Published on December 7, 2024

There Is Always That One Non-Serious Guy In The Meetings

Picture this: You're in a virtual meeting, camera on, ready to tackle the agenda like the responsible adult you think you are. Just as the host finishes their serious introduction, up pops that person. They're late, of course, but they announce their arrival with a joke so bad it makes your Wi-Fi connection want to disconnect out of embarrassment. Ten minutes later, they're loudly munching chips, their mic unmuted. By the time they start interrupting to discuss their weekend golf trip during a deep dive into revenue numbers, you're torn between laughing, crying, and logging off.

Sound familiar? Every team has that one non-serious guy (or gal) who treats meetings like open-mic night or a personal therapy session. The worst part? You can't even hate them because, deep down, their chaos is kind of endearing—and maybe a little bit relatable. This blog is dedicated to understanding, managing, and maybe even appreciating these wildcards. But let's be clear: it's time to turn those meetings into productive (and still fun) spaces. Ready to give your meetings the glow-up they deserve? Let's get into it!

1. The Joke Cracker: Turning Meetings into Comedy Clubs

Let's start with The Joke Cracker. You know the type—this person doesn't just lighten the mood; they single-handedly derail the entire meeting with their stand-up routine. They arrive with jokes about their broken coffee machine or the weather, thinking they're the next Trevor Noah. At first, it's kind of funny—who doesn't enjoy a little chuckle to ease into a serious discussion? But soon enough, the chuckles fade, and the eye rolls begin as you realize they're not stopping. Suddenly, a meeting about quarterly budgets turns into a TED Talk on why cats are better than dogs.

Why does this happen? Well, The Joke Cracker often thinks they're doing the team a favor. “Everyone's so serious,” they tell themselves, “I'm just here to make things fun!” Spoiler alert: there's a fine line between fun and outright sabotage. Humor is a great tool in meetings when used sparingly and strategically. But The Joke Cracker? They missed that memo and showed up with an entire comedy sketch instead.

How to Handle Them:
Redirect the humor. Acknowledge their joke to avoid awkwardness but then swiftly steer back to the agenda. For example: “That's a great one, Dave. Now, speaking of budget cuts…”
Set clear boundaries. Subtly or directly remind the team that while humor is welcome, it shouldn't overshadow the purpose of the meeting.
Meet-Man Tip: Using Meet-Man to auto-capture action points can help rein in the chaos. While Dave is making everyone laugh, Meet-Man is quietly noting what actually needs to be done, ensuring productivity isn't lost.

Humor isn't the enemy of meetings, but misplaced humor? That's how you turn a 30-minute sync into a Netflix series no one asked for.

2. The Perpetual Latecomer: Master of Grand Entrances

If meetings were movies, The Perpetual Latecomer would be the protagonist who shows up halfway through, drops an epic one-liner, and somehow still steals the show. This person's mantra? “Better late than never.” And sure, life happens—sometimes you really do hit snooze one too many times or get caught up in another task. But when someone is always late, it starts feeling less like an accident and more like their personal brand.

Imagine: the team has just settled into the meeting, the host is outlining the agenda, and BAM—there they are, sliding into the virtual room like they're making a red-carpet appearance. They interrupt the flow with a cheerful “Sorry I'm late, what did I miss?”—as if the team has all the time in the world to catch them up. And if they're particularly bold, they might even follow up with, “Could we start over?” (No, Karen. We cannot.)

How to Handle Them:
Establish ground rules. Make it clear that meetings will start on time and that latecomers are expected to catch up on their own.
Use tools to document key moments. Meet-Man can send detailed recaps, sparing the team from rehashing the first 15 minutes for every latecomer.
Call them out—lightly. A gentle, “We were just talking about punctuality, Dave!” might get the message across without causing offense.

We all run late sometimes, but chronic lateness screams, “I don't value your time.” Let Meet-Man save you from starting every meeting twice because of someone's bad habits.

3. The Multitasker: Half-Listening, Fully Distracting

Ah, The Multitasker. This is the person who insists they're totally engaged while typing furiously on their keyboard, glancing at their phone, or occasionally muttering, “Sorry, what was the question?” These are the people who think they can attend a meeting, reply to emails, and write a grocery list—all at once. Spoiler alert: They can't.

Here's the thing: multitasking might feel productive, but in meetings, it's anything but. Not only does it slow down the flow when someone has to repeat themselves for the multitasker, but it also sends a clear (and kind of rude) message: “This meeting isn't worth my full attention.” And if you're multitasking in a video call? Well, let's just say your shifty eyes and frantic typing aren't fooling anyone.

