KEY POINTS

• Effective meetings create a welcoming environment.

• The first task of any meeting is to create a safe-enough environment so that work can be done.

• People scan for threats ten times more often than they scan for rewards.

• When people feel threatened, the innovative, collaborative part of the brain shuts down.

• A heartfelt welcome helps reduce perceived threats and dampens the fight or flight response.

• Spending time welcoming people and creating a welcoming environment is time well spent because it helps the work go smoothly.