Lap’Top-less- not shirtless! Are your meetings like the ones described in ReadWriteWeb’s post re the Technology Generation Gap? Boomers are earnestly taking part and the Gen Y’s are texting or updating their Facebook? Having been to my share of meetings over the years, I can honestly say that it’s not just Gen Y who spend time texting, emailing or otherwise web engaged with their gadgets during meetings.

In one day long meeting the person to my right spent most of the morning catching up on email via his smart phone. During the afternoon session there was a new person to my right (I like to move around and mingle at meetings) and they were using their laptop tethered to their Blackberry, to search eBay looking for new golf clubs. These were senior IT professionals who I would have thought should have known better. Two others I accidentally managed to snoop on, actually had the meeting agenda with notes and backup material open on their laptop screens. What was I using? Paper and pen! I had learned years ago that bringing a laptop to a meeting was a distraction.

There is a trend in meetings – no laptops allowed, except for the official minute taker. Included in the ban are texting devices. With any luck this will give everyone the chance to focus on the agenda. If the meeting is boring or the topics being discussed are of no use to you, maybe you shouldn’t be in the meeting in the first place. Sure we live in a connected world where using communication devices are key to collaboration and business, but when you’re in a meeting show respect and pay attention. Who knows you might learn something or even be able to contribute something of value.

Talk with you later . . .

Dean