Management and meetings expert Roger Flax has a remedy for those long meetings we all have to attend. Try standing up.

“When you remove the chairs and donuts,” he says, “participants come right to the point. They don’t settle in and get overly relaxed. They’re not distracted by side-issue conversations with people sitting next to them. They don’t lose their concentration by sipping coffee, munching pastries or doodling. And they don’t doze off.

“It stimulates conversation,” says Flax, “and encourages participants to quickly accomplish their objectives and finish the meeting. Standing also gets the juices flowing and increases energy, animation and emphasis on key points.”