11 Things Smart People Pretend Not To Hear In Every Work Meeting
It's hard to pretend that the drama at work isn't entertaining.
Jacob Lund / Shutterstock Work meetings are a time for chatter, brainstorming new ideas, and updates on the progress of every department. However, sometimes a work meeting can escalate from being civil to an utter shouting match between colleagues, leaving everyone else silent. Whether it's the obvious blame shift onto another employee or vague promises with no timeline, intelligent employees mind their own business and continue with their day.
This quiet skill is a strategic move to maintain their efficiency in environments that can easily spiral into chaos. With so many different personalities in a room, there are bound to be disagreements and turmoil. While everyone's voice deserves to be heard, not every contribution adds value, and smart people quickly learn which exchanges are best to ignore for the sake of productivity.
Here are 11 things smart people pretend not to hear in every work meeting
1. The obvious blame shift
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Workplace culture will have you believe that you must participate in every conversation, good or bad. Sometimes it's better to remain quiet, especially during work meetings. Going against the status quo can be dangerous, and smart workers are self-aware enough to know the hierarchies in place. Those at the top of the totem pole will always gain favor with the higher-ups than those at the bottom.
That's why, when at a work meeting, those on the bottom always get blamed for mistakes made from the top. This can lead to resentment and mistrust in the workplace. It's not easy to trust the people you work with. Many have experienced issues with betrayal. A survey by Resume Now found that 61% of workers have been thrown under the bus at their workplace. With work meetings being so public, blaming someone makes you look just as bad. Smart people pretend not to notice, but it's hard not to when they could be next on the chopping block.
2. Buzzwords with no substance
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Buzzwords with no substance in work meetings can frustrate employees because they make them feel like higher-ups are trying to say something without actually saying it. It's not just in-person work meetings, either, but direct messaging on third-party apps. A study from Slack found that 63% of workers are annoyed when colleagues pepper messages with terms like "circle back" or "keep me in the loop."
This corporate jargon is meant to keep workers upbeat and positive, but can make everything sound manufactured. Instead of talking like normal or being direct, they hide behind these phrases to keep the peace. Smart people have a tolerance for this and just ignore the words and continue to the job that they're there to do.
3. Recycled ideas presented as new ones
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Work meetings happen so often that looking for something new to talk about can be hard for most people, but recycling old ideas as if they were new is even worse. Intelligent employees recognize these ideas weeks prior, but rather than calling them out on it, they quietly take a mental note to avoid making a scene. Nothing good comes from shaming someone so publicly, especially when they're already having a hard time coming up with new material.
Challenging a colleague outright could derail the meeting or create unnecessary tension, especially if the person has more influence. Smart professionals weigh their options and soon realize that there are more benefits to staying quiet than speaking up. Tearing someone down will get you nowhere, but preserving your energy on other things will.
4. Passive-aggressive digs
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Smart people are so intelligent that they can quickly decipher a colleague's hostile behavior towards another worker. A sly remark or direct workplace bullying is something that they notice yet keep quiet about for fear of making things worse. No one wants to be in the middle of an argument and put themselves in a position to choose sides.
Despite this, passive-aggressive behavior is rather common in the workplace. Around 73% of Americans have experienced passive-aggressive behavior at work, with 52% experiencing it at least weekly. While minding your business is fine, if workplace bullying occurs, you should speak up or report it, especially if it seems to affect your colleague in a negative way.
5. When someone is constantly interrupting others
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Meetings can be exciting for some workers, particularly higher-ups who want status reports from managers overseeing their employees, but sometimes disruptions occur too frequently for everyone to be able to chime in on time. Next thing you know, what was supposed to be a short meeting has stretched far beyond the normal time gap. Employees are in a time crunch, and many wouldn't like to have to stay and work overtime.
