The Professional Guide to Office
Meeting Etiquette
Maureen Schechtman
Table of Contents
Welcome
Introduction
Objectives
Outline
Part I
The Why’s of Professional Meeting Etiquette
Part II
The Do’s of Professional Meeting Etiquette
Part III
The Dont’s of Professional Meeting Etiquette
Summary
References
Welcome:
You’ve just landed you’re your dream job as an Instructional Designer with ABC Sales and Service. You want to make a great impression on your boss, the executive team of the organization and your new co-workers.
Understanding meeting etiquette is one guaranteed way to be recognized as a person who can work well in the environment and has potential for advancement. We’ve all been to hundreds of meetings, but have you ever really understood the unspoken rules of office meetings?
Some of these rules are obvious, yet there are ways that you can behave in a meeting that say a lot about you, with you realizing their impact on your career.
Introduction:
This guide is intended for anyone who wants to improve their professional office meeting skills. It is assumed that the users of this self-paced course have previously attended an office meeting at least once so as to be familiar with some of the phrases used in thecontent.
Assessments will be provided at the end of each unit.
Objectives:
Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to:
- Understand the importance of professional meeting behavior
- Identify eight important meeting “do’s”
- Identify eight important meeting “don’t’s”
- Attend an office meeting with confidence in your professional demeanor
Outline:
Understand the importance of meeting behavior
The Do’s of meeting behavior
The Don’t’sof meeting behavior
Part I
Why is meeting behavior so important?
Meetings are part of most professional jobs. They can be tedious and annoying, but also provide a very important function in an office environment. Meetings are used to impart important information to a large group of people, allow several people to collaborate on one project, introduce groups of people from different departments, and standardize processes within a department or an organization.
Meeting etiquette covers the things people are expected to do and say, or to avoid doing and saying. There are people within your organization who will only you know you from attending meetings. This is why it is crucial for you to know the standard meeting behaviors. People within your organization will be observing you and, of course, you will want to put your best foot forward.
Practice Exercise Part I:
Three important functions of office meetings are:
a)Breaking up the day, getting some coffee, and meeting co-workers
b)Allow collaboration, standardize processes, impart important information to large groups of people
c)Standardize processes, allow collaboration, meet upper management
d)All of the above
The correct answer is “b”. If you answered differently, please re-read the previous paragraph.
Part II
The Do’s of Office Meeting Etiquette
- Dress appropriately - wear clothing that is appropriate for the job that you are doing. When in doubt, check the corporate dress code, if one is available. If not, check with co-workers and observe what people are wearing in the office. In a professional office meeting, you should dress as if you were planning to meet a client. It is important to portray a professional image at all times.
- Be prepared for the meeting. If an agenda has been sent in advance, read the agenda and any suggested or required reading materials prior to the meeting. The meeting will be much more productive is everyone is prepared in advance.
- Bring paper and pen and take notes. Yes, it’s possible that there will be a handout, or that you already know the material that is being presented. Having a pen and paper indicates that you have prepared for the meeting. In the event that content is presented that is important, you won’t have to worry about trying to remember. Or, even worse, having to contact the meeting presenter and ask about something that has already been presented at the meeting.
- Arrive on time. This is probably the single most important thing you can do to show yourself as a professional. Being on time for meetings is crucial. If you arrive, it shows disrespect for everyone else at the meeting who made the effort to arrive on time. People entering the meeting late disrupt the flow of the meeting. You should always plan to leave early enough that you arrive at the meeting at least fifteen minutes early so that you are settled and ready to work when the meeting begins.
If you must arrive late, walk in quietly, have a seat, and apologize to the facilitator and other attendees during a break. Never walk in late to a meeting with a beverage or food that you have obviously stopped to purchase.
- Stick to the Meeting Agenda – In most cases the meeting facilitator will provide the attendees with an agenda. Do not deviate from the agenda by asking questions or brining up topics that are not relevant to the task at hand. Those questions or comments should be reserved for conversations that take place outside the meeting.
