4 Reasons To Hold Gratitude Reflections During Meetings 

November 14, 2023 | Posted at 1:49 pm | by Ross (Follow User)

 

Gratitude is an essential quality everyone should possess. It is the quality of being thankful. It is also showing appreciation for kindness or to return a favor. No one was born with this quality. We gradually learn it.  

Often, gratitude reflections for meetings are omitted. This is perhaps one of the significant factors behind low teammates’ motivation. That’s because they don’t feel appreciated and motivated to do more.  

 
  Ways to Express Gratitude Reflections For meetings 

This article will discuss four significant ways to express gratitude reflections for meetings. These are tested and proven ways, but they are not exclusive, as many other ways exist. 

 

Say Something Nice 

 
It’s not enough to wear something nice and cool to a  meeting. The act of gratitude is the best accessory you can leverage to augment your general outlook. Gratitude is that powerful. It can make you look presentable, thoughtful, reasonable, and responsible. One of the easiest ways to express gratitude is consciously saying kind words. Of course, when we speak kind words, the most common ones are “thank you.” 

Saying kind words can help liven up a solemn soul. It can appease an angry person; while reassuring the doubting mind that they are well appreciated.  
Perhaps, your colleagues or employees don’t feel appreciated enough. In your defense, it’s also possible you can’t see all their hard work. However, just saying thank you goes a long way and speaks a message that’s more than those two words. You’re human too, and you can remember how you felt when someone said thank you to you. The expression of gratitude is what matters. 

Be Selfless 

Expression of gratitude isn’t restricted to words of mouth. Even acts of service go a long way to convey the message of appreciation. Being selfless in this context simply implies that you include others in your plans. You use personal resources like your time, money, care, and affection to communicate love and gratitude to individuals in a meeting.  

Did you discover an outstanding employee? Why not invite them over for coffee? That’s more than saying thank you. It is a deeper message of gratitude. Have you ever considered taking a walk with a colleague?  

How about spending time chit-chatting with that fellow before the meeting starts? 

Being selfless means including others in your plans. You could go as far as serving everyone a beverage at the meeting, and this isn’t just a show of love. It is a resounding voice of gratitude. Also, creating time and space for others is part of being selfless, and it expresses gratitude. Being there for others is one of the best ways to express gratitude for meetings. 

Be A Good Listener 

Many of us fail at this. We are often so easily distracted that we neglect the presenter or whoever is talking at the meeting.  

Sometimes, it is side talks and other flimsy acts of distraction. It sends a wrong signal to whoever is talking at such a meeting, and the person wouldn’t feel appreciated. 

Can you remember when you spend so much time preparing slides for a presentation? Perhaps you didn’t even sleep. And on getting your presentation started, side talks, grumbling, and other distractions began—no eye contact, no non-verbal communication, etc.  

One way to express gratitude in a meeting is to pay rapt attention to whoever is speaking. It shows you appreciate the effort, courage, and message being conveyed. It also makes it easier to engage in meaningful discussions from the issues raised in the talk.  

Offer a Helping Hand 

When new projects are being discussed in meetings and volunteers are needed, as an employee, you could opt-in. That’s a message of gratitude. How is that so? You are appreciative of your organization’s investment in you and willing to pay back by volunteering. This is similar to the acts of service earlier discussed. You just need to find a specific problem to solve without seeking any special reward or gratification. 

Offering a helping hand could also be to a colleague or employee that has so much on their plate. Helping them tick one or two boxes off their to-do list would communicate a message of love and gratitude. 

Indeed, people have been there for you too. So, being there for others by helping them solve problems is an excellent way to express gratitude.  

Now that’s not to say that you shouldn’t express gratitude to someone who hasn’t done anything significant for you. At least appreciate the person’s friendship, acquittance, or any other form of relationship that you share. 

Conclusion 

These are just four out of the numerous ways to express gratitude reflections for meetings. You can choose to be creative about this. The goal is to communicate a message of gratitude to those that deserve it. Expressing gratitude reflections for meetings is a way to spice up your sessions and motivate all participants to improve work productivity. Try out the four methods mentioned in this article and see the magical effects.