staying awake at long meetings

idunnoutellme

Hi all
here's an issue i had yesterday - I was at a meeting - I havent been at one in work in a loong time and don't think I was prepared for what it was gonna be. We were meeting new clients. We all sat in a tiny room - all 7 of us, windows were closed and no water was on the tables. I was also wearing a tight waist coat - bad idea.
After about half an hour I started feeling very dehydrated and warm. at this stage I was still focused on conversation tho - all I had to do was sit and listen and take notes.
Then we were given a half a glass of water each which was godsent.
The meeting lasted 2 and a half hours and during the last hour I was finding it very hard to stay awake - it was terrible we are all at a round table so everyone could see me but i could feel my eyes being all funny either one half closed or at one stage i felt both of them close - then i swiftly woke up and started writing vigorously ha ha but i was trying everything to keep awake. I should have really excused myself to go to bathroom or something for a few minutes but i didnt want to be rude to interrupt the conversation.

So today i got given out because my boss looked at me just as my eyes closed - and he said one of the ladies from the client company saw me too :eek: i'm so embarrassed and feel just terrible...i know it looked so unprofessional.

Does that happen to anyone else? any tips for staying awake?

minidazzler

In future, excuse your self, go to the bathroom and splash your face with water. If you are wearing make-up then you want to only splash around your eyes. Then Drink a good glass of water, and bring another back to the meeting.

You may want to bring a glass of water for everyone so you dont come across as rude.

cichlid child

Next time bring a packet of baby wipes in your bag.When your feeling tired take one out and wipe your face it is as effective as going the bathroom and washing your face.
edit:sorry never thought of make up I am male

Jood

I have meetings like this once a month, 12 people in one room for about three hours. I have to take minutes so I really need to stay alert although its sooo hard at times. I try to get a really good nights sleep the night before but really what keeps me awake is the double espresso I have before the meeting starts! Luckily enough we have windows in the room so that helps a lot.

Xiney

Excuse yourself to do some jumping jacks in the hall (or the bathroom) and get your blood flowing.

Also, there's no problem with making sure there's water on the table - especially if you're meeting new clients it would be a show of poor hospitality to not offer them something to drink!

smileysurfer

cichlid child wrote: »

Next time bring a packet of baby wipes in your bag.When your feeling tired take one out and wipe your face it is as effective as going the bathroom and washing your face.
edit:sorry never thought of make up I am male

Whipping out a baby wipe in the middle of a metting to wipe your face infront of your boss/collegues/potential clients?? Do people actually do this?? Cant imagine anyone doing this in a meeting, I think walking out to the bathroom to wash your face would be more discrete and effective imo

LouOB

Jood wrote: »

I have meetings like this once a month, 12 people in one room for about three hours. I have to take minutes so I really need to stay alert although its sooo hard at times. I try to get a really good nights sleep the night before but really what keeps me awake is the double espresso I have before the meeting starts! Luckily enough we have windows in the room so that helps a lot.

Taking notes is brill - even if you do the minutes (unofficially)
Also a can of coke or lucozade helps

Ask some questions in the meeting - just confirming information
It would keep your brain awake
Sorry to hear about your mishap

kizzyr

I have to endure such meetings the first Monday of every month. They don't start until 5.30pm and on a good day are only 2 hours long. I have mastered the art of sleeping with my eyes open. Actually in all seriousness, I take a Berocca Boost before the meeting and that sees me through.I also keep a bottle of water with me and if I find myself drifting off I doodle (but look busy taking notes) or try to name all the countries in the world, states in the USA,.....

idunnoutellme

oh its ok i'll know for next time. i am writing minutes for the meeting now funnily enough ha ha i can honestly say i didnt miss any information in the meeting - it was just on for sooo long and it was sooo stuffy and uncomfortable...ah well you live and learn.
Yes i will definitely walk out next time and go to bathroom.
The meeting was in the clients office so i couldnt really be arranging water there - of course in our office water tea and coffee are always flowing

The baby wipes idea is a bit strange to be honest. i cant really splash anything on my face as i wear full makeup - eyeshadow and mascara the lot...
I will be writing vigorously throughout the next meeting too.
I dunno what it is about meetings - some people also have such monotone voices aaargh

Black Swan

2.5 hour meeting? They didn't provide tea or coffee? And no break at half-time? Poor planning indeed!

I'll bet that the meeting would have been more efficient and effective, and certainly not as long if you had high bar tables, no chairs, and everyone had to stand?

If this is typical, then double espresso before.

idunnoutellme

Blue_Lagoon wrote: »

2.5 hour meeting? They didn't provide tea or coffee? And no break at half-time? Poor planning indeed!

