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time management

The Group Meeting

Those who make predictions about such things predicted that video
conferencing would become extremely popular, replacing many
face-to-face meetings. It’s an attractive concept for lots of reasons,
not the least of which is the time savings potential for meeting par-
ticipants who are spared the need to travel. But video conferencing
hasn’t yet reached the potential its advocates had hoped for, and
may not until it can overcome some of its awkward and unnatural
qualities. We prefer, at least for the time being, the ability to make
eye contact with our colleagues, to see and judge their expressions
and gestures up close in a face-to-face, live context.

So, reports of the death of meetings are premature. Meetings
will continue to be a prominent part of the landscape for most
knowledge workers, and at certain levels of responsibility, can
consume more than half the work week.

Just as with the one-on-one, impromptu meeting, the more for-
mal, scheduled, multi-participant meeting should be approached
with the cold, objective point-of-view that considers: What can I
gain from attending this meeting? and What will I miss (or what
other tasks can I spend the time doing?) if I don’t attend? Before
you can answer those questions, you need to know:

1. What’s the subject matter?
2. How long will the meeting last?
3. Am I the right person? (Actually, Phyllis is handling that

account. You’d better ask her.)
4. Does it really require a meeting? (Maybe a two-minute dis-

cussion among the principals, or a couple of e-mails will
resolve the issue so we can avoid having to meet later.)

Knowing the answers to these questions will permit you to
decide whether to accept the invitation or decline. If the report
you’ve been working on for two weeks must be circulated at close
of business today, you really don’t have the luxury of spending

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