Keep everything in a neat pile so that--ZIP!--you can leave a moment's notice.The best time to slip away is when everyone's on a bio-break.However, if you're unfortunate enough to work with people who have strong bladders, you can leave when there's a break in the action, like when there's a natural pause in the presentation.I personally tended to make my escapes when somebody of lower status than me asked a question, since that implies that while I care about the meeting (which I didn't), I don't care about what that particular dude has to say (which I didn't. Apologize for kicking them out, but be confident and assertive. "When you arrive early, you can claim a seat near the door (see #3 below) and have time for a quick chat with the meeting leader (see #4 below) before the other attendees arrive.In addition, arriving early communicates to the team leader that you think their meeting is important, even if you privately believe it's a load of bollocks. Such a statement also gives your coworkers notice that, when you disappear, it wasn't because you were bored. To avoid risking offense, try to send subtle hints before you resort to asking your friends to leave explicitly.When having friends over, let them know from the beginning how long you expect them to stay.
This will make things less awkward and send the message that while their presence is welcome, you simply can't continue to entertain at the moment. )Since you've laid the groundwork and soothed the egos, all you need do to make your exit is to quickly gather your stuff (see #7), give the meeting leader a respectful "nod," and, woohoo!, you're free. However, if you wait until just before the meeting starts, on the other hand, the meeting leader doesn't have time to argue with you or question your priorities. By confidently sending the message that the situation itself requires them to leave, you can make enforcing your boundaries less stressful.In traditional rules of etiquette, it's considered rude to ask guests to leave directly. For these idiots, nothing says "I'm the boss" better than forcing everybody to sit in the same room for a couple of hours.Anyway, since you can't avoid every dumb meeting, it's in your interest to learn how to extract yourself gracefully from the dumb meetings you can't avoid.
)However, if the meeting leader wants to know exactly when you plan to leave, provide a time that's at least 10 to 15 minutes When you longer than the time you claimed that you need to leave, it implies that you respect the meeting leader so much that you were were willing to be late to your other appointment.Also, leaving yourself some wiggle room gives you a better opportunity to leave during the most convenient break. In the evening, this may be a matter of getting to bed early for engagements the following morning. However, if the meeting leader wants to know exactly when you plan to leave, provide a time that's at least 10 to 15 minutes earlier than when you actually need to leave.
(See #8).This locks down the impression that you believe the meeting is important (even though you think it's not).