You’ve been invited to a meeting three days from now. You’re not 100% sure WHY the leader or team wants you there, but you’re willing to attend and put your best foot forward.

During the Course titled “Attend and Lead Effective Meetings,” we help leaders, managers, entrepreneurs and employees get MORE from every conversation they have with others. Whether you’re talking with a vendor, a client or a co-worker, you CAN be better at #meetings!

How many times have you sat through a meeting, a conference call, or even a hallway conversation only to walk away thinking, “That was a waste of time!”? No, I’m not going to upend or completely revolutionize your meetings in one blog post, but I will give you three questions to ask yourself.

The MOMENT I get invited to a meeting, I open my notebook and scratch out a 6-12 sentence response to these questions:

1. What do I need to learn that I don’t know yet?
2. Whom can I learn from?
3. What do I anticipate changing within a  year that I’ll need to adapt to and for?

Once you have answered those questions for the next 10 (yes, TEN!) meetings you’re invited to, consider changing them up a little. I want you to “practice your swing” by using questions that I know serve me. And, if you get value from them, if you continue using them, if you share them with others, all the better!

Here are just a few benefits I gain when I answer the three questions:

What do I need to learn that I don’t know yet?

• I’ll notice a magazine article or TED talk that helps me prepare.
• I overhear someone talking about that subject and join the conversation.

Whom can I learn from?

• I’ll follow someone on Social Media for a few days/weeks.
• I’ll subscribe to a magazine or listen to a book on audio.

What do I anticipate changing within a year that I’ll need to adapt to and for?

• I tune my “inner radio” to scan the content of the meeting looking for anything that connects to my thinking about upcoming changes.
• The BONUS: I’ll ask question during OR after the meeting that gets us all (or just the leader if it’s 1:1) thinking bigger.

Now, if it’s time for you to SHARE this month’s course with your colleagues, send them this link!