Meeting Survival Tips!

So this morning on Yahoo, I opened my browser to find an article on Meeting Survival Tips. Now I'm not one to think that meetings are really that bad that you would need survival tips, but I have stifled a yawn or two in my years in the business world. Let's be real: sometimes it's impossible not to. So check out these awesome meeting survival tips from Yahoo. The tips that Yahoo gives are for worst case scenarios, which thankfully I have never been in. For example, if a shouting match erupts suggest that those involved step outside to take a breather. But I think my favorite of all, is the "What to do if someone falls asleep" tip. How many people does this actually happen to? Like I said, occasionally I need to stifle a yawn (which by the way is impossible to do discreetly without making a face that's completely ridiculous), but that's the worst I've done. Yahoo suggests that if the person is nodding in and out of sleep, to just leave them alone since they'll probably come to on their own. If they have actually gotten to the point of snoring, then it's just embarassing enough for them to have to be woken up. Maybe I'm a bad person, but I think if this happened to someone that I was in a meeting with I'd find it very hard to stifle a laugh! Personally, I think a great way to get people ready for a meeting is to give them stuff. When I walk in our conference room and there's bagels, I know I'm good to go! Food always wins people over, but if you want to create a mood at a big meeting, definitely use the Meeting Survival/Hangover Kit. Everyone will laugh (which puts them in a good mood), they'll be getting free stuff (which puts them in a REALLY good mood), and the things in the Meeting Survival Kit are actually useful.