Other than information overload, paperwork and emails, the two topics that cause the most anxiety and frustration at work are meetings and networking. In this chapter you’ll find techniques for handling both. Let’s start with meetings and the most important questions you must ask.

Is this meeting really necessary?

Deleting is an important technique for handling paperwork and emails, and it applies just as much to meetings. Once they get started, meetings seem to take on a (long) life of their own. We’ll see in a moment how to minimise that, but even better is to cut out as many meetings as possible. If you are the one deciding whether to call a meeting, consider whether a memo, email, phone call or brief conference call could achieve just as much.

Is your presence really required?

If the meeting is called by someone else, consider whether it’s actually relevant to you. If not, don’t go. If you need to justify this to someone above you, make your case concisely, stressing how much more value it would provide if you took this time to work on your most important tasks.

If you’re needed for only one of the items on the agenda, see whether you can get that one scheduled first so you can leave once it has been handled. If not, and the meeting is going to be a long one, offer to pop in quickly when someone pages or phones you to let you know that your item is up next.

Do you all know the purpose of the meeting?

A lot of meetings run on and on because there is no clear agenda. The purpose is stated in vague terms like, “to review progress on the Martin project” or “to catch up on whatever issues may have come up in the past month”. This is a recipe for a rambling, unfocused session that wastes time on the unimportant 80%. Somebody needs to create a precise agenda that should be circulated in advance. If this is missing from your meetings, make the case for an agenda to your boss or, if you are the boss, arrange for it yourself.

Is everybody prepared?

If you expect participants to have specific information to share, that should also go on the agenda or a memo that goes with it. That way nobody can claim surprise that they were supposed to be ready with facts and figures to move the discussion forward.

Is there a schedule and time limit?

If a warm-up chat seems like a necessary part of the meeting in order to get everybody’s minds off whatever they were doing a few minutes ago, set a time limit for it. You can go around the room and every person gets a couple of minutes to mention how they’re getting on. If anybody runs over their time and shows no signs of stopping, the chairperson has to move things along.

Ideally a time limit for discussion of each item will be noted on the agenda. It can be enforced by a timer that signals that the time for this item is about to run out. If it becomes clear that any item will require a great deal more time, it’s better to schedule a separate additional meeting for it rather than let it derail all the other items. Naturally this also means that there will be a time limit for the meeting as a whole. Just as work expands to fill the time available, so do meetings. Knowing that limits will be enforced concentrates everybody’s mind and they will say what needs saying in much less time.

One clever strategy is to schedule a one-hour meeting one hour before lunch or going-home time. Everyone will be anxious to stay on schedule.

Are the decisions made in the meeting clear?

Naturally someone should be recording the decisions reached during the meeting and noting who has agreed to what future action. At the end of each agenda item the person doing this recording can summarise these points in one or two sentences. These items can then also go into a summary memo that will be distributed to the participants and to anybody else who needs to know this information. This will prevent those, “Oh, I thought we agreed to something different!” problems.

If it’s a brainstorming meeting, are you following the four guidelines?

If the meeting is designed to yield new ideas, follow the four guidelines of brainstorming:

1. Quantity is king. The idea of a brainstorming session is to generate as many ideas as possible.
2. No judging. Judging ideas at the same time you’re coming up with them stops the flow. Later there will be a time for evaluation.
3. Write everything down. Writing down some things and not others is a form of judging. Be sure there are enough big flip charts or sheets of paper or white boards around to be able to write everything down in big letters.
4. Don’t be afraid to build on someone else’s idea. Sometimes a little refinement really improves a concept.

Are you keeping the meeting as simple as possible?

When possible, stick to flip charts or white boards and pens. Avoid PowerPoint or anything else that requires technical equipment. It breaks down. We’ve all been in meetings where suddenly the projector’s bulb burns out, or the laptop connection doesn’t fit, or the computer freezes up. It’s embarrassing and a waste of time.

Have the ground rules been set?

There are a few ground rules that will help make meetings more productive and pleasant. Already alluded to above is the expectation that everyone will come to the meeting prepared. Here are a few additional expectations:

• Everyone will be on time. Drastic but effective: lock out any late-comers. Next time they’ll be on time.
• Mobile phones and BlackBerries will be turned off. Drastic but effective: confiscate them at the door. You can make a lighthearted “Hand over your guns at the saloon door” allusion, but participants will get the point.
• Everyone will be expected to stay awake. Drastic but effective (also good for keeping meetings briefer): take the chairs out of the room so everyone stands up for the duration of the meeting.
• While spirited discussion is fine, there will be basic respect for each other, as evidenced by not interrupting others and not dominating the conversation. If necessary, this should be enforced by the chairperson.
• During lengthy meetings there will be reasonable toilet breaks.
• There will be healthy snacks (especially fruit) and water available.

You may not be able to control or influence all the elements of a meeting, but changing even a few of them can make a big difference. If you’re not in a decision-making position regarding how and when meetings are conducted, discuss it with the people who are – it’s likely they are just as frustrated as you with overly-long and unfocused meetings and will welcome your ideas.

Your meeting strategies

Which of the above strategies can you implement or suggest in order to make a difference in the meetings in which you take part?

The networking nemesis

One type of meeting that deserves its own section is networking. Here’s a little test. The following is an actual quote from an entrepreneur who shall remain nameless. Read it and notice how it makes you feel: “[Networking] is so fun and fulfilling . . . Talk to people all the time, in line at the store, at the salon, on an airplane . . . Not sure how to start? Offer a compliment. There’s always something attractive or admirable to notice about a stranger. Be sincere about it.”

If you’re thinking, “Of course, that’s absolutely right!” skip the rest of this chapter because you’re obviously (a) American and (b) a natural-born networker. However, if it makes you feel slightly queasy, stick with me, we’re going to explore alternatives that allow you to focus on your strengths – even if networking isn’t one of them.

