Designing the Start

Begin your liftoff with an introduction. Welcome participants and reiterate the reason everyone is present. Review the meeting agenda. Describe meeting norms for the event. Show support with statements from executives and sponsors.

Establish the tone with activities that reinforce your intention right from the start, and maintain a consistent tone throughout the event. For a mission-critical effort, you might want to start with a serious, no-nonsense approach. Alternatively, a product or service that relies on innovation or disruptive technologies needs people to think in new ways. For these liftoffs, use a playful, creative tone.

You affect tone in several ways. The way you frame the invitation, the way you introduce ...

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