How to Survive Meetings at Work
We all have to go to meetings.
There are weekly staff meetings, monthly department meetings, droning teleconferences with the head office, or the dreaded annual meeting for the whole company where you learn about mission statements and how much the stockholders are making.
No matter the type of meeting, you will find yourself struggling to find meaning in your life after 45 minutes.
To get through these obstacles to your paycheck, I recommend studying the meeting survival guide below.
It will serve rookie college graduates excited about their first business cards and hardened veterans of the rat race equally well.
Meeting Survival Guide If you are asked a question in a meeting after you zoned out twelve minutes earlier and you have no idea what is being discussed, respond, "Could you repeat the question.
I was still thinking about what you said before that.
" Be very wary of complaining about processes because you might then be asked to fix them.
Suggesting an improvement is a perilous mistake.
You very well might get asked to fix the problem.
Only suggest improvements if you actually have a plan and want to do it.
Try to never say "yes" in meetings or commit to deadlines.
Instead say things like, "I need to assess all the angles and will get back to you" or "How does this fit into priorities?" (The request very likely does not fit into priorities at all.
) Remember a meeting may very likely be a place where slacker useless supervisors and co-workers dump work on you.
Try to be a greased pig.
Remember meetings are a great place to ask people to help you! Try to schedule appointments during regular meetings.
Avoiding them altogether might be a good idea.
If your poor planning has placed you in the office when a meeting is scheduled, simply state that you are too busy to attend.
Let the slackers chat while you actually do the work.
This is what they want anyway.
Overall a good strategy for surviving meetings is to bring a box of donuts and leave early.
That way everyone will feel good about you and you will ditch before tasks are assigned.
Best of luck.
There are weekly staff meetings, monthly department meetings, droning teleconferences with the head office, or the dreaded annual meeting for the whole company where you learn about mission statements and how much the stockholders are making.
No matter the type of meeting, you will find yourself struggling to find meaning in your life after 45 minutes.
To get through these obstacles to your paycheck, I recommend studying the meeting survival guide below.
It will serve rookie college graduates excited about their first business cards and hardened veterans of the rat race equally well.
Meeting Survival Guide If you are asked a question in a meeting after you zoned out twelve minutes earlier and you have no idea what is being discussed, respond, "Could you repeat the question.
I was still thinking about what you said before that.
" Be very wary of complaining about processes because you might then be asked to fix them.
Suggesting an improvement is a perilous mistake.
You very well might get asked to fix the problem.
Only suggest improvements if you actually have a plan and want to do it.
Try to never say "yes" in meetings or commit to deadlines.
Instead say things like, "I need to assess all the angles and will get back to you" or "How does this fit into priorities?" (The request very likely does not fit into priorities at all.
) Remember a meeting may very likely be a place where slacker useless supervisors and co-workers dump work on you.
Try to be a greased pig.
Remember meetings are a great place to ask people to help you! Try to schedule appointments during regular meetings.
Avoiding them altogether might be a good idea.
If your poor planning has placed you in the office when a meeting is scheduled, simply state that you are too busy to attend.
Let the slackers chat while you actually do the work.
This is what they want anyway.
Overall a good strategy for surviving meetings is to bring a box of donuts and leave early.
That way everyone will feel good about you and you will ditch before tasks are assigned.
Best of luck.
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