How to Handle Them:
Set expectations. Start meetings by asking everyone to focus fully and put other tasks aside.
Engage everyone actively. Use meeting techniques that require participation, like round-robin updates or direct questions.
Meet-Man Tip: With Meet-Man summarizing and documenting key points, participants can resist the urge to multitask knowing they'll have a full recap later.

We get it—time is money, and everyone's busy. But splitting your attention doesn't double your productivity; it just makes you less effective at everything.

4. The Weekend Storyteller: Turning Agendas into Anecdotes

Every meeting has that one person who somehow turns a discussion about project timelines into a detailed breakdown of their kid's soccer game. It starts innocently enough: “Oh, that reminds me of something funny that happened this weekend…” Fifteen minutes later, the team is knee-deep in a story about how their neighbor's cat climbed a tree, and everyone's wondering how they got there.

The Weekend Storyteller doesn't mean any harm—they just love a good tangent. But here's the kicker: while everyone else is silently begging to get back on topic, they're blissfully unaware of how off-course things have gone.

How to Handle Them:
Politely interrupt. “That's a great story, Sarah, but let's circle back to the agenda…”
Limit tangents with timeboxing. Allocate specific times for discussions and stick to them.
Meet-Man Tip: With Meet-Man tracking agenda items, you can gently remind everyone when it's time to move on without feeling like the bad guy.

Meetings aren't your personal podcast episode, Sarah. Keep it short and sweet—your team will thank you.

5. The Serial Over-Talker: Turning Collaboration into a Monologue

Let's talk about The Serial Over-Talker. This person seems to believe they've been cast in a one-person show called “Meetings Are My Spotlight.” They dominate the conversation, steamroll others' ideas, and somehow manage to stretch a two-minute point into a ten-minute saga.

The Serial Over-Talker doesn't necessarily mean to hog the floor—they're often just passionate or over-prepared. But when they speak over others, derail discussions, or monopolize time, it's not just annoying; it's counterproductive.

How to Handle Them:
Use a “stack” system. Have a system where participants can raise their hands (virtually or physically) to speak, ensuring everyone gets a turn.
Enforce time limits. Politely remind speakers to keep their points concise.
Meet-Man Tip: With Meet-Man capturing everyone's inputs in real time, you can ensure even the quietest voices are heard and acknowledged.

Collaboration is a group activity, not a solo performance. If you're talking more than everyone else combined, take a step back and let others shine.

6. The Meeting Hoarder: Inviting the Whole Company for No Reason

Oh, The Meeting Hoarder—the person who thinks, “The more, the merrier” applies to meetings. They invite everyone under the sun, regardless of relevance, expertise, or, let's be real, interest. Got a project update for Marketing? Better bring in the Finance, IT, and Facilities teams too—just in case they have thoughts on your color palette!

This person doesn't just waste their own time; they're a professional time thief, pulling innocent bystanders into their meeting vortex. They're like the person who orders 10 appetizers for the table without checking if anyone's hungry. And the worst part? Half the time, they don't even need themselves in the meeting.

Why This Happens: The Meeting Hoarder suffers from FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). They'd rather over-include than accidentally leave someone out. It's not malicious; it's just misguided. But when a meeting looks more like a company-wide webinar, it's time to rethink the guest list.
How to Handle Them:
Ask, “Is this necessary?” Encourage them to evaluate whether each invitee really needs to be there.
Implement optional invites. Let people decide whether to attend based on the agenda.
Meet-Man Tip: Meet-Man simplifies post-meeting communication by sending summaries to everyone—even those who didn't attend—eliminating the need for an overpopulated meeting in the first place.

Listen, Susan, inviting the entire office to your “team huddle” isn't efficient—it's chaos. Meetings are not the Oscars. Not everyone needs an invite.

7. The Agenda Avoider: Free-Styling Meetings Like a Jazz Musician

Here's the thing about The Agenda Avoider: they see agendas the same way some people see the gym—great in theory, but they're not about to use it. They enter meetings with no plan, no structure, and no idea what they want to accomplish. The result? A rambling mess of half-formed ideas and wasted time that leaves everyone wondering, “What was the point of this again?”

Picture this: the team logs in, ready to dive into specifics, and the leader opens with, “So… what's everyone working on?” A tumbleweed rolls by. The silence is deafening. Then someone chimes in with a random thought, and suddenly, you're discussing lunch options instead of quarterly goals.

Why This Happens: The Agenda Avoider probably thinks they're being chill and flexible. They underestimate the importance of preparation and assume great ideas will magically appear in the moment. Spoiler alert: they won't.
How to Handle Them:
Always set an agenda. Make it mandatory for meeting organizers to share agendas in advance.
Keep everyone accountable. Stick to the agenda and politely redirect off-topic conversations.
Meet-Man Tip: Meet-Man allows you to build structured agendas, ensuring every meeting stays on track and achieves its purpose.

