Workingmother.com | august/september 2019 7
home front | PRO TIPS
GE
TT
Y “Make sure the agenda/purpose is limited, clear and communi-
cated to everyone ahead of time.” —Dorian Block, writer/editor
“It’s OK to gently cut off
someone midconversation if
it’s not moving things forward.
Just schedule a brief follow-up
with them on the spot.”
—Matt Cohen, senior sales engineer at Splunk“Hold meetings
standing up, and cut
down on introductory
chatter.”
—Kimberlee Phelan, partner
at WithumSmith+Brown“If half the meeting is done but not half the agenda,
I ‘time-check,’ reminding everyone how many more
minutes are left to speed things along. I do it again
10 minutes before the end of the meeting.”
—Italia Granshaw, chief of staff for a New York State Assemblymember“Ensure the content is relevant for all attendees or
arrange for people to attend for only the relevant parts.”
—Mike Morrison, business- and people-focused coach, on Twitter“Keep all
meetings to 45
minutes. That
way, people
have a chance to
catch up before
the next one.”
—Kim Kazemi, bank loan
senior associate for
NYL Investors LLC“Always ask yourself, ‘What is
the purpose of this meeting?’
before you accept the invita-
tion. If you’re not sure, ask
[the person who invited you].”
—Barbara Nixon, executive coach,
on Twitter“Physical activity
increases product-
ivity. If possible,
walk and talk.”
—Amanda Holst-Larsen, HR business
partner at Pfizer Sverige, on TwitterIf you’re constantly in conferences
that go on and on, try what
these mega-slammed parents do
to stay on schedule. By Anna Cincotta
End Meeting
Madness
PHRASES TO
KEEP MEETINGS
FOCUSED“I have a hard stop at...”
“ Let’s table that
for now.”“ To be considerate of
everyone’s time...”“ To stick to the
agenda...”“ I need to pick up my
kid at...”