How to stay awake in boring Conferences…
  1. Before (or during) your next meeting, seminar, or conference call, prepare yourself by drawing a square. I find that 5″ x 5″ is a good size. Divide the card into columns – five across and five down. That will give you 25 one-inch blocks.
  2. Write one of the following words/phrases in each block:
  • synergy
  • strategic fit
  • core competencies
  • best practice
  • bottom line
  • revisit
  • expeditious
  • to tell you the truth (or “the truth is”)
  • 24/7
  • out of the loop
  • benchmark
  • value-added
  • proactive
  • win-win
  • think outside the box
  • fast track
  • result-driven
  • empower (or empowerment)
  • knowledge base
  • at the end of the day
  • touch base
  • mindset
  • client focus(ed)
  • paradigm
  • game plan
  • leverage

Like this:

synergy

strategic fit

core competencies

best practice

bottom line

revisit

expeditious

to tell you the truth (or “the truth is”)

24/7

out of the loop

benchmark

value-added

proactive

win-win

think outside the box

fast track

result-driven

empower (or empowerment)

knowledge base

at the end of the day

touch base

mindset

client focus(ed)

paradigm

game plan

  1. Check off the appropriate block when you hear one of those words/phrases.
  2. When you get five blocks horizontally, vertically, or diagonally, stand up and shout “BINGO! QUICK FIVE” and so on…

Testimonials from satisfied “Bingo” players:

  • “I had been in the meeting for only five minutes when I won”
  • “My attention span at meetings has improved dramatically”
  • “What a gas! Meetings will never be the same for me after my first win”
  • “The atmosphere was tense in the last process meeting as 14 of us waited for the fifth box”
  • “The speaker was stunned as eight of us screamed ‘BINGO!’ for the third time in two hours”

Enjoy your seminars… Nothing like doing this in groups dispersed across the Conference Halls

(via Sanjiv Rangrass)