How to prime your participants for virtual / hybrid events

I came across Dr. Ming Wang a Harvard & MIT MD/Ph.D's short video about the "pre-lead" period in dance. He talked about the brief period leading up to the dance where there is a pause and expansion in the body to indicate the dancer's intention:

• the awareness of another human being
• sensitivity toward the partner's physical and emotional position
• how the dance couple expresses music together and the connection to another human being

The dance is all about the compromise, the negotiation, with two people working together to form a unified experience.

This got me thinking about the need for a pre-lead or priming period for meetings: to prime participants to be in the best frame of mind and body to fully enjoy the conference and/or tele-working experience - energized, focused and engaged.

Here's the thing: when you prime the mind and body, you're also priming the day. You inject ENERGY that drives attendees into a peak performance state, leaving them open to new information and experiences.

Where your focus goes, energy flows.

An engaged attendee is one who also retains content, applies the learnings at work and shares with colleagues.

Here's how to prime your audiences to motivate them to practice self-care to boost vitality for the virtual or hybrid meeting:

EAT: eat healthy whole foods to nourish the brain and body.

SLEEP: get a good night's sleep to be more attentive and better able to absorb and retain information.

MOVE: take exercise breaks between breakouts to stay energized.

BREATHE: take mindfulness and yoga breaks to calm the mind and enhance focus, presence and full engagement.

The old saying "Your day starts the night before" also applies to events. Help your attendees "get ready" for the event and have their best conference experience when they arrive, whether virtually or in-person.

Have a look at this short Priming Video, available with our Virtual Wellness Lounge, for meeting planners to send out to their audiences in advance of the event.

Let's jump on a call to chat about how to incorporate priming experiences like wellness, yoga and mindfulness into your upcoming virtual and/or hybrid event. Here's a link to my virtual calendar.

Be well,