This edition of Summertime Rewind calls out the nasty habit of not starting events or meetings on time. Punctuality counts. It shows respect for your audience and colleagues.
The C-suite Blueprint blog has 10 years of what I hope you will agree is rich content, so I'm revisiting some previous posts during July and August. There will be a few revisions to take stock of new developments, research, and changes in thinking.
I invite you to fold in these refreshers to your beach reading this summer. And as always, feel free to add your comments in one of two ways:
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Let's get to this week's Summertime Rewind.
You have no doubt attended your fair share of presentations and panel discussions. Me too. I try to learn something substantive while also observing how things go from my perch as a presentation skills consultant.
I've long been struck by a phenomenon that seems not to occur to many conference organizers. It's the timeworn habit of punishing audience members who arrive on time.
Show Some Respect
You've probably suffered this discourteous experience, too. Here's what typically happens:
- The program is announced as beginning at 10 a.m. This means the sponsoring organization has struck a deal with those in attendance to begin promptly at that hour.
- Late arriving audience members straggle in.
- The organizers decide to hold off until more people arrive.
- 10 a.m. comes and goes with no sign of the panelists.
- Ten minutes later, they come drifting through the doorway, then take a few moments to get settled.
- The moderator begins with predictably trite remarks thanking the panelists, reading their (too long) bios, and telling you stuff about the organization you already know. Not once, however, do we hear an apology for wasting our time by starting late.
Refuse to Let Tardiness Become the Norm
Let me be blunt. This is inconsiderate and insulting. If your event is scheduled to start at 10 a.m., for heaven's sake, start at 10 a.m.
It doesn't matter that the crowd isn't yet as big as you'd hoped. People are delayed by traffic or a glitch on the subway system? Tough. You would think we'd all be savvy enough by now to realize that we need to add in a couple of extra minutes for travel time.
Those who wait for late arrivals are insulting those who adhered to the agreement by getting to their seats at the appointed hour.
The same principle applies to remote events. Speakers need to log on a minimum of 30 minutes beforehand. Organizers, you need to be there 45 minutes ahead of time. This provides the capability to iron out any technical glitches and to prepare for an on time start.
If an audience member arrives late and misses something, too bad. And speakers, never summarize for latecomers. If they miss a key point, that's their problem. It should not diminish the value for everyone else who was considerate enough to arrive promptly.
Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?
I admit that, when I'm in the audience during this type of fiasco, I make a visible point of checking the time in hopes someone will get the message. I'll also admit that this tactic generally proves futile since some conference planners and moderators have little idea of what "on time" means and how disrespectful it is to start the proceedings late.
This attitude also applies to business meetings. I've been a member of boards and committees over the years that have habitually dragged their feet when it comes to calling things to order. That's bad enough. But when someone (often a presiding officer) insists on bringing late arrivals up to speed by recapping matters…well, I suspect the steam coming out of my ears is visible. If the laggards fail to respect their obligation to the rest of the group, they'll just have to play catch up. They get no sympathy from me.
Think about it. How many times just in recent weeks have you been insulted by a group that punishes those who arrive on time?
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