So, it sounds crazy, but it’s true! And no, it’s not for making your flow charts stick to the wall.

For your afternoon sessions, just after lunch, plan on offering a “Gum Bar” experience, complete with everyone’s favorite flavors and of course, a trash receptacle for the wrappers. Your presenters, meeting owner and participants will thank you when they experience increased blood flow to the brain which just may increase attention, retention even mood.

Forbes, The British Psychological Society, and Wired have all published articles reporting the various cognitive benefits of chewing gum as found in various studies, which, to be fair have sometimes been questioned. Gum-chewing has been linked to reduced stress, enhanced mood, increased focus, higher alertness, better test performance and improved memory among other benefits. And our friends in the world of education have been putting it into practice for years with students who have ADD/ADHD and even those who don’t.

So break out the Juicy Fruit, the Trident and the Hubba Bubba. Excite your participants’ brains and make your meetings more effective. The very act of offering gum may just get you a pat on the back and the creative juices flowing!

For more ideas on how to increase the effectiveness of your meeting or how to add interactive elements, contact us at meetingWorks and PlayWorks Group!