If this is typical, then double espresso before.

yes and i couldnt understand why everyone else looked so fresh...they are obviously pros

Jood

Blue_Lagoon wrote: »

2.5 hour meeting? They didn't provide tea or coffee? And no break at half-time? Poor planning indeed!

If this is typical, then double espresso before.

Its typical enough in our office to be honest, its hard enough to get everyone together so when we do sit down we try to trash out as many issues as possible. For a while we thought about taking a break but that usually adds on a half hour or so to the lenght of the meeting, by the time we get back down to it so we just keep going till we've addressed all items on the agenda. Thank God for coffee

kizzyr

idunnoutellme wrote: »

yes and i couldnt understand why everyone else looked so fresh...they are obviously pros

Sleeping with their eyes open;)
One time at one of my meetings my boss fell asleep not once but twice. The first time he only woke up (having been asleep for 5 minutes or so and everyone saw) when his leg jerked, kicked off the table and lots of stuff fell off.

Jood

The client fell asleep at one of our meeting once, I had to nudge him cos he was starting to snore, I swear he thought I was trying to feel him up or something, he was absolutely mortified though and still cant look me in the face

helimachoptor

Just open the window!

Nevyn

I would have opened a window, I would have excused myself from the table and just went and did it.

I find pain helps, biting on the inside of your cheek or pinching your inner tighs or you could sit there and do you kengel excerises

idunnoutellme

oh somebody did open a window but it was still too stuffy...plus it was very warm air outside yesterday anyway so wasnt doing much...
sorry i have to stop with excuses ha ha theres no excuse at all shame on me

Jood

Ah dont be so hard on yourself it happens to the best of us, chin up hun it'll be better next time

username90

Bring your handbag and have water in it. Also tiredness is always affected by your diet so try not to have any fries for breakfast or a real big lunch. Have good cereal for brekkie, healthy lunch - soup/salad/wholemeal sandwich and loads of fruit!! Fruit especially can help you, nothin lik a good granny smith apple!!

NewFrockTuesday

After one of those long eye cripplin meeting, I once came back into the office and was on the phone for ages to a client giving them the meeting notes. By the end of the call I was zombied out of it and when we were hanging up I said "Ok, bye, love you" :eek: I didnt even cop till he replied "You too!" and started laughing at me down the phone. He found it very amsuing, I found it the final piece of the jigsaw to justify buying and consuming a bottle of wine on a Monday night.

He still slags me.

Pythia

I just bring a bottle of water with me.

BumbleB

all the time .In fact I never was awake during college ever and I did well. My tip is when it happens crack out the can of coca cola and go to the toilet,The caffeine should getb you alert for another hour.

mental07

Next time take the initiative and make sure there's plenty of water available. Don't be afraid to excuse yourself for a couple of minutes if needs be. Also - suggest that the company invest in a fan?!

idunnoutellme

mental07 wrote: »

Next time take the initiative and make sure there's plenty of water available. Don't be afraid to excuse yourself for a couple of minutes if needs be. Also - suggest that the company invest in a fan?!

you know i would have loved that - but unfortunately they were only potential clients so i couldnt turn around and say:
"you know what the meetin was badly organised have you ever thought of buying a fan or organising some refreshments or using a more fun tone of voice to keep me awake"

ok for next meeting though i'm bringing a can of coke a double expresso a borocca boost and a lucozade....efforts must be doubled

thanks for all the replies

LimeFruitGum

It's unreal, if we get a client visiting us, we bring them up the boardroom with the nice views and give them tea/coffee on coasters and some biscuits.
We make a fecking effort.

Anytime I've gone to visit a client, I'm lucky to get a little plastic cup of water. Most of the time, they don't offer you anything.
I suppose it is no harm to get in the habit of keeping a bottle of water in your bag, as posted before. You'll have something cold handy to keep you alert and they might remember to give you a cup of tea!

MadgeBadge

Thaedydal wrote: »

I would have opened a window, I would have excused myself from the table and just went and did it.

I find pain helps, biting on the inside of your cheek or pinching your inner tighs or you could sit there and do you kengel excerises

I was just about to suggest that, I used to stab myself with a pen in Uni if I felt myself nodding off. The only down side to trying to scrub off biro afterwards.

I wouldn't worry too much OP. I'm sure if it was that warm and muggy then the clients felt similarly and could empathise.

Das Kitty

Here, tell your boss you're suffering from Low Blood Pressure. I am at the moment and one of the side effects is suddenly getting sleepy.

Then follow the above tips so it won't happen again.

Pain in the bum really, it's happened to me at meetings that I am really interested in as well, so it's not that I'm bored, just my brain needs to shut down for a while.