I’m going to give you 10 minutes of your life back.

Language is generative, and the way we talk about our meetings comes to define what happens in those meetings.

Even at a time when so much is beyond our control, we remain in control of our own speech patterns. And so, as leaders and employees continue to r...

To be sure, these words quickly signal that a speaker needs to click the unmute button. But the phrase — often uttered by multiple people at once — has become notoriously grating. It also makes the person on the receiving end of the comment feel silly.

What the author recom...

• We’re going to wait five minutes for everyone to join.
• You’re on mute.
• We’re building the plane while flying it.
• Let’s take this offline.
• I’m going to give you 10 minutes of your life ...

Often among the first words uttered by an online meeting host, this practice dishonors the time of those who joined on time and does nothing to establish a culture of punctuality for meetings.

What the author recommends:

Ask everyone to write down their intention or ...