Next time you’re in a meeting, watch out for the cast of meeting characters, they’re always the same, with a few variations here and there. And if you don’t recognized one, it’s probably you.
The one who doesn’t want to be there
If we’re truthful, most of us don’t want to be there, but at least we try to fake a smile and sit up straight, we might even nod every few minutes if we’re feeling extra professional. And then there is the person who really, really doesn’t want to be there, the person who’s sits with a long face all day, doesn’t talk and only perks up when mentions of lunch time comes up.
The one who is always late
They burst in 15 minutes late with sweat dripping of there head, slam a ridiculously heavy notepad onto the table, sit down only to realize they don’t have a pen, and begin making eye contact and mouthing pen whilst doing the international sign of the bill to everyone in the meeting unbeknown to them the manager who’s trying to take the meeting is glaring at them the whole time.
The note taker
It goes without saying, that if you’re going to a meeting, you must bring a notepad? It makes you look professional and like you actually care about whats being said. It also gives you a fantastic opportunity to show of your Pokemon notepad. But are you actually going to take notes in it? Probably not.
However for one person in the room ‘the notetaker,’ taking notes and recording every move of every participant, word or breath is furiously scribbled down, and is the main focus of their entire life.
The inquisitive question asker
If you’re anything like the average office worker, when you’re sat in an all day meeting that could have been a four sentence email, your main concern will probably be leaving and getting on with some actual work. However there is always one who adds an extra half an hour to forty five minutes on by asking stupid, uncalled for questions. And you have to do everything you can to not pour your bottle of Evian all over there head.
The suck up
There’s eager to please and there’s doing everything in your power to become your managers best friend. If you are the one who sickeningly gushes over the manager’s every idea whether it’s suggesting tea or outlining pay cuts across departments, you are one of the most despised members of the meeting. Including by the manager probably.
The fiddler
If they don’t make you want to pull your own hair out, it’s probably you and please, on behalf of everyone else, stop clicking that bleeping pen.
