Meetings, the lifeblood of productivity, where the fate of the world is decided over lukewarm coffee and stale air.
But have you ever noticed that sometimes, the real agenda is not the one on the whiteboard? No, no. The real agenda is the one that's been conveniently forgotten, buried beneath the layers of corporate jargon and pointless small talk.
Behold, the art of adjournment tactics: the subtle art of sidestepping, stalling, and completely forgetting about that one thing you were supposed to discuss.
Learn the secrets of the masters: how to turn a 10-minute meeting into a 30-minute exercise in existential dread, and how to turn a 3-hour meeting into a 6-hour endurance test.
When the going gets tough, the tough get going... to a different meeting. Or to their email inbox. Or to a sudden, urgent, completely-not-urgent crisis that requires your immediate attention.
Hyperlinks: 5. The Sudden Appearence of the Urgent Email, 7. The Accidental Disappearance of the Whiteboard Marker
The art of saying, "Just, uh, just give me a minute..." for exactly 17 minutes.
This is the secret to turning a meeting into a marathon, not a sprint. Or, you know, just a long, slow crawl.
Learn how to use this technique to turn your meeting into a hostage situation.
Hyperlinks: 9. The Long and Slow Pause