From the Inside Flap
Meetings, the cornerstones of collaboration,inspiration, and progress, have suffered excruciating humiliation at the hands of corporate America. Gone are good agendas, participation, focus, and follow-up that are the lifeblood of great meetings. Instead, too many meetings drone on like some sort of soul-crushing, walking-dead zombie robbing workplaces of joy, productivity, and time. But there is good news: meetings can be saved . . .by you! Boring Meetings Suck empowers you to take charge of meetings that have become a waste of time and talent. Most books on meetings focus only on the person responsible for planning and hosting the meeting, but Boring Meetings Suck dares to admit what other authors avoid. Only when attendees learn how to diplomatically speak up and get meetings back on track will everyone benefit.
This book offers dozens of SuckificationReduction Devices, or SRDs, to make the next meeting you attend more efficient and effective. Learn which meetings you can skip and how to callout the perpetrators of poor meeting etiquette. But it's not enough to stop others' meetings from sucking; you must make sure your meeting doesn't suck. Learn how to become a better speaker by making eye contact, working the stage, and varying the speed of your speech. Get the essential elements for planning large meetings or conferences, and get new techniques that will help you run "get in, get it done, and get out" meetings. With Boring Meetings Suck, you'll learn:
How to graciously excuse yourself from ameeting without losing your job
The right ways to use PowerPoint (andother technologies) Three polite ways to motivate people towrap up
Why you should turn your phone on inall meetings
Tips to make your presentation powerful and not pointless
How to be a meeting hero, and get people to show up on time, participate, and return to their desks happy and with extra time intheir pockets
When done right, meetings can rock. They can be vehicles for innovation, motivation, and decision-making. They can spark revolutions. They can save the world! All you have to do is not let themsuck, and this book shows you how.
From the Back Cover
Praise for Boring Meetings Suck"Irreverent for certain (consider the title), but Jon has created an encyclopedia-like compendium of great ideas to make meetings more efficient and effective. Who cannot use more time and less ineffective meetings?"
—Larry Hilsheimer, President and Chief Operating Officer, Nationwide Direct & Customer Solutions
"This quick reference, easy read provides some great tips and guidelines to drive effective meetings."
—Craig O. Morrison, Chairman and CEO, Momentive Performance Materials Holdings LLC
"Finally, a book that addresses the IMPACT a meeting can have on its attendees and how that can affect the bottom line, rather than how the bottom line affects the attendees!"
—Chris Curry, President and CEO, Destinations by Design LLC
"Jon Petz is the global authority on audience engagement because he's spentfifteen years traveling the globe, engaging audiences. His book is the perfect resource for any organization that wants to reach the people who matter most, or for someone who simply wants to suck less"
—Scott Ginsberg, The Nametag Guy, author of The Approachable Leader
"If everyone would adopt the ideas for better meetings contained in this book, many businesses would be more productive. Bad meetings waste a lot of time and most business managers have never had any training on how to conduct an efficient meeting"
—Randy Wilcox, founder, SARCOM, Inc.
"Your first step to participate in the movement to eliminate boring meetings is to read this book and implement its ideas."
—Jim Canterucci, author of Personal Brilliance
