Mind manners in meetings: what to do and what not to do

As meetings continue to grow in popularity for group communication in business, people need a reminder of how to make the most of them. I have taught people to work as a team and how to have more effective meetings. This training often includes basic meeting etiquette and common manners of behavior. However, I still see a lot of poorly run meetings and occasional bad manners between them. I feel it is time to re-emphasize the importance of good manners and professional behavior in meetings.

Everyone in business must understand that meeting etiquette is an important part of business communications and proper procedures for professional conduct in meetings need to be followed. Bad meetings reflect on one’s ability to conduct professional group communications and have an adverse influence on problem solving. Here’s a list from dozens of bakers of meeting do’s and don’ts to improve meeting etiquette awareness.

1. Set up a convenient meeting time and place and confirm with attendees well in advance of the meeting date. This shows respect for their time and RSVPing better facilitates meetings where specific people are needed for decision making or problem resolution.

2. Do not invite people who do not need to attend the meeting to fulfill its purpose. Inviting people who don’t need to be there is a lack of consideration for your time, and may actually cost everyone else in the meeting time, as they may have to stop and explain why the person was invited.

3. Arrange to attend the entire meeting time. Walking in and out during meetings is disruptive and can disrupt the flow of the meeting for others. If you are leaving early or arriving late, ask the leaders for permission to do so before the meeting begins so that the agenda can be rearranged if necessary.

4. Do not start the meeting late or exceed the stated end time, as this indicates a lack of respect for others’ time. All attendees must be punctual. It’s okay to be early, but never be late. Keeping people waiting is rude and should not be expected to wait to start once everyone arrives.

5. Make sure everyone knows the purpose and agenda of the meeting. Put this in meeting reminders and review it with everyone at the beginning of the meeting to make sure everyone is on board. Once everyone agrees, it is easier to follow the agenda and respect the time limits.

6. Don’t forget to assign a recorder to document decisions and actions. Having a recorder will not only ensure completion of actions outside of the meeting, but its visible records in the meeting can help keep the group focused.

7. Turn off phones and pagers. Some people will find this impossible. For those people, ask them to at least set it to vibrate in their pockets. Ask anyone keeping you connected to leave the room if you think she needs to answer a call so the conversation doesn’t interrupt the meeting.

8. Do not turn on the laptop (or PDA) unless it will be used for a short time to present information to the group. This team often prevents attendees from paying attention to the meeting and is considered rude by others in the meeting as it gives the impression that the topic of the meeting is not important.

9. Actively participate in discussions, idea generation, and problem solving. Respect the purpose of the meeting by making sure what you say is relevant to the meeting and keep it short.

10. Do not interrupt anyone who is speaking. Be courteous and pay attention, as good listening skills are important to increase communication and understanding. Show respect by remembering that only one person speaks at a time, so take turns.

11. Honor your presenters by letting them know your schedule and what is expected during that time. They should arrive early and be prepared with any reports or visuals. During presentations, keep questions and comments to the end and keep them brief.

12. Do not hold conversations during meetings or presentations. Having multiple conversations is not only rude, it can also be confusing and distracting to other meeting attendees.

13. At the end of the meeting, thank the group for their time, summarize what was accomplished, review and assign actions, and then plan any necessary follow-up.

I hope you all find these thirteen tips useful for improving future meetings. Remember to conduct proper and professional meetings with good manners, attitudes and behaviors. Basic meeting etiquette has become even more important as the time spent on this method of group communication continues to increase. Just because meetings are common in the business world doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be conducted properly and with due consideration for attendees. Always keep in mind that poorly planned and conducted meetings reflect on both individual and group professionalism.