The normal networking event tends to consist of a lot of people thrusting business cards at each other while trying to balance a glass of wine. At the end of the evening you have a pocket or bag full of business cards and you don’t remember who any of them belonged to. All the people who have your business cards feel the same. The usual advice is for you to show interest in the other person. This results in two people both pretending to be interested in the other person but secretly waiting to talk about themselves and whatever they’re offering. My advice: if you’re not comfortable going to these kinds of networking events, don’t go. Yes, it’s important to make contacts, but there are other ways. We’ll get to those in a moment, but if you do find yourself at a networking event, there are some guidelines that will make it more productive.

Find your most effective networking Alter Ego

Are there times when you do enjoy meeting new people? Times when you are relaxed and confident in presenting yourself? Either remember such a time, or imagine what that would be like, and create an Alter Ego for that state. Get into that state whenever you choose to go to a networking event. Don’t necessarily try to model those enthusiastic, outgoing, thrusting-handshake people who are often presented as ideal networkers; rather, find a version with which you will feel comfortable.

Go to the 20% of events most likely to pay off

There are so many conventions, meetings, business parties and other events going on all the time that it’s important to prioritise and go only to the 20% that are likely to give you 80% of your pay-offs. These events have two elements in common:

• Most of the people there will not be in the same line of business as you. What’s the point of going to a meeting of insurance agents if you’re one yourself? Sure, it can be fun to talk shop and complain about certain types of clients or the latest government red tape, but it’s not going to get you more business. Going to some event where you’ll find the kind of people likely to need the sort of insurance you sell would be much more promising.
• There is something going on other than networking. It might be an awards ceremony, a celebration of some kind, or a charity event. This gives you something to talk about other than yourself. If people are interested in what you do, you can mention it briefly and, if they’re still interested, they may ask you for your card. But none of it will feel awkward or like a hard sell. If you can’t afford the price of admission, volunteer to register guests or help with refreshments. Just be sure you’ll also have a bit of time to circulate.

What kinds of events could you go to that fulfil the above criteria?

How to make schmoozing painless

Arrive at social functions early and chat with as many people as possible. Again, you don’t have to do a hard sell. Those who are potential customers will naturally be interested in what you do.

A good way to let people know what you do is to ask them what they do. Give them the same quality of attention you hope to receive – after all, you’re also a potential customer for them.

You don’t need an opening line to start a conversation. Just comment on whatever is happening. If a lighthearted comment comes to mind, so much the better, but any kind of statement can get the ball rolling: “What did you think of the speaker?” or “This is a good turnout, isn’t it?” However, be ready with a statement of more substance or a question once the ice is broken.

Are you shy? Scan the room for other shy people to talk to. They will be grateful that someone is talking to them. But don’t get stuck talking to the same person all night.

For a hosted event, establish an easy escape path if you’re not enjoying it or it’s not serving your needs. If you warn your host that you may need to leave early, you can cut the evening short without offending anybody.

How to be a hermit and still network

There’s now a great alternative to networking in person: the internet. If you’re not into small talk over cocktails, you can still meet people, at least virtually. Find out which websites are most popular with the kind of people that you want to attract to your business, and hang out there. Leave comments on blogs and website forums, making them relevant and helpful, with only minimal reference to your own site and business. When you become a regular on these sites, people will start asking you about what you do. Then you can give more details.

If you’re the shy type, why not get people to come to you? Wouldn’t it be great not to have to deal with the 80% of people who are not in the market for your services, and attract the 20% who are? As a lure, you should have a website of your own, with articles and tips regarding your subject, and a way for people to contact you.

A blog can be even better, because it’s easier to add to than a website, and you can use it to build up a fan base. Encourage people to leave comments but don’t despair if they don’t. Don’t expect results right away – it takes a while for people to find you. Once you have a substantial number of posts and, ideally, some other blogs and websites linking to you, the search engines will begin to lead people to you as well. Don’t go for the hard sell on a blog, just let people get to know you. If you let your blog (or podcast, or site) reflect your personality, people will get a sense of what it would be like to work with you, and business will appear. Decide how often you want to post new items, and stick to that.

You can also write articles about your topic and post them to websites like www.ezinearticles.com. Each article will carry a bio and links to your site at the end. These articles are read and also may then be picked up by other sites. For example, as I write, I have 25 writing-related articles on that site and they have been read 3,300 times and picked up by a total of 245 ezine publishers. The effects are slow and long-term, and this works best if you continue to contribute articles on a regular basis.

Consider writing an article for a local publication about some aspect of what you do. The editor will allow you to add your name, the name of your business and contact information at the end. If you have specialist knowledge that could be of general interest, you may be able to write a regular column. Other outlets include company newsletters and trade publications.

If it’s appropriate to what you do, consider publishing a quarterly newsletter. Even if the primary purpose is advertising your products or services, make sure it has enough valuable information in it to make it worth reading.

Are you more comfortable speaking rather than writing? Consider creating a podcast. As with posts on a blog, how often you create new episodes is not as important as developing a regular schedule. And if you’re happy to do some public speaking, that’s another great way to get people to come to you.

Your networking strategy

Which of the above methods of attracting people to yourself and your work do you think would be most productive for you?

What’s next

In this chapter, we’ve covered ways to add focus to meetings and networking, so they become relatively painless and more likely to lead to the results you want. You can add these to the considerable arsenal you’ve gained in all the previous chapters. How to apply all these tools so you easily meet your deadlines even when juggling several projects is the topic of the next chapter.

Website chapter bonus

At www.focusquick.com you will find a short film that shows the rights and wrongs of meetings.