Freestyling is for jazz, not meetings. If your meetings feel like improv comedy, it's time to write a script.

8. The Meeting Mute: Silent but Deadly

Let's give a round of applause for The Meeting Mute. Oh wait, they wouldn't clap back because their mic's permanently off. This person attends every meeting, stares at the screen like a deer in headlights, and contributes absolutely nothing. Their strategy? Sit still, stay quiet, and hope no one calls on them.

While silence might seem harmless, it's actually one of the biggest productivity killers in meetings. When someone refuses to engage, they're not just withholding their ideas—they're actively holding back the team's progress. And don't get me started on the awkward pauses when they're asked a direct question and take 15 seconds to realize they're unmuted.

Why This Happens: Some Meeting Mutes are shy or feel their input isn't valued. Others? They're just not paying attention and hoping you won't notice. Either way, it's a problem.
How to Handle Them:
Create a safe environment. Encourage open dialogue and make it clear that every voice matters.
Use direct prompts. Call on participants to share their thoughts.
Meet-Man Tip: Meet-Man captures contributions automatically, making it easier to spot who's actively participating and who's along for the ride.

If you're sitting silently in every meeting, you're not just wasting your own time—you're wasting everyone else's. Speak up or log off.

9. The “Let's Schedule Another Meeting” Guy: Master of Postponement

We've all met The Postponement King—the person who never met a follow-up meeting they didn't like. Any time a decision gets tough or a conversation runs long, they're the first to chime in with, “Let's discuss this in another meeting.” It's like their solution to everything is… more meetings.

This person's idea of productivity is kicking the can down the road. Instead of resolving issues, they create a never-ending cycle of follow-ups, turning a simple discussion into a saga worthy of its own Netflix series.

Why This Happens: They either fear making decisions on the spot, or they genuinely believe more meetings will lead to better outcomes. Spoiler alert: they won't.
How to Handle Them:
Push for resolutions. Encourage teams to make decisions within the current meeting whenever possible.
Set clear action items. Instead of scheduling another meeting, assign tasks and deadlines.
Meet-Man Tip: Meet-Man helps track decisions and actions in real time, reducing the need for unnecessary follow-ups.

Listen, Bob, meetings are not Russian nesting dolls. You don't need a meeting inside a meeting inside another meeting. Make a decision and move on.

10. The Overzealous Host: Turning Meetings into PowerPoints of Doom

Finally, let's talk about The Overzealous Host. This person approaches meetings with the same intensity as a presidential debate. They prepare 50-slide PowerPoint presentations, rehearse every line, and deliver monologues so long you wonder if they've mistaken the team for a captive TED Talk audience.

While their enthusiasm is admirable, their execution? Not so much. Instead of fostering collaboration, they dominate the conversation, leaving little room for discussion or input. By the end of their epic presentation, everyone's zoned out, wishing they could mute real life.

Why This Happens: The Overzealous Host often confuses thoroughness with effectiveness. They want to cover every possible detail, but they don't realize they're drowning the team in information overload.
How to Handle Them:
Encourage brevity. Remind hosts that less is often more when it comes to presentations.
Prioritize discussion. Allocate time for open dialogue and questions.
Meet-Man Tip: With Meet-Man summarizing key points, hosts can trim down their presentations, focusing only on the essentials.

Look, Cheryl, this isn't the Academy Awards. You don't need a three-hour spectacle to make your point. Keep it concise and let others contribute.

Ending Paragraph: Not the Last Goodbye

Ah, meetings. They're like the broccoli of the corporate world—necessary but often painfully bland. And just like the broccoli in your fridge, meetings can easily overstay their welcome if not handled right. But hey, the beauty of this blog isn't just about bashing your poorly run meetings; it's about giving you the tools to fix them.

Look, we've all been there. We've all stared blankly at the screen, waiting for someone—anyone—to say, “Let's wrap this up.” We've all suffered through the never-ending PowerPoint presentations and the awkward silences where even the crickets felt unwelcome. But here's the thing: the world doesn't need more bad meetings; it needs better ones.

Stop being the guy who schedules meetings for the sake of “touching base.” Stop being the silent observer who could be replaced by an AI-generated placeholder. And for the love of all that is professional, stop inviting the entire company to a meeting that could've been an email.

This blog has been your intervention. Your wake-up call. The slap-in-the-face roasting you didn't ask for but definitely needed. So, go forth and schedule smarter, collaborate better, and for goodness' sake, let Meet-Man take the wheel when things get messy.

And now? Now I'm done. No follow-up meetings, no second drafts, no extra slides. I'm logging off like a boss who knows their work is done for the day. Go fix your meetings. You've got this.

Here are the links to the tools mentioned in the blog:

Meet-Man

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