Best Pen For A Business Meeting

[de_pen_dent]

I used to be (and occasionally, if the rates are right, still am) a management consultant. For work, I carry a bunch of nice pens which I enjoy using but which i wouldnt use as daily carries when i am tooling around in cargo shorts and sandals.

 

Last project, I used - among others - a couple of MB Writers Editions (Swift, Cervantes), an Aurora Optima Red, a Visconti Wall Street Red and an Omas Paragon Arco (ok, this was blingy, but I had just bought it and it wasnt going to sit uninked!).

[BillZ]

This is such an interesting thread because so many more things are in the equation than first glance. One issue that I didn't see addressed(sorry if I missed it) is whether you are LEADING or simply ATTENDING the meeting. Would that change one's choice. I'm retired so I don't do this anymore but I think that for practicality the Vanishing Point is a great choice especially if you are writing in a folio with no desk support.

[PhilProf]

For functionality I'd go with a hooded or semi-hooded nib.

 

To the more general issue of propriety, I'm with those who say 'it depends'. As far as I can tell, no single pen conveys any particular message free of context, but within a particular context (type of business, type of meeting, relative rank of those in attendance, etc) one's choice may say plenty.

 

In my area, higher ed., functionality seems to take precedence over all else. At least in my discipline, we are pretty suspicious of ostentation. I imagine other occupations have very different values.

[Mr. Pink]

It depends.

 

Are you there for the meeting? Use whatever you have inked up.

 

Are you there to impress someone or show off? Bring your best.

[PAKMAN]

For meetings I always took two pens just to make sure I had a back up if one ran out of ink. I also made sure I didn't grab one that sometimes tended to gather up ink in the cap or that had a tendency to be a bit dry and needed work to get going again. I never worried about using these at the desk as I could clean out a cap or flick the pen over the trash can to get it working while sitting at my own desk, but didn't want to do any of this in a meeting setting. So reliability was more of an issue than looks when I went to a meeting. A good ole Pelikan 800 or VP were good choices for a meeting. The only issue with my VP is that it had a squeeze converter and you couldn't see how much ink was left and they don't hold much to start with. These days I'm retired with a kitty snoozing on my lap so I don't worry about meetings and such and just enjoy whatever pens are inked.

[Mickey]

It depends if the pen. In addition to its utilitarian value, is to be an accessory or part of the narrative? As an accessory, it speaks only once, defining you, but as part of the narrative it can be a powerful 'editorial' or management tool. As an accessory, it tells others what you wished they believed about you. They will assume you're lying. Modest and of understated quality is probably the best choice for a pen as accessory.

 

As for pen as a management tool, imagine the CEO or senior manager comes into a meeting, lays a pad on the table, and sets an understated, but high quality pen at the head of the pad, unopened. Imagine the pen is a Nakaya, Hakase, Aurora 88, old Waterman, or similar, not a MontBlanc 146 or 149, which (unfortunately) will often be interpreted as a 'climbers' pen, not the pen of someone who has necessarily arrived. The pen remains capped until a significant moment, from the owner's POV, arrives. The pen is then uncapped, a few words jotted down - what they are doesn't matter - , the cap is replaced, and returned to the original position. A message has been sent; what the message is and how equivocal it is depends on the context. Used that way, the pen can punctuate the meeting and influence its direction.

Edited February 2, 2014 by Mickey

[de_pen_dent]

I actually think most non-pen users dont really give a damn one way or the other what kind of pen is being used - at most, they may note it in passing, that's about it.

 

A lot of people carry the bird's splat b/c it is de rigueuer in these circumstances, the same way a lot of people wear nice watches or designer ties.

 

I think we tend to over-estimate the importance of our hobby when it comes to the general population.

[Mickey]

I actually think most non-pen users dont really give a damn one way or the other what kind of pen is being used - at most, they may note it in passing, that's about it.

 

That's probably true in most situations (and with most people), but management culture is an odd thing (politics are weirder), and, for some folks, nothing is allowed to be only what it is. A cigar is never just a cigar. I briefly worked for a fellow for whom no detail was too small not to be considered in terms of message. His office had no desk - a conference table, chairs, and a sofa, but no desk and no filing cabinets. In his mind, the office said something important about him; it probably did, and no, he wasn't quite mad.

 

Meetings are theater (presentations, especially), and proper costumes and props can be important.

[Opooh]

Always 2 MB 149and a LeGrand mechanical pencil.

[kiavonne]

Always my vanishing points. They are my workhorses, no caps to fiddle with, and they are professional without being over the top. I'm there to get a job done (or plan for one), and not to turn heads.

[cellmatrix]

I save my fountain pens for journal or letter writing and like to bring a nice solid Ft. Madison made sheaffer prelude pencil to most meetings. I'll add that I don't have much patience for theater, and I judge people by what kind of ideas they bring to the table, not what kind of pen they use.

[mm1624124]

I'm interested in learning about photography, one of the quotes I've often seen in relation to cameras is "the best camera is the one you have with you." When it comes to business meetings and which pen is best, I tend to use a similar philosophy, the best pen is the one you have with you. I take just one pen with me to work, it might be a Montblanc 149, Pelikan M1000, Visconti Homo Sapiens or my trusty little Parker Jotter, and I'm happy to use any of those in meetings.

 

The only exception I can think of is if I were having a meeting with my manager to discuss a raise in salary, I might not use a $1000 pen in that situation

 

Only if he/she knew anything about fountain pens. It'd have to look that it was worth $1000. I doubt if I pulled out my Waterman Pinkly that anyone make a remark except for the ripple pattern. On the flip side, I'd make sure that the fp I chose didn't look cheap either no matter the actual cost.