- Make Introductions - Before the meeting starts, introduce yourself to the people around you. Be sure to also introduce yourself to the meeting facilitator either before the meeting or during the first break if the facilitator is busy before the meeting. Introduce people that you know to other people you know if appropriate and not disruptive.
- Contribute to the meeting if appropriate – If the meeting involves participation of the attendees, be sure to contribute. Some meetings are strictly content presentation. In those cases, you will want to be quiet and attentive. If participation is encouraged, be sure to contribute.
- Pay Attention – It is crucial to pay attention in meetings for two main reasons. First, it is rude to anyone who is speaking to not be giving them your full attention. Second, although you may think you already know the content, you may miss something important. Having to ask for this information at a later can be embarrassing and does not reflect well on you.
Practice Exercise Part II
1)It is ok to leave arrive late at a meeting if you have another project to finish up before the meeting – True or False?
2)You should dress professionally for every meeting even if there are no “important” people attending – True or False?
3)It is appropriate to bring up unfinished business from another project in a meeting for a different subject? True or False?
Answers
1)False
2)True
3)False
How did you do? If you answered any of these questions wrong, please go back and read this module again.
Part III
The Don’t of Office Meeting Etiquette
- Don’t talk on your cell phone during a meeting – a good rule of thumb is either turn off your phone or put the phone on vibrate before you go in the meeting. If it is absolutely necessary to have your phone for potential emergencies (child care issues, sick relative), and you must take a call, quietly leave the meeting. After you have completed the call, walk back in quietly and apologize to the group at the next break.
- Don’t check your email or text during a meeting – These behaviors signal to the meeting facilitator and other attendees that you don’t think the information being presented is important. It also indicates that you have bad manners.
- Don’t engage in side conversations – Having a side conversation in a meeting is distracting to you, the person you are talking to, and the other meeting attendees. Save your side conversations for after the meeting.
- Don’t interrupt the person who is speaking – If you have a comment or a question, wait until an appropriate time to comment or ask. Do not interrupt anyone who is speaking. Generally, there is a meeting protocol regarding questions and comments.
- Don’t leave early – Leaving early can be perceived as lack of interest, a feeling that you are more important than the other attendees, or simply that you have bad manners. It also disrupts the meeting.
- Don’t monopolize the meeting - if you are in a meeting where participation is encourage, do not monopolize the conversation. Be sure you give other people a chance to talk, and be sure to listen to what they are saying.
- Don’t eat in the meeting – unless you are in a meeting where food is being served, do not eat in the meeting. It is distracting and generally not considered an acceptable polite practice. Eat before you go or wait until the meeting is over.
- Don’t drag out the meeting by saving all your questions until the end – by the end, everyone is ready to leave. If you have questions that will benefit the group, ask during the course of the meeting, if appropriate. If you have questions to clarify information for yourself, wait until the meeting is over and follow up with an email or a phone call.
Practice Exercise Part III
1)If you have not had a chance to eat because you woke up late, it is appropriate to grab a small breakfast and eat in an office meeting – True or False?
2)You have some important information to share with your boss who is conducting a meeting for your whole team, you should bring it up in the meeting while you have the change - True or False?
3)What should you do if you have to take an emergency call during an office meeting?
Answers:
1)False – it is not appropriate to eat in a meeting unless food is being served for everyone.
2)False, you should stick to the agenda of the meeting and wait to talk to your boss in a one to one converstion
3)You should get up quietly , take the call, re-enter the meeting quietly and apologize to the group during the break.
SUMMARY
Congratulations on becoming a “Meeting Master”
In this lesson, you have learned how to conduct yourself in a professional office meeting. You have learned eight key points relating to what you should and shouldn’t do in a work meeting.
If you follow these steps, you will confident and poised in any meeting environment and you will stand out as a professional among your co-workers and upper management.
Congratulations on becoming a “Meeting Master”
References
Belo Cipriani." Web log post. Belo Cipriani. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2014.
Giang, Vivian. "Business Insider." Business Insider. Business Insider, Inc, 11 Nov. 2013. Web. 25 Oct. 2014. <
Ingram, David. "SMALL BUSINESS." - Chron.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2014. <
1