What type of meeting-goer are you?

Thirty per cent of meeting-goers rank 'the General', 'Negative Nancy' and the 'Phone Junkie' as the most despised personality traits. Photo / iStock

'Parrots', 'Negative Nancys' and the 'Phone Junkies' - most of us know a work colleague with one of these personality traits.

Colmar Brunton's latest survey has identified eleven of the common traits most likely to irritate fellow New Zealand meeting-goers.

The worst contender was found to be 'the General', the colleague adamant to dominate, the 'Black Hats' or 'Negative Nancys' and the 'Phone Junkies' who are more engaged in their mobile than the meeting itself.

To earn the respect of your colleagues in meetings you may need to change your behaviour, says Colmar Brunton account manager Jessica Balbas.

Thirty per cent of those surveyed ranked the General's dominance as the most despised attribute, followed closely by the Black Hat's negativity.

Other pet hates included the 'Bully', the person who wants everyone to agree with them, the 'Hijacker' who goes off topic and the 'Chatterbox' with nothing useful to say.

When asked how best to describe themselves in meetings, more women than men were found to see themselves as 'Wallflowers', with women also more likely to be 'Eager Beavers' in meetings.

"Men are twice likely as women to be the 'Nuclear bomb' in meetings - a person whose ideas silence the whole room,' Balbas said.

"Let's not forget the 'Parrots', disliked by 18 per cent because they repeat others' ideas and claim them as their own the 'Smarty Pants' who is full of unnecessary jargon, Workaholics who spend their time in meetings working, or the irritating 'Pen Clicker'."

'Workaholics' and 'The Snail' were found to be the least irritating of all personality traits.

What type of meeting-goer are you?

The traits most likely to irritate in meetings