164 How to Sell Yourself
official business purpose for any portion of the meeting
that it claims as tax-deductible.You make the difference
Almost every meeting you attend combines one or several of
the five purposes. But whatever its purpose, the success or failure
of the meeting depends upon the success or failure of the commu-
nication between the members of the group. Conceive of meetings
as communication and you’ll begin to think of them in a new and
productive light. Whatever other role you are asked to play, you
have to function as a communicator. No other concept of your-
self—executive, taxpayer, expert, supervisor, professional—is half
as pertinent and essential as the fact that you are a communicator.
Statistics show that most professionals spend more than 50
percent of their work time in meetings. Some sources cite a figure
more like 65 percent. And among professionals, it is almost unani-
mous that most meetings they attend have been a waste of time.
Why? Because their leaders or speakers failed to communicate.
What a colossal waste of everybody’s time!
People who go to meetings offer us their time and attention.
They often pay for the privilege of attending.
They almost always leave important work behind.
They deserve genuine efforts at professionalism in platform
behavior.
No one has the right to be dull for any reason—not because of
greater importance or a busy schedule, not because of expertise
superior to the audience’s, and not even because of shyness or
lack of skill.
As Jack Mannion, former executive director of the American
Water Works Association, said, “If speakers are not willing to make
the effort necessary to achieve at least a modicum of good technique
and authentic communication, they have no right on the platform.”
If you’re the leader, lead
Whether you are the leader or a speaker, to give the attendees
what they deserve requires the techniques as described earlier in
this book: style, skill, preparation, and confidence.