PAPERmaking! g FROM THE PUBLISHERS OF PAPER TECHNOLOGY ® Volume 8, Number 1, 2022
Why is meeting etiquette important in business? Meeting etiquette is really important for several reasons. First, it improves communication between you and your team if everyone is adhering and respecting certain manners at work and in meetings. This standard of communication encourages an environment where every person respects one another, everyone is heard and everyone feels comfortable sharing their thoughts. Meeting etiquette also promotes higher productivity because central to these etiquette rules are coming prepared, being organized, listening, and taking turns speaking. This means the time is being optimized the most effectively. Lastly, it improves relationships within the working group because when people feel respected, it also enhances trust which strengthens those business relationships. 8 Meeting Etiquette Rules to Remember 1. Be punctual 2. Come prepared 3. Speak clearly 4. Actively listen and participate 5. Give others the opportunity to speak 6. Follow the agenda 7. Ask clarifying questions 8. Be attentive to your body language 1 Be punctual Being punctual is one of the most important business etiquette rules. It shows professionalism, respect and proper preparation. It’s common courtesy for the rest of the group to get to the meeting on time so that you’re respectful of other people’s time. When leaders tol erate lateness, it means that people may begin to take advantage of that. Most people will not and should not wait for you to arrive at the meeting if you’re late. Simply put, it looks bad! It’s unprofessional so it’s best to be in the meeting in advance s o that you have some time to sit down and prepare for the discussion ahead. 2 Come prepared Make sure that your meeting agenda is sent far in advance, with time for the group to collaborate and make suggestions for items to add. If there is any kind of documentation that was sent with the meeting invite, be sure to brief yourself and familiarize yourself with the content so that you can actively participate. Make sure to write down any kinds of questions you have or topics you’d like to bring up before t he meeting happens so that these things don’t slip your mind. If you’ve been asked to prepare anything ahead, make sure that it is accounted for so that you can feel confident and prepared. 3 Speak clearly It’s so important to speak loudly enough and clearly enough so that everyone can understand. Millennials and Gen Z tend to speak really quickly, so if this is you, slow it down to a pace that is easily understood by all. Speaking loudly and clearly portray s confidence and professionalism. If you’re a soft speaker, be sure to work on this point as quiet speakers often struggle to come off as assertive and sure of themselves (even when they are!). Speaking clearly is going to contribute to the meeting’s produ ctivity because everything will be well understood and nothing will have to be repeated. 4 Actively listen and participate Find a good balance between actively listening and also participating in the discussions taking place. A good rule of thumb is to listen at least twice as much as you speak, especially when there are a lot of people in the room. A few ways to show the speaker that you are actively listening is through non-verbal communication, such as nodding your head, writing notes, asking questions or contributing comments. When you engage in these actions, it’s actually going to help keep your attention so that you can listen more effectively and you’ll get more out of the meeting. Active listening means that when it’s your turn to participate you won’t repeat what has already been discussed and you can bring fresh insights, opinions and contributions to the table. 5 Give others the opportunity to speak No one enjoys a meeting where one or two people dominate the entire conversation – in that ca se, what’s the point in it being a team meeting? Give others the opportunity to speak and if you’ve just spoken, take some time to actively listen to others. Be patient in waiting for your turn to speak and look for the right cues to contribute to the conv ersation. A good time to contribute is when you’re a subject matter expert on the topic when you have updates and when the conversation trails off. Write down any points that come up while others are speaking so that you can revisit your list and determine if they’re worth bringing up.
Article 12 – Meeting Etiquette
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