Holistic and Job ∴ Useful tips for your meetings

Knowing how to communicate is important in life; even more if our responsibilities depend on it.

In my previous article, I addressed by holistic the importance of job communication. Give advices on how to handle it, to the pros and cons. But how to apply these solutions in practice?

One of the typical scenarios in which professional communication is essential is that of job meetings 👥.

Remember the saying “Prevention is better than cure”? If nowhere else, you will surely have read from me about it. Job meetings are one of the situations in which our personal skills - even before our professional ones - are put to the test. For this reason, it is useful to face these job opportunities prepared. Not only out of respect for our duties, but even more for ourselves. Live the experience as an opportunity to encourage your personal growth through others.

So how can be ready for a meeting?

Thinking ahead ⚡.

The right spirit is to be pro-active. Take the initiative as soon as you receive notice of an upcoming job meeting. Whether you are the organizer or not, the game rules do not change.

Take advantage of the time necessary to gather the information you think may be fundamental during the event. In addition to being a source of knowledge to ensure your preparation, it is equally useful for possible sharing with your colleagues.

This approach will test your competence on all aspects:

• 🧑‍💻 Personal: your commitment to a common goal

• 🗣️ Social: your ability to relate to other people

• 🧑‍🏫 Professional: the demonstration of your skills and their importance in your job environment
  

By showing yourself one step ahead, you will convey confidence to the group and gain trust for subsequent job initiatives.

Being informed will put you at an advantage, especially with yourself. Each of the results and goals you achieve will contribute to strengthening not only your characteristics, but also your own self-esteem. A success for both you and those you deal with.

Having examined the attitude with which to participate in a meeting, it is time to pay attention to your action plan. 💪

Olistica e Lavoro

The 10 rules for a correct job meeting

🧘 Centering

An excellent start already takes you halfway there. Having a correct mental state will help you manage possible obstacles that may arise, such as anxiety or stress. Find your balance a few minutes before the meeting starts: this is the best time to practice meditative breathing.

🕘 Punctuality

The golden rule is to show up a little early. Whether in a meeting room or in a virtual one, being late at job is a bad business card.

You can also see it as an advantage: using this preliminary space to socialize. This can help as ice-breaker and keep you relaxed for the start of the event.

✋ Presence

Try to be present. Participate actively by asking questions about the job, or by expressing your points of view, as well as proposing alternatives. By showing interest, you will capture the attention of your collaborators and strengthen that feeling of trust that you will have already built by preparing previously.

This warranty will be even more solid if when you speak, you will be always transparent. Don't leave anything out, express yourself clearly and be understandable to those who listen to you. Hiding something at job, even if for good reasons, could turn into a double-edged sword. Don't let yourself be defeated by shyness or fear of possible consequences. Knowing how to take on one's responsibilities is also a highly appreciated sign of personal and professional maturity.

✍️ Annotation

Be sure to track the job content of the discussion. It is a good habit to always have a notebook or digital medium with you to write down everything that is useful. Choose the one that is most comfortable for you. Keeping a note of the arguments and decisions agreed upon has various benefits. It allows you not to forget anything fundamental and, at the same time, it is a valid witness for your job and that of your teammates.

💬 Communication

Silence is a distinctive trait of a wise and introspective personality. However, in a collective context, it can be misinterpreted as a lack of interest.

If you think you haven't found enough information to be prepared for the job meeting or that you will lack inspiration during the conversation, organize a B-Plan. Write down a few sentences or questions that you could show off, which have some points in common with the main topic. It doesn't need to be strictly tied to it. You can also count on secondary aspects. Such as how to introduce other subjects or tools directly or indirectly useful for the purpose of the meeting.

👂 Attention

Listen, don't just hear. Live the Here and Now. Being in sync with what is happening around you is also essential in your daily life. In a job meeting, it translates into time saved in avoiding refining and translating the information collected for subsequent planning. In the worst case scenario, however, in the search for the missing ones.

📋 Consistency

Maintain the subject of the job conversation according to the common objectives. Avoid wasting time and energy on topics that are not in line with the agenda. This will only create further confusion about what the meeting is intended to clarify.

⚖️ Balancy

Making yourself available to others and taking on extra job tasks during the meeting, is the best way to strengthen the relationship of trust with the participants. When proposing, always take your current operational status into consideration. Be careful not to overdo it: too many additions could slow down your main work, depriving you of the time and resources needed for your job.

🔎 In-depth analysis

After the meeting, review your notes and the data obtained. Ask your managers and collaborators for any clarifications or missing elements to be aligned with the job group. The review is critical as the previous steps. A well-structured check will avoid possible unexpected events once the process has started.

🗓️ Planning

Armed with all the essential elements, focus on aligning your job agenda with the expected results of the meeting.

Taking advantage of these rules and putting them into practice, is the winning card for maintaining a peaceful and productive collaborative relationship in your job.

Becoming familiar with this perspective takes practice, but the change is clearly visible from the first try. If you have never tried these suggestions or have only had the opportunity to do so in part, don't wait any longer and try them in your work immediately!

Cheers to the next tip. 👋