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So, what do you do when you get to a meeting first?


MoseySusan

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I won’t be late to theater. Movies: I will show up 15 minutes past start time to avoid previews. 

I want to believe she was actually there, didn’t see me, and then left instead of realizing she was there first, and so should have waited. 

So, I’m wondering whether waiting is generational and the younger staff we’re working with play by different rules for meetings. 

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If you are early, you sit and wait for the meeting time.  5 minutes after the stated start time, you get antsy and prowl around outside the door in an agitated manner.  You may be obligated to wait another 5 minutes, but your time is valuable, so leave after that.  Make mental note that this person is not trustworthy if they have done this before and this was the second time.

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4 hours ago, dennis said:

How is early on time? If a meeting is scheduled for 9, 9 is on time. How is locking someone out of a meeting productive? Who wins? Nobody. Passive aggressive just ain't cool. 

On time is "on time" - ie meeting starts at 9:00, so if you need to come and settle in, get there before 9 and do it so the meeting starts at 9 and no one needs to be disturbed by your rustling around.

Considering I usually bring my laptop to my meetings, there really isn't that much wasted time unless I choose to waste time (surfing the web).  But for meetings I run, I display an agenda, work through it, and then wrap it up.  Without a real agenda (wtf are we meeting, what are we going to discuss, who is leading each topic, and what is the expected OUTCOME of the meeting), a meeting can devolve into pointlessness very quickly. And run over in time. And be completely useless or even counter-productive.  

One thing I have learned is don't invite any idiots (with track records as idiots) to your meetings.  It makes them go easier if the fewest amount of folks are in the meeting, and if the folks in the meeting have either important information to give or important information to learn.

Tom 

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If no one seems to be coming right in behind me, I scatter my papers and phone and stuff haphazardly on the floor and then lay awkwardly face down, very still.  Well, not anymore, since that time the big sweaty bearded guy from shipping with really bad breath was the second one to arrive.

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2 hours ago, Razors Edge said:

On time is "on time" - ie meeting starts at 9:00, so if you need to come and settle in, get there before 9 and do it so the meeting starts at 9 and no one needs to be disturbed by your rustling around.

Considering I usually bring my laptop to my meetings, there really isn't that much wasted time unless I choose to waste time (surfing the web).  But for meetings I run, I display an agenda, work through it, and then wrap it up.  Without a real agenda (wtf are we meeting, what are we going to discuss, who is leading each topic, and what is the expected OUTCOME of the meeting), a meeting can devolve into pointlessness very quickly. And run over in time. And be completely useless or even counter-productive.  

One thing I have learned is don't invite any idiots (with track records as idiots) to your meetings.  It makes them go easier if the fewest amount of folks are in the meeting, and if the folks in the meeting have either important information to give or important information to learn.

Tom 

Pretty much this.  

I usually arrive or log in to web/phone conferences a few minutes early.  I usually small talk with others or check mail on my phone.

I'm not a big meeting guy but I host a monthly telecom with all my vendors & staff and I start on time in respect to the time of those who were punctual.  I don't back up  or repeat info for those who are late. 

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If I'm the only one in the room I always wonder if I'm in the wrong room, or if the meeting was canceled and no one told me, or if I got the date wrong, or....

My company is dysfunctional enough that I have received notice of meetings and training that have already occured. IE get notice of mandatory training at 10:00 when the training started at 7:00....  

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9 hours ago, jsharr said:

If the meeting starts at 9, do you arrive at 9 or do you arrive early so you are seated and ready to go (or in whatever position the meeting calls for) at the appointed start time?

If your gravel ride starts at 9, when do you arrive?

Early is on time, on time is late and late is unacceptable.  I stand by this.  

For a bike ride, I tend to arrive abit early.

For work meetings, it depends.  Sometimes a large regular meeting, I do arrive maybe 3-5 min. late.  I'm not chairing the meeting nor have a part to speak on an agenda item at length.  Otherwise I do show up at 9 or arrive a little early. If it is a meeting that requires computer technology to discuss an application or test application...then I will arrive abit early, if I haven't logged onto a board meeting rm. computer.  Certain security permissions, etc. have to create my log-in profile.. 

If it is a course I am teaching, I will arrive....1 hr. early and test the intsruction computer log-in, and make sure I have access to network drive, my corporate work email which I sometimes send reference links to documents I use in instruction.

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...I have had two favorite regular meetings in my lifetime.

The first, when I worked fo' de gubb'mint, in the cotton fields of the Social Security Administration, was when the manager would call us all into the break room on a weekly basis, to explain how we needed to work harder to meet our paperwork production goals. thereby putting me and everyone  else that worked there another hour behind on our paperwork production goals.

 

The second, when I was working as the volunteer Saturday manager at the local bike co-op, was the monthly meeting. It was run in a "consensus meeting" fashion.  Which meant that every fucking person in attendance felt some moral and ethical obligation to voice an opinion on everything that came up in the meeting.  Whether they knew jack shit about what was going on seemed less important than that we hear from everyone.  That eventually wears you down.:(

 

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4 hours ago, No One said:

...I have had two favorite regular meetings in my lifetime.

The first, when I worked fo' de gubb'mint, in the cotton fields of the Social Security Administration, was when the manager would call us all into the break room on a weekly basis, to explain how we needed to work harder to meet our paperwork production goals. thereby putting me and everyone  else that worked there another hour behind on our paperwork production goals.

 

The second, when I was working as the volunteer Saturday manager at the local bike co-op, was the monthly meeting. It was run in a "consensus meeting" fashion.  Which meant that every fucking person in attendance felt some moral and ethical obligation to voice an opinion on everything that came up in the meeting.  Whether they knew jack shit about what was going on seemed less important than that we hear from everyone.  That eventually wears you down.:(

 

Yes, yes it does: back in the day I was a big cheese for a while in Red Rope, the Socialist Climbing Club, but the committee meetings were interminable, getting out in the hills together was the point for me, but the former would get in the way of the latter too much.

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