Did you know…
Most professionals who meet on a regular basis admit to daydreaming (91%), missing meetings (96%) or missing parts of meetings (95%). A large percentage (73%) say they have brought other work to meetings and 39% say they have dozed during meetings.
– A network MCI Conferencing White Paper, Meetings in America:
A study of trends, costs and attitudes toward business travel,
teleconferencing, and their impact on productivity
(Greenwich, CT: INFOCOMM, 1998), 10.
Productivity Tip
There is little that I find more frustrating than to attend a meeting that could have easily been handled via a memo, e-mail or conference call. I walk away literally mourning the loss of my time – time that I could have spent with family or on meaningful work. Therefore, on behalf of the many others like myself, I ask that if you are responsible for leading meetings, consider carefully the purpose of the meeting, if there are alternate forms of meeting, who truly needs to attend and who just needs a copy of the minutes, and then keep the meeting within your budgeted time.
Here are a few FREE resources for you to consider when planning your next meeting…
For Conference Calls:
www.freeconference.com
www.freeconferencecall.com
These sites provide tools for scheduling conference calls, including a telephone number and access code, allowing up to 150 participants to call in and talk, no matter their location. Note, long distance charges may apply.
For Interactive Meetings via the Internet:
www.vyew.com
This site allows you to present, share and/or collaborate on documents, spreadsheets, and presentations.
For scheduling meetings, conference calls, and social outings:
www.doodle.com
This site lets you find dates and times when everyone is available to meet.
| A Thought to Ponder | |
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When I give a lecture, I accept that people look at their watches, but what I do not tolerate is when they look at it and raise it to their ear to find out if it stopped.
~ Marcell Achard |
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