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The meeting is a tool that should be used sparingly. It is expensive. It is for a specific purpose (alignment, understanding, status check-in, etc.). It is overused and the art of running a good meeting is underrated.
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About Jennifer Matt
Jennifer Matt is the managing editor of WhatTheyThink’s Print Software section as well as President of Web2Print Experts, Inc. a technology-independent print software consulting firm helping printers with web-to-print and print MIS solutions.
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Discussion
By Robert Godwin on Apr 11, 2018
Jen,
It hurts to think how accurate your observations are. The solutions equally implausible. Tell a salesperson to turn off their phone? try that when a job has issues. Tell the CEO/COO that? Not if they are waiting for the next big dog to call them. Having been in many conference rooms that post meeting decorum, often numbered in order importance, I have yet to attend a meeting where it was efficient, on-schedule and courteous. This includes Fortune 100 companies along with SMBs.
Perhaps it is the level of decision makers I tend to meet with, they are all busy beyond what time allows. Probably a good sign for business, but many of the cordialities you mention go by the wayside when an urgent matter arises. A growing, busy, successful entity requires respect more than courtesy, interruptions more than patience. Tough world and not for the sensitive souls we all know. But moving forward, expect aggressive meeting behavior. As for who is in charge? Yes, one person, with a posted agenda in the invite. Casual conversation, maybe...but I know I am busy and assume everyone else is as well. Personally, I schedule meetings for 15 minutes, and do not schedule another one for at least 15 minutes in case we run long. I never again need to hear quotes from the GODFATHER or GOODFELLAS or last night’s late show monologue.