Just wanted to add something to the discussion on meeting etiquette. Take a hypothetical situation: Let's say you are walking by the door to a meeting room and notice that a group of librarians are being trained on a particular topic. Let's also say that you happen to know something about this topic. In such a situation, it is perfectly acceptable to enter the training room, take control of the computer, projector, etc., and proceed to conduct part of the training yourself. After all, it's a shame to let good knowledge go to waste. And, the original trainer certainly won't mind or feel uncomfortable. He will just see you as a real go-getter, and will appreciate your sharing your expertise. What's more, he'll be delighted to see you shine through in your majestic glory. Try this sometime, and just watch how well it works.
3:15 PM
What follows are some general guidelines for librarians who attend meetings...
For Attendees
Arrive on time. Bring a pen and paper. Do your homework (if appropriate). Don't talk over other people when they're talking. Wait to be recognized.
Pretend to be interested or at least pretend to be writing something from time to time. If doodling, don't draw caricatures of your fellow attendees. Also, don't draw anything too funny that might get you in trouble when people see it and laugh out loud.
For Moderators
Arrive on time and have the room set up for the meeting before it is scheduled to start. Distribute any lengthy handouts BEFORE the meeting so that people can do their homework before they arrive. It's no fun to sit around a table while everyone reads the same document. Don't print multiple copies of something you can email or display on a screen.Keep the meeting under control. When other librarians start misbehaving, make them stop. Use force if necessary. THE ONE HOUR RULE: Under no circumstances should ANY meeting last more than one hour. Any remaining business should be continued at a separate meeting or disposed of altogether. Violators of this rule should have their ability to call meetings revoked.
J
"Meetings, How to behave in"
1 Comment -
Just wanted to add something to the discussion on meeting etiquette. Take a hypothetical situation: Let's say you are walking by the door to a meeting room and notice that a group of librarians are being trained on a particular topic. Let's also say that you happen to know something about this topic. In such a situation, it is perfectly acceptable to enter the training room, take control of the computer, projector, etc., and proceed to conduct part of the training yourself. After all, it's a shame to let good knowledge go to waste. And, the original trainer certainly won't mind or feel uncomfortable. He will just see you as a real go-getter, and will appreciate your sharing your expertise. What's more, he'll be delighted to see you shine through in your majestic glory. Try this sometime, and just watch how well it works.
3:15 PM