Digest: Should You Accept Offer Of Either Tea Or Coffee In A Serious Meeting Or Job Interview?

Aaron Dinin answered on Quora:

Absolutely! 100% Yes! Without a doubt!

This is called the Hollywood Rule. I first learned it when I was fresh out of college during a meeting with a former Hollywood producer.

At the start of our meeting, he offered me a drink, and I said, “No thank you.” He then explained that, in Hollywood, the rule is you’re always supposed to accept a drink when it’s offered.

Here are some of the reasons why:

1) Show That You’re Comfortable

No matter how nervous you are, by accepting a drink at the beginning of a meeting, you’re showing the people you’re meeting with that you’re so comfortable you don’t even mind imposing on them to get something for you.

2) Put Yourself In Control

By having the person you’re meeting with get you a drink, you’re setting a precedent that you’re in control and the other person should be doing things for you. While not always appropriate or necessary, when you want something from the person you’re meeting (e.g. a job), it’s a useful way to reconfigure the power dynamic.

3) Acclimate To A New Environment

From an evolutionary perspective, the “hunter-gatherer brain” deep inside all of us needs a few minutes to adjust to any new environment before we feel safe. Since having part of your brain thinking about other things is problematic, accepting a drink gives you more time to adjust to your surroundings before you have to focus on the meeting itself.

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