Why are you in the meeting room?

Why are you here? We’re getting back into physical rooms together again. And overall, I think that’s a good thing. But in all the back-to-the-office debate, the focus seems stuck on the physical action, not the reason behind it. For what it’s worth, I’m pro-hybrid. Be in the mix when it’s beneficial, be out of it when it’s beneficial. But I’m no longer a junior learning his craft, or a business owner with eye-watering building overheads, so maybe I get to over-simplify. Still, one great reason to be in-person is for meetings. Be it internal WIPs, or big client presentations. And something I’ve noticed slipping in this new in-between world is this: What’s your role in the room? Back in my Kitcatt Nohr days, this was drilled into us. Before any big meeting, we’d ask: Are you there to reassure? To persuade? To excite? To lead? (Or even to take notes - not to be undervalued). One thing I was relentlessly told when I was that junior, learning his craft, was to ‘make sure you say something’. Which I get. It builds confidence, gives you a voice. But if that never evolves, if it doesn’t become “say something purposeful” or “when it’s needed, based on your role in the room”, you can end up with five people saying the same thing in five different ways. And that’s when the energy drops. You run out of time. You cover one point to death. And everyone leaves feeling more confused than when they arrived. In client meetings, this repetition can breed an air of uncertainty. Sucking the confidence out of a presentation. And the presence out of the team. Here’s the thing, no one ever drilled into me to ‘listen’ in meetings. I find that odd. Listening properly, actively, strategically, might be the most important thing you can do in a room. It’s probably the thing that’s served me best throughout my career.