10 Things Everyone is Thinking About During a Meeting at Work
Go ahead, fess up: You think about a lot of things during a meeting at work, and it often has nothing to do with business. Sure, your mind may focus a bit on how how the issues being discussed will affect your job, but there's lot of other stuff that you think about.
Don't worry. You're not alone. We all do it. In fact, here's a list of what some of us are really thinking when that PowerPoint presentation seems to have our full attention:
1. I don't have time for this.
2. Is she ever going to shut up?
3. Did I turn off the coffeepot this morning?
4. That cannot be his real hair.
5. If he says "think outside the box" one more time, I'll barf. Or throw something at him. Maybe both.
6. Yeah, those pants do make her butt look big.
7. I really, really don't have time for this.
8. I'm starving. I wonder if I still have those leftover M&Ms in my drawer?
9. OK. Seriously? With different glasses and her hair up, she would look just like Sarah Palin.
10. I knew I should have called in sick today.
Time to admit it: What else do you think about during a meeting?
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Labels: advice, Anita Bruzzese, business, career advice, hate meetings, jobs, meetings, Sarah Palin, think about, work
posted by Anita at 8:36 AM
14 Comments:
I should've gotten a manicure.
Diane,
LOL! Great addition!
I like these 10 things friday post.
- Didn't we talked about this last time?
- Ain't this meeting suppose to end 1/2 hr ago?
- Damn it, I forgot to bring my coffee into the meeting....zzzzz
Ian,
You absolutely captured the feeling of being held prisoner in a boring meeting where the same old stuff is rehashed again and again and the only hope of survival is caffeine! Excellent additions!
“When are we going to stop meeting to talk about what needs to be done so we can actually spend time getting it done?” As you can probably tell, I’m a big fan of standing meetings.
Shawn,
I like the standing meetings, also. But I can go one better...near my office one day I saw a group of people walking the streets around their office, carrying notepads and taking notes while this one guy was talking. I saw one of the people later and asked about it...she said it was a meeting! The boss has them walk while they talk, so they get exercise, and keep the talking very efficient and on topic. I'll bet when it's very cold or very hot outside, they cut those meetings WAY short!
Thanks for posting.
Anita -
Sometimes I play buzzword bingo. It forces you to listen, and it looks like you're taking notes.
Dan,
I even know executives who play this game...especially if an employee is known to be long-winded and full of jargon when giving a report.
Ha!
At my old job I used to write down all the snarky phrases I wanted to say in response to my boss' aggravating excuses for staff meetings.
Now, during conference calls, I'm almost always playing tetris while listening.
Erika,
Aha! Now we know that when we hear the clack of the computer keys you're not "taking notes" -- you're playing! I guess that's better than the people who shop while on a conference call!:)
Thanks for posting.
… a gallon of milk; a loaf of bread; no, I’ll get two loaves of bread this time; a bag of flour; another case of Diet Coke; …
Enjoy your blog!
Marianne
Marianne,
Ha! And don't forget to add the M&Ms!!
Good stuff...thanks for adding to the list.
- What should I blog about when I get back to my desk?
- Can anyone hear my stomach growling?
And I totally agree with Shawn. Fewer meetings, more action. The surest way to NOT get something done is to assign it to a committee.
Great blog! :-)
Bonnie,
Oh, those are great ones...especially about the blog. I'm always doing that! Thanks for adding.
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