The art of meeting offline

The hardest part of meeting someone is not the meeting. It's the two minutes before it, when your body decides whether this is a threat or a gift.

Arrive five minutes early. Not because it's polite, though it is, but because it lets your nervous system settle into the room before another person walks into it. Order a drink. Notice the light. Notice the music. You're building the stage on which you're about to be met.

When they arrive, stand up. It sounds absurdly formal and it isn't — it's a physical acknowledgement that this is happening, and it changes the geometry of the first hello.

The phone stays face-down. Not silent, face-down. The distinction matters. Silent means you might still glance. Face-down is a promise.

The first questions are boring on purpose. How was your day. How was the walk over. You are not conducting an interview. You are giving each other permission to be here.