newest report and IT IS SO GOOD!

• Entreprenista Founders Weekend — Will I see you there? Tap on the link to learn more about what to expect and how you can attend!

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❄️ What community and snow globes have in common

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