By J. Mason
Online Career Tips Editor
Getting into the mood for a long meeting is usually made possible with the promise of food or some other incentive. For the most part meetings tend to drag and take precious time out of your work day. Due to the time suck vortex that a meeting implies it’s sometimes hard to pay attention during the meeting. Tuning out and focusing on things that need to get done that day take priority. The person leading the meeting gets ignored and you or your coworkers may wind up leaving without knowing what just happened. It’s important to keep focus whether the meeting is 15 minutes or an hour. You never know, you could be agreeing to a new assignment without knowing it.
There is nothing wrong with being a team player and signing on to new tasks and projects here and there. The issue is when you become a doormat for unwanted tasks. This could be a side effect of turning off listening mode in a meeting. Nodding and agreeing tells the leader you’re engaged and willing to do what they’re asking of you. If you don’t want to get signed up to cover Lucy’s monthly report then make sure you pay attention to the details.
Another item you’re potentially missing out on in meetings is events in your department, opportunities for advancement, and new projects you want to be assigned to. Not to mention the fact that you could be damaging relationships with the person holding the meeting and possibly your boss. If it’s obvious that you’re not mentally there you’re not representing yourself or your manager very well. What’s important is figuring out what your incentive is for attending these meetings and how to make them more worthwhile.
If there’s value people tend to pay attention and participate. Find the potential value in meetings you’re required to attend. Go in with a couple of questions or points you’re looking to contribute to. This will keep you engaged with the conversation, and hopefully you’ll be hanging on the meeting leaders every word. You need to give respect to get it, so don’t be rude to your colleagues by tuning out while they talk during meetings.
How did you do with last week’s bad habit, having poor social media representation? If you still can’t figure out how to be mature in the social sphere then maybe you should distance yourself from your accounts. Try also connecting with a few coworkers that have grace online and see how they perform their tasks eloquently.
Comments are closed.