Another major issue is that employees get meeting fatigue, with 25% saying that it's their second biggest challenge at work. Meetings often disrupt productivity, causing employees to work more slowly or get distracted more easily. While interrupting others during meetings is annoying, smart employees calm themselves down and are reminded that everything happens for a reason.
6. People who talk a lot just to be heard
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In every workplace, there's always that one person who talks more than they should during meetings. Not necessarily to add any valuable input, but simply to vent about personal issues in their lives. There is a saying that those who talk the most during meetings often lack attention at home, and while it may be noble of their coworkers to spring in to reassure them, smart workers mind their business.
It's better to focus on your own work than to allow a coworker to drag you down with them. So, don't accept the invite to the pity party and instead ignore it altogether. Smart workers add their own contributions when it's necessary and let the results of their work speak for them.
7. Vague promises with no timeline
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Meetings can be riddled with information about what state the company is in, so when higher-ups give out vague promises with no definitive timelines on how to execute them, it can cause unnecessary anxiety in the workforce. A study by Culture Partners found that a lack of clarity around certain results led 70% of workers to believe that their organization's goals were in jeopardy. Without attaching a deadline or a concrete plan, smart employees know that the chances of the goal coming into fruition are slim.
However, instead of calling their bluff, these employees just nod and go about their days as if nothing major is happening. It's not that they don't want to believe in the company's vision, but it's more likely that the organization has promised things like this before and never followed through with it. These intelligent workers have just distinguished between what is real and what is just corporate theater.
8. A humble bragger
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Every office has a martyr who manages to wrap self-praise in with a little bit of modesty. Known as the humble bragger, this coworker will tell you about all of the things that they did for others and expect praise for it. To smart employees, this can make it look like they are trying too hard to be liked by others, but instead of calling it out, they nod and go about their business.
The humblebrag is one of those meeting landmines that you need to step around because addressing it directly can make you seem petty or jealous. Most roll their eyes and then redirect the conversation to something else. Smart people know that true influence doesn't need other people’s praise or approval.
9. The unrealistic deadlines
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When an ambitious project deadline is thrown out during a meeting, smart people remain composed, even if they feel it's nearly impossible to complete on time. They've learned to absorb anything that is thrown at them because a part of their job is adaptability. While some might be slower than others to adapt to changes, smart people realize that it's a necessity or they risk losing their livelihoods.
Of course, this will eventually lead them and others to burnout, but sometimes it's necessary for everyone to fail at something so that the company understands just how unrealistic the deadlines were. They've seen enough projects go sideways to know that time often reveals the truth. Whether the project is worth it or not, smart people will stick by and at least try to meet the company's expectations.
10. The endless tangent
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Coworkers go through a lot both on the job and outside of the job, but for them to go on an endless tangent during a work meeting when everyone is supposed to be discussing projects, it can be a bit of a drag, especially if this is a common and frequent occurrence. Meetings already chew up workers' time, and dragging them out further due to your rapid thoughts can make your employees want to go home immediately.
It can sometimes feel worse than a person who just wants to be heard, because at least they eventually stop talking. Smart people know that calling attention to the tangent won't bring the meeting back on track but will just drag things out longer. So, they stay silent and let their colleague vent for their sake. To them, the quicker they get through the story, the quicker it will be to end the meeting.
11. Credit misdirection
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When people are too focused on the content of something, they can often miss who said it first. In a virtual reality social experiment, participants observed another attendee repeat someone else's idea as their own. Even though the act was heard and seen, only 30% correctly identified who originally shared it.
This unintentional blindness in meetings can cause workers to misdirect credit to someone who actually never came up with the idea. More observant workers can tell when someone gives the group an idea and register what they did because they were actively listening to them. If the higher-ups won't give them the credit, their intelligent coworker will, depending on the situation. While it's easier for them to pretend not to hear the person's idea, they are far too intelligent to do so.
Sylvia Ojeda is an author who has over a decade of experience writing novels and screenplays. She covers self-help, relationships, culture, and human interest topics.
