by John J. Walters<\/p>\n
What was the worst meeting you ever attended?\u00c2\u00a0 For most people, this is a difficult question, because the competition is fierce.\u00c2\u00a0 I went searching for common meeting complaints this morning, and I found a few decent articles written by people complaining about various behaviors that should be avoided at all costs.<\/p>\n
Of course, everyone will have their pet peeves and there will always be professional cynics.\u00c2\u00a0 You can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t please all of the people all of the time, but with a little preparation you can organize a decent meeting that won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t bore everyone, especially if you are careful only to schedule one only when it really needs to take place and when you invite only the people who will have relevant input.<\/p>\n
But sometimes a decent meeting can turn into a train wreck despite the best preparation.\u00c2\u00a0 How?\u00c2\u00a0 We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re all familiar with \u00e2\u20ac\u0153that guy\u00e2\u20ac\u009d who commits a meeting faux pas that derails everything, so I figured I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d post a couple links to help you avoid turning into him by accident.<\/p>\n
First, here\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a very short list<\/a> of a few things to avoid at all costs.\u00c2\u00a0 It says it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153top five\u00e2\u20ac\u009d list but only lists four things.\u00c2\u00a0 Oh well.<\/p>\n CNN also has a pretty decent piece<\/a> with ten things that will either make you look bad during a meeting or will distract everyone else from the task at hand.\u00c2\u00a0 It boils down to being prepared, acting professional, and staying on topic.\u00c2\u00a0 Good advice in general, really.<\/p>\n