How to survive a business meeting

At work sometimes I have to sit through long boring meetings. I have learned over the years to tune these meetings out and still look active in the conversation. I am not saying that I do this every meeting, but I would say every 1 out of 3 meetings I am tuned out.

How to survive a meeting alone:

1. Bring Paper – This is essential, without it you’re forced to just look off into space. When you have paper you can doodle or make a to-do list for your week. This will give the impression that you are taking notes.
2. Day Dream – This one is tricky. You can only do it in meetings that you are confident that you’re not going to get asked to talk. If you think you will have to talk you’re better off sticking with the doodling method, you can doodle and still listen at the same time.
3. Bathroom Escape – If all else fails and you need to get out of there, leave for the bathroom. Doing this can buy you about 10 minutes of freedom, and hopefully when you return the meeting is wrapping up.

How to survive a meeting with a buddy:

1. Funny Face Game – If you have a buddy in the meeting with you, sometimes it’s fun to make faces at each other. The first person to laugh or get caught by the boss loses.
2. Secret Word Game – Before the meeting pick a business buzzword and see who can say it the most times during the meeting. After the meeting the highest word count wins.
3. Buzzword Bingo – Before the meeting make some Bingo cards with buzzwords or phrases in the boxes. The first person to get bingo and work saying the word bingo in the meeting wins. Remember, until you say bingo during the meeting, other players can still play their cards. So you’re going to have to be gutsy and quick-witted to win this game.

If you have any tips on how to make it through a meeting please share via a comment.