Smirking in Meetings 8

[ivymike]

I was in a fairly serious meeting yesterday, and one of my esteemed coworkers seemed to be smirking constantly and inappropriately throughout the meeting. I've never met the guy before, so I don't know whether his face always looks like that, but to me it seemed that he was going to giggle out loud at any second. It looked as though somebody was whispering dirty jokes in his ear the whole time. We were discussing a potentially serious product issue with an extremely short window for resolution. Anyone else ever seen this sort of thing before?

It's my impression that regularly giving the wrong body signals will be in impediment to ones progress.

 

[lewtam]

I can't help smirking if I silently break wind in a meeting. (130 IQ with a maturity level of a 12 year old)

LewTam Inc.
Petrophysicist, Leading Hand, Natural Horseman, Prickle Farmer, Crack Shot, Venerable Yogi.

 

[corus]

The meeting about 'a potentially serious product issue with an extremely short window for resolution' sounds like one of those meetings filled with management type blurb. My guess he was playing bingo and only need the word 'leverage' to complete a line across. He knew he was on to a winner and was smiling contentedly.

corus

 

[0707]

Next meeting try to get the guy involved on the subject discussion by asking him his opinion.

luis

 

[MedicineEng]

I think it was just a nervous thing. I have a colleague that everytime that we go to a meeting starts laughing like a lunatic in the first opportunity (someone breaks the ice with a light joke or a humourous comment). Everybody already stopped because it is just an ice breaker and there she is, laughing like if it was possessed by the devil...
Don't worry with him.

 

[Senselessticker]

Asking a bunch of engineers to analyze human behaivor is like asking a shrink how to design a power plant...seems pointless...

 

[ivymike]

...well, that's why I wasn't asking people to analyze human behavior until after i gave up on the thread.

 

[monkeydog]

With my old boss, I would start using a "new buzz word" around him a few days before our staff meeting. Then I would have bets with people in the staff meeting as to if he would use the buzz word or not.
Sometimes I would win, sometimes I would have to buy the coffee.

 

[epoisses]

"I have been specifically asked to attend meetings that had absolutely nothing whatever to do with my work."

Exactly, this must have been the reason, the guy was just desparately trying to entertain himself during the completely useless exercise.

Of course this behaviour is "impardonnable", what I do is either just not go, or if forced to, take something to read with me (there's always plenty). A coworker of mine takes his laptop with him and happily fires emails while the others are struggling along (the whole building is wifi) but IMHO it's pretty close to insubordination.

 

[KENAT]

ivy mike,

To get back to the point of your thread I'm inclined to agree that giving inappropriate body language probably isn't going to further your career.

That said any kind of inappropriate behavior probably won’t help, unless it’s something like sleeping with the boss, which even then I suspect often back fires.

Trouble is sometimes working out what is or isn’t appropriate behavior can be difficult and can vary with the environment.

Ken

 

[winpop123]

I haven't seen the smirking much in meetings but when talking in smaller groups I have. I don't really care who smirks as long as its not my boss or his boss. If it was I'd just ask them out right if I was saying something that they found ammusing. Agree that body language can impede progress but no more than other unbecoming traits (ie) loud mouth, "yes man", bosses brown nose buddy etc.


For Comcokid.. when are you going to start working at my office so you can crack my arse up in person? Dude your response was a riot..they heard me laughing all the way down the hall here.

 

[ctopher]

I worked at a job where my coworker would fall asleep daily.
We had all of the engineering dept in a conf room.
The eng dir was talking showing us something on the overhead from his laptop.
My coworker fell asleep, his head went back and turned off ALL power to the room! All attention went to him them me because I burst out laughing. Only two of us knew his daily habits.

Chris
Systems Analyst, I.S.
SolidWorks 06 4.1/PDMWorks 06
AutoCAD 06
ctopher's home (updated 06-21-06)

 

[Comcokid]

Referring to my earlier post-

Working as a RF and analog engineer, I deal with many design issues that are non-linear and somewhat hidden from immediate analysis.

That's why meetings are so interesting. It's similar to a design challenge!

 

[sms]

How old is he, if young he was probably texting his girl friend or something, which would explain the smirk...

-The future's so bright I gotta wear shades!

 

[dimjim]

The guy was probably on happy pills or
had drunk his dinner.

 

[Guest0527211403]

It's also possible that he had put his two cents about the issue and it was disregarded.
He might have been picturing the moment when he gets to say "I told you so".

Not a pleasant attitude, but I've worked with folks like that.

 

[ewh]

It could easily be an unconscious expression. I have had people apologize to me about a conversation they were having because it appeared by my scowl that I was put off by it. I wasn't even listening, but was pondering how the morning was going.

 

[kontiki99]

I bet this guy used to smirk a lot


Smirking Judge

 

[mkinnes]

"I've been advised that I should avoid appearing frustrated, even when people JUST DON'T FRIGGEN GET IT. It's a related difficulty."


It seems the only way to get a message through to certain people (unless you are their supervisor)is to patiently and repeatedly remind them what youv'e said until they realize you aren't going to stop until they get it done.

Trying to force people that don't work for you to do things is a great way to get headaches.

 

[quark]

I have been smirking while you guys are discussing this issue. Let me know whether this discussion is serious or not. That finishes the simulation part and ....then wait for the results.

 

[RobWard]

Word of warning:
never EVER give people with odd traits nicknames i.e. Mr Smirky.

You just know that one day you'll end up calling them by their nickname at the very worst moment imaginable...!



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