Huddles in the conference room at work usually aren't the proverbial barrel of laughs; they are, however, a necessary evil. I'll tell you a secret, though: They don't have to be awful experiences — and in fact, as long as you conduct yourself well and stay mindful of the things you should never say in a meeting, they can even be relatively painless. “But wait!” you say. “What are these 'things you should never say' of which you speak?” Well, here — have a helpful instructional video with a side of hilarious comedy, courtesy of Fast Company. It'll teach you some valuable lessons while giving you a great, big belly laugh at the same time.
Continuing its magnificent series of workplace etiquette videos, Fast Company has volunteered to take one for the team by telling us something we don't usually like hearing: What we're doing wrong. No matter how much you wish you weren't at that particular meeting, or how stressed you are that you can't use the time to get something else done, or how under-prepared for it you might feel, there are certain things you should never, ever say during group meeting time. You can watch the full video below, but if you're pressed for time, just follow these four cardinal rules for proper meeting etiquette:
1. Do not stick your foot in your mouth.
If rumors about, say, layoffs have been circulating, you may be tempted to say something that will give you plausible deniability. Do not do this. It is the biggest mistake you can make. Just keep your mouth shut.
2. Avoid entering TMI territory.
What you do on your own time is nobody's business but yours…so let's keep it that way, shall we?
3. Don't lose your cool.
I don't care what Machiavelli said. Fear is no way to rule. And given that your job is to manage people, not rule them, you shouldn't be employing Machiavellian strategies at work anyway.
4. And do not under any circumstances, let on that you have no idea what you're doing.
Using words you don't understand does not exactly inspire confidence.
And neither does that.
Got it? Good. Watch the full video below if you need a little more help.
Images: Fotolia; Fast Company (5)
