5 Mindfulness Activities for School Staff Meetings

What usually happens at your school staff meetings? If they’re anything like most staff meetings, they might get a little bit chaotic. There is pressure to get through every item on the agenda. Opposing views on school policies might come up, which can lead to tension. People might be interrupting each other, and the conversation can quickly get off-track.

Or the opposite might happen: You find that staff members are disengaged. They’re physically present, but they seem to mentally be somewhere else. Everyone is busy, and itching to leave.

Now, what would happen if you found ways to incorporate mindfulness activities into these meetings? Calm Classroom’s activities aren’t limited to classroom use. It’s also easy to take them out at any time during the school day, including at staff meetings.

Here are 5 mindfulness activities that you can use to turn your meetings into a safe and rejuvenating space.

Ringing the Bell

In the classroom, teachers might have a way to get their students’ attention. You can use similar techniques – adapted for adults, of course – to get conversations back on track during staff meetings.

Consider investing in a mindfulness bell. If you don’t have one, you can use any audio of a bell on your phone. Let staff know that when the bell rings, it’s a call to the present moment. Invite your staff members to take three mindful breaths – in and out – when the bell rings. It doesn’t take much time out of your staff meeting, but it’s a great way to help everyone feel calm and centered.

You can use the bell at any time during the staff meeting.

Start with a Mindful Minute

There are many different ways to start a staff meeting with a mindfulness exercise. One way is to simply invite staff members to participate in a one to three-minute mindfulness meditation.

This meditation could be guided, like a body scan or progressive muscle relaxation. Or (especially if your staff members have some prior experience with mindfulness) you can invite staff members to simply practice breathing meditation.

Starting meetings in this way can help provide a transition time between the hectic world on the outside to the calm space inside.

Set a Mindful Intention

Anybody who’s ever worked in any organization, not only schools, knows that staff meetings can quickly get off-track. You probably already have a traditional agenda for your meeting, which lists topics to cover. But you may want to consider setting a mindful intention as well.

A mindful intention could differ from a classic meeting agenda in that it goes deeper. What do you, and the staff members, need to get from this meeting? What’s the one thing you want them to walk away with? What’s the true purpose of this meeting? How do you want everyone to feel when leaving the meeting?

These are your underlying intentions, regardless of whether or not you get through every task. So take some time to look inward, practice mindful awareness, and set an intention. Try to remember this intention is the most important thing, and allow it to guide you when things don’t go as planned.

Practice Mindful Listening

Depending on the topics that are being discussed, conversation in staff meetings can sometimes get heated. Staff members might be interrupting each other or misunderstanding each other.

Encourage the practice of mindful listening. You can model this for your staff as well. When someone is speaking, be completely present with them. Try to listen to what they are saying with non-judgmental awareness. 

Before you speak, take a mindful breath. Notice what you’re feeling. If you notice yourself feeling upset or angry, take a few more breaths until you feel ready to speak with kindness.

Mindful Gratitude

Practicing gratitude has been shown to increase happiness and well-being. You can start or end each staff meeting with a mindful gratitude practice. Either individually, in small groups, or within the larger group, have each person think of 1 to 3 things that made their day better. It doesn’t have to be a life-changing event. Even a small detail that made them smile can foster a sense of gratitude.

You can alter this practice by allowing staff members to share mindful gratitude with one another. Create an open space in which everyone has the opportunity to share gratitude towards someone else in the room. This can improve your school community as well.

Calm Classroom’s mindfulness curriculum is full of more mindfulness activities that are easy-to-use both in classrooms and in staff meetings. For more information about our training options, get in touch with us today.