15 Rules for Talking Business Over Drinks How to behave in any bar meeting. Remember: Don't have what he's having.

Meet for drinks? Great! But if you don't want to see your pitch become a punch line, take care not to let the booze and casual atmosphere wreak havoc on your business judgment.

Pretend you are not in a bar.
The bar will impose its riches upon you: drinks, atmosphere, etc. If you're going to get any work done, concentrate on business, and let the bar do the rest. The bar should be thought of merely as neutral territory inhabited by people who bring things to you. The bar is not a topic of conversation. Drinking is not a topic of a conversation. Because those things aren't about business. They're the opposite of business.