Show Up at the Meeting Looking Prepared

Looking prepared also generates empathy with decision makers.

No one wants to waste their time. That is the main reason showing up to a meeting looking prepared matters. Looking prepared also generates empathy with decision makers. It builds synergy, too, because everyone else should arrive prepared,

Seeing It Firsthand

In my first engineering job, I was fortunate enough to attend many meetings with the company president, Zane Abernethy. Zane was a very smart guy who always did his homework, albeit often the night before the meeting. On his way to the car, he would grab a brown accordion folder and cram it full of marked-up documents. Those accordion folders had the desired effect on the other side of the table.

Years later, I worked with a politician from the North Carolina mountains, Mitch Gillespie. His deep mountain drawl often led people to underestimate him. What kept me from doing the same were the folders he brought into meetings. “I am going to like you,” I told him after an early meeting. “Why?” he asked. “Because you come prepared.”

Many Ways to Look Prepared

Folders are not the only signal. Arrive early with your materials already open, whether on paper or a tablet. Bring a printed agenda with your own notes in the margins. Decision makers notice when you can turn to the right page without searching for it.

Preparation also shows in what you say. Reference something from the last meeting or the pre-read, and use people’s names and titles. When a question comes, answer briefly and point to where the detail lives. Those habits tell everyone you did the homework.

And remember, looking prepared without being prepared rarely survives the first question.

The Tip: Look Prepared

The tip is to show up at the meeting looking prepared. Looking prepared shows empathy and builds synergy with decision makers. No one wants to waste their time.

The first E in FINESSE stands for Empathy. The second S stands for Synergy.

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JD Solomon champions practical communication skills that help technical professionals convey complex ideas clearly and confidently. Learn more at www.jdsolomonsolutions.com and www.communicatingwithfinesse.com.