Volunteers report on a variety of staff meeting survival tactics. Some do Zen exercises in their heads. Others doodle. Some prepare lessons. Others plan their vacations. The winners are those who listen. Some listen for information. Others analyze the speakers' language skills, listening for clues to their students' use of language and rhetoric. Some listen to the group dynamics and the power plays. Others listen to the bits they are interested in and tune out for the rest. But just as you are taking measure of your colleagues, so they are taking measure of you. Your patience and politeness in.
