Being present in a meeting can be challenging. Digitally, there’s always someone knocking at the front door. Always someone in the waiting room. Always someone who wants our attention.

It’s our responsibility to temporarily mute those channels. To focus on what’s in front of us. To bring our full attention to the task at hand, and to those who have gathered to meet.

If those topics and those people don’t require our full attention, then our presence at the meeting is only marginally useful. It may be that our time will be best spent elsewhere.

And if that’s not true — if our contribution is indeed needed — then it’s time to set aside distractions and to be fully present.