Have you ever sat through a tedious work meeting? Yes, and you’re probably familiar with the sense of being bombarded by your bosses with useless figures, rants, and brainstorming. They often seem to exist just for the goal of being dull and draining the life out of the day.
This survival guide was created to help you get to the other side of the hump and manage your next meeting without tearing your hair out or giving your two-week notice.
Let’s take a look at the five most significant pointers for passing the time at your next business meeting!
“What is the purpose of this meeting?”
Is it necessary to go nuclear before the meeting even starts? This is a question that will either make you the office hero or the workplace scapegoat, depending on how you answer it. But, in all seriousness, every business meeting should have a goal. When your coworkers are largely attempting to come up with things they accomplished last week aside play minesweeper and Googling their symptoms after one lousy taco bowl, vague “status/progress reports,” don’t do anything to assist progress any projects. Simply ask, “why are we holding this meeting?” and your meeting may be done before it even starts.
Make a list of things to do.
You might as well be resourceful in your personal life if you can’t be effective at work. Always carry a notepad to each meeting, not only because taking notes implies listening but also because it may aid in organizing spontaneous thoughts that may arise throughout any discussion. Do you have to go food shopping? For that, there is a list. Do you need to rate your all-time favorite sitcoms? Boom. Do you want to test your ability to name all 50 states in one go? Done. It not only makes you appear engrossed in the present topic, but it also helps you organize your life and your mind in various ways.
Take a few notes
Okay, this one may be more painful than beneficial, but it will ensure that you can successfully pass the time while reviewing last year’s financial and hearing about benchmarks. It’s also a fantastic chance to truly pay attention to what’s going on in the meeting since the physical exertion of taking notes may aid in data absorption. The only drawback to this strategy is that you will be held accountable for the notes you take, so they must be fantastic.
Ask
Instead of sitting and listening (time will go slower), I recommend you participate. Asking questions and talking will allow you to participate in the meeting and understand what is happening. It will show that you are interested in the meeting and make it less hard.
Doodle
A classic. In this meeting, it’s time to set your inner Picasso loose on your notepad. Do anything your heart wishes – impressionist, abstract, realism, whatever. Strive to send messages to your coworkers by scribbling upside-down doodles, or simply take a break and try to polish your name or the one of your crush. This is where a little creative thinking is acceptable; did you know that individuals who doodle still absorb information and may even be doing it more effectively? If you’re called out, simply explain that you’re conducting data visualization and that they should focus on their canvas..or notepad.
Meetings at Work with Ease
Make your next work meeting remembered by using some of these pointers to get through it with elegance, quickness, and originality. There’s nothing like a dull work meeting to liven things up, so ask questions, take notes, and doodle to your heart’s delight at your next meeting. After all, you’re the only one who can keep meetings from becoming tedious. Let us know in the comments how to kill time during meetings…
