Sticking to the point

[king_pellinor]

I would just like to talk briefly about how useful it is when a meeting, especially one intended for training purposes, has a definite structure which can be followed. That way the sequence stays nice and clear, and no-one gets confused. So, for example, I have here a plan which I intend to follow today…

Of course it's useful if a such meeting can be related to specific transactions which have been undertaken recently, as that gives a focus for discussion. For example, one that I'm currently involved in is Project X...

Is that the deal where we had [this situation]? I thought that [this particular technical issue] was fascinating...

Yes, and I was going to come to that in a...

Is everyone clear about what that issue is? To run though it quickly, where [something happens]...

Though of course you should bear in mind that in [certain bizarre circumstances] you have to look at entirely different rules. Watch out for [something completely unrelated], too - which reminds me of a deal I was doing recently [blah blah blah]

Yes, very interesting. To return to the initial point, we…

One thing I always find fascinating is…

ETC ETC ET BLOODY CETERA!

*Sigh*. Who was it was emphasising the importance of a structure for these things only half an hour ago? Was it the person going off at *completely* irrelevant tangents ALL THE TIME? Was it, ironically, the person who has been going on at me to make sure that everything we do for a client must be covered by the agreed scope for the project, and we cannot possibly go outside a set scope for love nor money? No, shurely not…

Now I enjoy rambling discussions on interesting technical points, and I'm more than happy to have them, but not when we're talking over the heads of half a dozen people who haven't the foggiest what we're talking about because whenever I try to explain things to me you cut me off before I can finish a sentence.

And not when you make me use an exclamation mark. I don't do those, they have no place in civilised speech or writing.

Rotten swines, the lot of you.

Comments

[evilmissbecky.livejournal.com]

Oh dear. Reading this makes me very glad we generally only have two meetings each month at my craptastic company. They almost always follow the same iron-clad Nazi rules as the preceding meetings, which consist of the Vice-President standing in front of us gathered sheep, and lecturing for an hour on things, and then releasing us back to our tiny sheep pens.

Have you ever read the Dilbert comics? I'm sure you would love them. www.dilbert.com, and try not to laugh out loud too much while at work. It might bring suspicious minds nosing about.

[king-pellinor.livejournal.com]

What particularly annoys me is that the Council meeting our characters had in our Ars Magica game the night before was far more civilised and productive - and this was six sociopathic mages deciding what to do about a demonically-tainted chicken, not a dozen professionals discussing tax law.

[ladyofastolat.livejournal.com]

Ah, but that's because the mage's Council meeting was being chaired by someone exceptionally talented and charming and skilled in every possible way.

[king-pellinor.livejournal.com]

I know. It's a shame I've got that over-promoted incompetent who thinks he's Primus to deal with, but we all have our crosses to bear.

[ladyofastolat.livejournal.com]

And of course you'd know all about bearing crosses, Mr "I deal with the Church".

[king-pellinor.livejournal.com]

What, are crosses something to do with the Church? I thought the phrase was just something to do with having to deal with people who make you cross.

[chainmailmaiden]

Sounds like most of the meetings I go to, often when I come out of them I'm aware I switched off at some point earlier on and I now have no clue what, if anything, I was supposed to have taken away from it.

Take your sword next time and poke them with it every time they go off the subject ;-)