I was thinking about doing a piece (manifesto) on meetings. You know the kind you attend at the job. But life is about a meeting. Just being out and about is one big meeting. Sometimes your meeting strangers at a coffee spot or on the highway in a traffic jam. Sometime friends for a ballgame to a family gathering.

Meetings at work are more structured with usually the same leader (manager). Sometimes the leader isn’t the one sitting at the head of the table though. Meetings outside the office are more free form but leaders still rise up and set tone and direction usually.

Meetings have become more electronic over the years with all the meeting apps available now. I’ve used lots of them and they certainly have benefits. Having a team member out of country loses that personal involvement after a while. Connecting weekly in a staff meeting was a much more personal connection even though we worked all week together over the phone or by email/chat. Watching that person laugh at something shared, seeing a smile or concern when asking about family, just the few minutes of human interaction forms a much stronger bond and team.

But all meetings are about communication. That was what got me thinking in this vein.

People with their heads down in their smart phone while people are trying to communicate is rude. Just leave if you don’t want to be there. And you might find yourself not invited back or maybe others just walk out on you when its your turn. But most meetings you don’t get to select your attendance. Except those outside the job. Then everything is your choice

The only meeting I care about now days are Family gatherings and meals, Happy Hours and events with friends. Everything else is just NOISE.  And the people I gather with don’t have their faces buried in the phones or tablets or computers.