> Meanwhile I'm there wondering who is this [Robert Smith] of the [communications department]? What is the [transformation strategy] and why does it need a [quarterly review]?
IMO, whoever is running the meeting isn't doing a good job of giving everyone the requisite background to understand the the purpose & content of the meeting. The only exception I can think of is that if it's expected that you repeatedly interrupt the meeting to get yourself up to speed (i.e., you're expected to aggressively get the relevant info).
More often than not, what you describe is due to someone running a shitty meeting, which is more common than not.
IMO, whoever is running the meeting isn't doing a good job of giving everyone the requisite background to understand the the purpose & content of the meeting. The only exception I can think of is that if it's expected that you repeatedly interrupt the meeting to get yourself up to speed (i.e., you're expected to aggressively get the relevant info).
More often than not, what you describe is due to someone running a shitty meeting, which is more common than not.