April 2007: Business Tools
MEETING STRATEGIES
Bacon, eggs and doing business
In a less enlightened time, doing business over breakfast
warranted a serious title: the power breakfast. But these days,
the socially savvy have pushed “power” aside for a
softer, kinder and more intimate start-the-day meeting —
sans buffets, spreadsheets or late arrivals at the office.
10 tips for a successful breakfast meeting
1. RESEARCH THE
LOCATION in advance to avoid unexpected surprises.
Compile a short list of great, reliable breakfast places,
with at least one per neighborhood.
2. BE EARLY. This
is not the time to bounce in a few minutes late. Being a
few minutes early sets a more relaxed tone for the
meeting.
3. KEEP IT SIMPLE.
This is not the time to get a side of fruit and pancakes
and yogurt and toast. This should not be a multi-course,
complicated affair like dinner.
4. ORDER DISHES
THAT AREN’T
MESSY. Avoid drippy, mushy dishes that require too
much attention and opt for something manageable, so you can
easily eat and talk at the same time.
5. LEAVE THE PRINTED
AGENDA AT THE OFFICE. Usually breakfast tables are
filled with butter, syrup, coffees, juices, waters, etc.,
so there’s no real space for printed materials.
6. TAKE A QUICK
LOOK at the newspaper before you head to breakfast.
It’s nice to ease in to the meeting with a quick
conversation about the day’s current events.
7. BEWARE OF THE ETERNAL
FOUNTAIN OF COFFEE. To avoid jitters, allow one or
maybe two cups to be poured while you’re dining, but
stop the flow after that and switch to water.
8. FOCUS ON BRAINSTORMING
OR JUMPSTARTING new projects. The beginning of the
day is a great metaphor for beginning strategic
partnerships or introducing people.
9. TRY NETWORKING.
Because breakfast meetings can fall outside the daily
routine, they’re a great time to keep building
relationships that don’t fit into the work day.
10. LIMIT THE MEETING TO
AN HOUR. People need to get their day started.
Meeting for longer than an hour creates a hurdle for the
rest of the morning.
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“Breakfast meetings are a bit more casual than lunch
meetings,” says Sheri Fitts, director of communication
and large plan sales for the Standard Retirement Plan Group.
“Everyone’s just kind of waking up.”
In the business world, waking up offers an excuse for informal
networking, which Fitts finds inspirational. She often gets
together with those outside her field over breakfast, not only
because busy schedules can usually accommodate a meeting first
thing, but because the time slot seems like psychological free
space — a time for creative thinking without an agenda.
Fitts recommends scheduling these breakfasts for just 45
minutes.
Lisa Donoughe, owner of LAD communications, relishes the
breakfast meeting for what it can inspire. “I love the
change of atmosphere,” she says. “There’s
something fresh about being outside the conference
room.”
But that clean slate hinges on choosing the right location.
Donoughe prefers the Bijou Cafe in Portland, a who’s-who
spot in the morning, both for the ambience and one of her
favorite breakfast meeting dishes, a healthy quesadilla
that’s easily shared. A few blocks away at the Heathman
Restaurant, meetings start happening right at 7 a.m., when the
doors open, says the general manager Garrett Peck, who touts
the Heathman’s reliable comfort foods and free Wi-Fi.
In Eugene, lawyers and judges frequent the Zenon Café
in the morning, thanks to its proximity to the courthouse,
while in Salem, legislators and lobbyists can be found
discussing the day’s most contentious legislation over
coffee in the Café Today, inside the Capitol.
But no matter where people choose to exchange ideas before the
start of the workday, the most successful encounters recognize
the uniqueness of a morning meeting. “When you ask people
to start their day with you,” Fitts says, “they
deserve more than the common courtesies.”
— Lucy Burningham
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