Do you keep falling asleep in meetings?

This has been around for a long time, but still relevant today.

Do you keep falling asleep in meetings, lectures and seminars? What about those long and boring conference calls? Here’s a way to change all of that :

1. Before (or during) the next meeting, seminar, or conference call, prepare yourself by drawing a square. I find that 5″ x 5″ is a good size. Divide the square into columns – five across and five down. That will give you 25 one-inch blocks.

2. Write one of the following words/phrases in each block :

• Synergy,
• Strategic fit,
• Core competencies,
• Best practice,
• Bottom line,
• Revisit,
• Expeditious,
• To tell you the truth (or “the truth is),
• 24/7,
• Out of the loop,
• Benchmark,
• Value-added,
• Proactive,
• Win-win,
• Think outside the box,
• Fast track,
• Result-driven,
• Knowledge base,
• At the end of the day,
• Touch base,
• Mindset,
• Client focus(ed),
• Paradigm,
• Game plan,
• Leverage.

3. Now tick off the appropriate block when you hear one of those words / phrases.

4. When you get five blocks horizontally, vertically, or diagonally stand up and shout “BULLSHIT!”