Find the Best Time For Important Meetings

Meetings come in all sizes and settings and are often labelled with power titles that set the precedence for the occasion. The Americans made this famous by introducing the three Martini lunch which consisted of indulgent but laid back dining, where business matters were discussed over Martinis to allow the conversation to flow with more fluidity. Thankfully, this never made a great impact in the UK and slowly faded out as alcohol and business did not create the perfect cocktail! In the UK, the complete contrast came via the caffeine-laden power breakfast and afternoon tea gatherings.

Business meetings which are focussed around coffee or a meal are always highly effective but which type of dining experience should we opt for, breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea or an evening meal? Picking the right dining time of day is probably more important than the venue itself as it can greatly determine the success or failure of a meeting even if you have the most fantastic idea, presentation or sales pitch.

This all stems down to something known as our circadian rhythms, more commonly known as our body clock. This determines the way that we function throughout the day and affects our efficiency in the workplace. During any 24 hour day, our bodies go through many rhythms which affect brain waves, temperature and hormone production. Whenever our brain waves are high, we naturally produce the best results and our energy flows with abundance. This means that we need to pay close attention to what our bodies are telling us.

For example, some people find that their energy levels are at their peak around 10am so this is the time that they should take the bull by the horns and make the most progress. However, during the course of the day their energy levels will sap and motivation will take a dip, this is when they need to focus on those more routine tasks such as responding to emails.

So how do we find a way to arrange meetings which will respond to the body rhythms of everyone present? Let's look at the options available.

The breakfast meeting
Use this time for making important decisions, securing deals and tackling complex tasks. After a good night's rest, our brains are ready to be re-booted and raring to go. We are at our sharpest during the first couple of hours into our working day. Thanks to cortisol, the hormone which keeps our stress levels lowered, we are able to handle more complex matters without becoming agitated.

Arrange for the meeting to commence between the hours of 9am and 10am but ensure that you have had something light to eat as testosterone levels peak at around 9.30am. We need this surge of extra energy to help provide the clarity needed to make the right decisions. Just one small banana will turn your testosterone level into a power house of energy and sustain you right through to 10am where it will also satisfy your rising glucose levels and enable you to concentrate and deal with matters logically.

Whilst commuting to the business venue, it is easy to use this time to run through facts and figures but this is a sure fire way to deplete energy. Use this time to exercise and stimulate the mind. Invigorate the eyes by moving them from right to left for at least 30 seconds. This helps to enhance creativity as it stimulates the communication between the left and right hemispheres of the brain. You should then let the mind rest for about twenty minutes, keeping it as a blank canvas...not allowing any thoughts to enter. This will trigger the brain to hit the ground running when you are involved in business discussion.

If your breakfast meeting is in a restaurant or cafe, choose wisely from the menu. Go for anything which is rich in protein such as scrambled egg and salmon. Just 28g of protein is enough to produce dopamine, the chemical which gives the brain that va va voom to make fast decisions.

Let's do lunch
Use this time for impressing clients, broaching the subject of a salary increase or making that all important sales pitch.

If you want to 'wow' a client or colleague with your outstanding sales skills and secure that lucrative deal, there is no better time to do this than during lunch. By this time, the body's temperature is starting to rise which means an elevated level of alertness, sharp visuals with good attention to detail and acute memory performance.

Research collated from Ben Gurion University in Israel shows that judges are more lenient an hour after lunch. Therefore, the chances of obtaining parole (or a promotion) are far higher during this time than any other part of the day. Lunchtime is also the body's time for reasoning both verbally and mentally, therefore our presentations and proposals will be more detailed and concise.

If you want to make the most of your lunch time meetings, schedule them from 12.30pm, top this up with a good bread basket full of carbs and you will accelerate the amount of tryptophan in their brains. This has a calming effect which encourages clients and colleagues to be more open to cooperation and agreement.

Everything stops for afternoon tea
Use this time for networking, interviews and meetings which make good use of your creative skills.

Afternoon tea is a difficult time of the day as the brain starts to slow down from 2pm to 4pm. This is due to the body transferring blood from the brain to the stomach to digest lunch. It is during these hours that we also produce more of the hormone epinephrine which can cause us to feel more lethargic. This is probably the best time to conduct interviews as people let down all of their protective barriers and are more likely to show their true colours. This is also a great time for brainstorming sessions as the mind is in a more relaxed state and less cluttered. This leaves a clearing for bright ideas to surface. Avoid alcohol and opt for a nice cup of peppermint tea which will increase your alertness by 25%.

So the next time you are planning a meeting, think about the body clock of each and every member who will attend and plan your business around the ebb and flow of the people involved.