Hallway Conversation
Where actual decisions happen — before, after, and instead of the meeting. The meeting ratifies what the hallway decided; remote work moved the hallway into DMs and made it invisible.
Heard in the wild
“The vendor was chosen in a hallway conversation; the RFP was theater.”
Tone check: Professional
If you're not in the hallways — literal or digital — you're voting after the count. Build the informal channels.