100 Tricks to Appear Smart in Meetings

This book piggy-backed off the success of a simple infographic “10 tricks to appear smart in meetings”. It took those 10 steps and dragged them out into 100+. It went from funny to “ok, yeah, got it... “. As a book it's pretty redundant and boring. The best uses for this book would be to rip it apart and randomly hang pages around the office. Solo, they're amusing (like memes). Put too many together and it takes away the fun.

I'm not sure if another other book made me simultaneously cry with laughter and despair. Or if any other book can be hilarious and depressing at the same time. If you've been to enough meetings, you'll recognise These People. If you don't, you're probably it.

A great use for this book is to bring it to every meeting with your and write down the name of the colleague or manager who exhibits the behavior. Or check it off when you pull that line on everyone else. Just try not to get fired.

There's even illustrations for each trick, and a handy guide to useful facial expressions and what to do with your hands during a meeting. The line art is delightful.

In all seriousness, these people exist and sometimes your best weapon is a subtle sarcasm. Buy it as a lifeline for a friend or family member who is drowning in meetings. Buy it for the manager whose life revolves around meetings or that turd-polishing colleague who not-so-casually name-drops the boss's first name like they'll be doing their nails together later.

‘100 Tricks to Appear Smart in Meetings: How to Get By Without Even Trying' will be available Oct 4. All I can say is, “Ship it!” (Trick #71)

This ARC is courtesy of NetGalley.