 

Unless I doodle, which I don't unless I'm distracted (no good), I like my Pilot VP because note taking is sporadic. We may engage in long discussion before something worthy of a note (reminder, critical point, etc.) is written. However, I've taken anywhere from my Pilot 78g, actually a favorite, to some nice vintage pens. Choice of pen is dependent on the type of meeting.

 

 

 

It depends if the pen. In addition to its utilitarian value, is to be an accessory or part of the narrative? As an accessory, it speaks only once, defining you, but as part of the narrative it can be a powerful 'editorial' or management tool. As an accessory, it tells others what you wished they believed about you. They will assume you're lying. Modest and of understated quality is probably the best choice for a pen as accessory.

 

As for pen as a management tool, imagine the CEO or senior manager comes into a meeting, lays a pad on the table, and sets an understated, but high quality pen at the head of the pad, unopened. Imagine the pen is a Nakaya, Hakase, Aurora 88, old Waterman, or similar, not a MontBlanc 146 or 149, which (unfortunately) will often be interpreted as a 'climbers' pen, not the pen of someone who has necessarily arrived. The pen remains capped until a significant moment, from the owner's POV, arrives. The pen is then uncapped, a few words jotted down - what they are doesn't matter - , the cap is replaced, and returned to the original position. A message has been sent; what the message is and how equivocal it is depends on the context. Used that way, the pen can punctuate the meeting and influence its direction.

 

To repeat Mickey's point, one thing I have noticed is that when I pull out a fountain pen, meeting attendees do pay attention. That alone, might lend value to my comments and then what I deem important enough to write down. I sometimes purposefully scratch a note out just give weight to a particular point made at the time. It doesn't matter what's written down.

[TSherbs]

The best pen at a business meeting?? -- Whichever one is in your boss's hand inking the approval for your raise.

[pajaro]

I have always used a bordeaux Montblanc 144 and the bordeaux 164 ballpoint. I always carry them anyway.

[Koyote]

I wouldn't worry about it very much. Most people are paying no attention to your pen.

[lynxcat]

at my workplace, the only one paying any attention to anybody else's pens is me.

 

which is not to say that nobody else there cares about pens. the head accountant favors one particular brand of disposable rollerballs to the point that i almost never see her without one; one of the other developers uses an all-chrome ballpoint of some sort, i think it's a Cross but am not certain of the model; and the CEO, on the instances when he's in town, uses a Montblanc ballpoint. i'm the sole weirdo using fountain pens, normally my Hero 329.

[de_pen_dent]

 

That's probably true in most situations (and with most people), but management culture is an odd thing (politics are weirder), and, for some folks, nothing is allowed to be only what it is. A cigar is never just a cigar. I briefly worked for a fellow for whom no detail was too small not to be considered in terms of message. His office had no desk - a conference table, chairs, and a sofa, but no desk and no filing cabinets. In his mind, the office said something important about him; it probably did, and no, he wasn't quite mad.

 

Meetings are theater (presentations, especially), and proper costumes and props can be important.

 

I agree with this to a fair extent - office seating space, dress code, and even how someone sets up his or her own office does send a message, sure. As a consultant working with the top-level management, being aware of and handling company politics played a huge role in determining my efficiency, and i was very well tuned to this sort of thing.

 

However, I've never been in a work culture where I've felt that the pens ever sent a message that was any different from a nice watch or any other personal accoutrements one might choose to wear - and this message was quite minor, really.

 

Not to say it doesnt exist - I am sure quite a few people really do use their choice of pens to send a message. Whether that message is received universally is a different story.

[Mickey]

 

 

However, I've never been in a work culture where I've felt that the pens ever sent a message that was any different from a nice watch or any other personal accoutrements one might choose to wear - and this message was quite minor, really.

 

Not to say it doesnt exist - I am sure quite a few people really do use their choice of pens to send a message. Whether that message is received universally is a different story.

 

You may slightly miss my point. I agree the pen itself says very little. It is first a writing instrument, then an accessory, but if properly prepared (attention brought to it in advance) it can be used to send messages of approval, interest, etc.. Of course, any available object can be used this way if the user first makes it seem significant. In the scenario I presented, the pen, pad, and their rather OCD arrangement served to focus attention, preparing the audience for the performance. A nice FP is simply a better object for getting attention than a pencil or cheap roller-ball, and a blingy pen or one with potential baggage (e.g., an MB 149) would be a distraction.

 

As Jonathon Winters said in "Used Pet Store" about a kangaroo with a broken tail, "it's a conversation piece, like the dog."

Edited February 3, 2014 by Mickey

[de_pen_dent]

Sorry, I wasnt clear enough. I did get your point, was merely stating that I've never seen pens being used to send a message in that manner - atleast not where the choice of pen plays a key role.

 

Even in your scenario, I see it as more of a case of WHEN/HOW the pen is used, rather than WHAT the pen is, as being the driver of the performance, as you put it. I simply think that most people simply are not nuanced enough re FPs to appreciate the difference in messaging (both as senders and even more so as receivers) associated with a Bic vs MB vs Nakaya vs Japanese urushi/maki-e.

 

Anyway, interesting discussion. I'd be interested in hearing if anyone has actually seen a FP being used in such a way, and if so, what the circumstances were.

[Sasha Royale]

Who are you at the business meeting ? Are you the boss ? Are you an associate ? Are you a junior ?

The boss can be loud -- Anything goes.

The associate should be careful not to upstage the boss.

A junior should be quiet. How can he afford that pen ? Must be overpaid.