Successful Time Management For Dummies, 2nd Edition

Chapter 18

Mastering Meetings with Co-Workers

In This Chapter

• Preventing meetings from overtaking your day
• Laying the groundwork for a productive meeting
• Running an efficient meeting
• Following up for maximum effectiveness

If you regard meetings as a massive waste of time, then read on. You're in good company if meeting invitations cause your stomach to tie up in knots and your blood to pressure to climb a little higher. That feeling may arise because you know you'll walk out with more projects on your already overflowing plate. Or because your day is so packed with to-dos that squeezing in one more commitment is certain to push you over the edge. Or because you know from experience that you'll find yourself a prisoner of the Meeting That Wouldn't Die.

The classic face-to-face meeting is still the gold standard for meetings; however, modern technology gives meetings a broader definition and us the ability to use different modalities to accomplish person-to-person connection, brainstorming, and problem solving. We now have the capability to meet via Skype, WebEx, GoToMeeting, Adobe Connect, Google Plus, and countless other web-based options. These new technology platforms expand on the classic face-to-face and phone-to-phone interactions of the past.

Sadly, meetings with colleagues, co-workers, and corporate minions — as well as appointments with clients, customers, vendors, and so on — are an important part of business life. Meetings aid in the communication of critical issues, ...