It can be rather intimidating to think about having to join a ton of other people in an important company meeting, especially when they are being held on a large scale, such as general assemblies. However, they are a part of the work culture of most companies these days, so they cannot really be something that you can avoid if you still want to have a good standing with your employer. Whether you are the one being invited to come to a meeting or you are the one who has been assigned to conduct it, you will need to know a few things before you begin. We will discuss a few of those things in this article.
If You Are One of the People Invited to the Meeting…
1. Do Not Start Side Conversations with Other People
Not only is starting a different, unrelated conversation with your seatmate very rude, but it distracts everybody else from the main discussion at hand. If you really must talk to your co-worker about something, make a note of it in your phone or on a piece of paper, and talk to that co-worker after the meeting is finished instead.
2. Do Not Fiddle Around on Your Phone During the Discussion
While you may think that nobody will notice you swiping away at your phone, a lot of people will be able to figure out that you are not taking notes and may just be futzing about on the internet, especially since you probably will not be making any significant eye contact with anybody else.
3. Take Down Your Own Notes While the Conversation Happens
Just make sure that you look up once in a while and look at the people who are speaking so that you can acknowledge that you are, in fact, listening, and not making something completely unrelated to the discussion. Even if you are just talking to people over the internet, they can still see you and what you are doing, so be careful.
4. Do Not Work on Any Other Tasks During the Conference
If your teacher would scold you for working on your homework for another class, why would it be any different if you attend a meeting for one project but start working on another project in the middle of the discussion? Save your unrelated tasks for after the meeting is over, since multi-tasking rarely allows you to fully focus and finish any one thing anyway.
If You Are the One Conducting the Meeting…
1. Be Mindful of the Body Language That You Are Using
This means that using your body language in order to amplify your points can be great for making a positive image, but it can also backfire if you do not pay enough attention to what you are physically projecting to others. Thus, if you are invited to any BlueJeans large scale video meetings, make sure that you observe your natural body language in the mirror and practice a bit before you hop onto the discussion.
2. Keep the Meeting as Short as You Can Possibly Make It
In fact, according to an article by Jacqueline Whitmore for Entrepreneur, you should set a time limit before the conversation even begins. Then, try your very best to stick to it. Remember that people’s attention spans are very, very short, and they are getting even shorter as the years go by.
3. Stop Calling Them Meetings to Make Them Less Intimidating
According to an article by Mike Templeman for Forbes, there is something about the word “meeting” that has become so associated with boring tasks that people dread attending one just by hearing that word. Instead, give people the impression that it is not going to be a boring event by calling it something more interesting, such as a huddle, powwow, or sit-down.
4. Ask Everybody to Stand Up so That They Stay Engaged
They will be a lot less likely to doze off if they have to stay on their feet rather than lounge around in their chairs. Plus, it will encourage everybody to stick to the main point and not elaborate on anything unimportant if they want to be able to give their legs a rest.
In Conclusion: Show Everybody Else the Respect That You Would Want to Receive for Yourself
No matter which side of the meeting you are on, keep these pieces of advice in mind, and you should be well on your way to more productive meetings. Just remember to do unto others as you would want them to do unto you. Pay attention during these general assemblies, do not veer the conversation to something that is not related to the topic, and take down notes when you can. People will love to invite you to meetings that way.