Being an effective meeting participant. We almost didn’t write this article because it seems much too obvious and way too basic. Many of us attend multiple meetings a day and have been doing this for years. You’d think we would get it by now. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case. How you attend meetings will have an impact on many others as well as reflecting on your professionalism. Practicing basic meeting etiquette will go a long way in showing your respect to others and their time as well as how they perceive you. Here are a few tips…
- Prepare – Review the meeting agenda if available. Review the previous meeting’s minutes as well as any promises you made in the previous meeting if applicable. Put it on your team calendar. Be organized enough so you will not be interrupted. Turn off or mute your phone. You know who you are so take the necessary steps to prepare.
- Arrive on time – Arriving on time for a meeting doesn’t mean arriving at precisely 4pm for a 4pm meeting. The meeting begins at 4pm, you don’t arrive at that time. For an in-person meeting, arrive at least 5 minutes prior to the start time. This will give plenty of time to greet everyone and get settled. If joining a webcast meeting, make plans to join 10 minutes prior to the start time. This will allow for any technical delays. If you’re running the meeting, be there 10 to 15 minutes early.
- Stay in the room (mentally and physically) – No texting. No emailing. No thinking about that other project. No daydreaming. If you find yourself doing these things, you may be in the wrong meeting and should not have attended. When on a web meeting, don’t work on other projects while in the meeting. Avoid leaving the room. Important customer or associate walked in or called? Stay in the meeting. It’s a great opportunity to teach this person that you keep a calendar and work by appointment. Stay in the room and respect those leading the meeting as well as those attending it.
- Be on point – Don’t bring up personal issues that don’t apply to the majority of the group. Stay on the agenda. These are two reasons many 30-minute meetings last over two hours.
- Participate – When asked questions, speak up, especially on a web meeting. If you’re a leader or manager in the organization, always be prepared and expect to be called upon for comments.
- After the meeting – Review any commitments you made and follow up on them. Avoid the “meeting after the meeting” where the disgruntled employees discuss what they didn’t like about the meeting. Speak up in the real meeting and when the meeting is over, be supportive of the decisions that were made.
We’re sharing these reminders today because there isn’t a week that goes by where we don’t see employees and managers do some of these exact things. Don’t be that person this week.
