I and a colleague were a couple of minutes late for a meeting this week. The organiser was clearly “waiting” to begin when we arrived. And rightly so. There is nothing more annoying than setting up a meeting whether on Skype or in a meeting room and people do not dial in or arrive on time.
The problem is that the latecomers miss the start which is often critical and sets the tone and the scene for the meeting. It means that the leader has to stop the meeting to introduce the new arrival(s) and then bring them up to speed.
It may be different if, for example, you happen to be a famous actress like Marilyn Monroe who said: “I am invariably late for appointments - sometimes as much as two hours. I've tried to change my ways but the things that make me late are too strong, and too pleasing.”
But for most other professionals this approach just doesn’t stack up. Another very famous American, George Washington, was well known for practicing and demanding punctuality. When his secretary was late to a meeting and blamed his watch he quietly replied, “Then you must get another watch, or I another secretary.”
And it is not just about good manners and pleasing the organiser (or your boss). If there is more at stake and you are, for example, presenting at a conference then I suggest it pays to arrive not just on time, but early. How often have you seen a presenter rush out of the audience as the last session finishes clutching his or her laptop – which then obstinately refuses to connect to the screen, or sometimes unforgivably has no power. Doesn’t give a great first impression does it, however good their talk might eventually be.
I find it pays to check any venue well before speaking, and if I can to talk to the technicians organising the slides and sound to make sure everything works beforehand so the presentation can focus on content and not distract the audience with obviously poor preparation. This is especially if you want to use any complex slides, soundtracks or videos.
Benjamin Franklin summed it up nicely: “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail”.
This matters even more if you are going to a potential new client when being late makes a very bad first impression. By contrast arriving early gives you a chance to get a feel for the organisation – it’s amazing what you can gather just by sitting in reception, and sometimes it provides an opportunity to talk to your new customer and get to know them and sound them out before the meeting proper commences.
As the American author Eric Jerome Dickey says: “early is on time, on time is late, and late is unacceptable!”
The problem is that the latecomers miss the start which is often critical and sets the tone and the scene for the meeting. It means that the leader has to stop the meeting to introduce the new arrival(s) and then bring them up to speed.
It may be different if, for example, you happen to be a famous actress like Marilyn Monroe who said: “I am invariably late for appointments - sometimes as much as two hours. I've tried to change my ways but the things that make me late are too strong, and too pleasing.”
But for most other professionals this approach just doesn’t stack up. Another very famous American, George Washington, was well known for practicing and demanding punctuality. When his secretary was late to a meeting and blamed his watch he quietly replied, “Then you must get another watch, or I another secretary.”
And it is not just about good manners and pleasing the organiser (or your boss). If there is more at stake and you are, for example, presenting at a conference then I suggest it pays to arrive not just on time, but early. How often have you seen a presenter rush out of the audience as the last session finishes clutching his or her laptop – which then obstinately refuses to connect to the screen, or sometimes unforgivably has no power. Doesn’t give a great first impression does it, however good their talk might eventually be.
I find it pays to check any venue well before speaking, and if I can to talk to the technicians organising the slides and sound to make sure everything works beforehand so the presentation can focus on content and not distract the audience with obviously poor preparation. This is especially if you want to use any complex slides, soundtracks or videos.
Benjamin Franklin summed it up nicely: “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail”.
This matters even more if you are going to a potential new client when being late makes a very bad first impression. By contrast arriving early gives you a chance to get a feel for the organisation – it’s amazing what you can gather just by sitting in reception, and sometimes it provides an opportunity to talk to your new customer and get to know them and sound them out before the meeting proper commences.
As the American author Eric Jerome Dickey says: “early is on time, on time is late, and late is unacceptable!”
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