8 things you can do before and after a meeting

The not so common but useful things you can do before, during and after a meeting

1. Check the attendees calendar to see if they are coming from a meeting/have a meeting to go to. Plan accordingly.

2. Share an agenda, yes. But don’t reveal /everything/ you want to discuss ahead of time. Especially unconventional ideas. Set context in person.

3. If it’s a comfortable topic, walk up to the whiteboard and start writing down important discussion points.

4. If you’re too shy/scared to walk out of a meeting where you’re not needed, just open your laptop/notebook and start working on something else. No point in wasting mental energy

5. If you’re trying too hard to make a point and it gets shot down many times, let it go. You can always go back and send an email with more structured thoughts.

6. For important meetings, block 45 minutes of buffer time after the meeting. Multiple benefits. Hallway conversations, being the biggest one

7. Take personal notes as well, not just meeting notes. If you’re new to a company, take notes to understand each persons’ motivation, affinity towards ideas and philosophy/beliefs.

8. If you can type fast, send a neatly formatted meeting summary before everyone steps out of the room. This is a big flex. Sounds hard but isn’t.