How to Practice Good Meeting Etiquettes: 30+ Useful Tips

Practicing good meeting etiquette helps a person to prepare a code of conduct, keeping in mind the feelings and the rights of the other members present in a meeting.

These etiquettes help a person to get along with the rest of the people, and it also promotes respect.

It is culturally bound. It can become a reason and method to make every meeting successful. 

Tips to practice good meeting etiquettes

Do not make it a monologue. If in a meeting only one person keeps on speaking, then it is not a meeting; it is called a lecture class. Do not let your meeting become one of those lecture classes that allow everyone to share their perspective with others. 

Revise your presentation. To avoid getting stuck or forgetting points while you are representing your ideas, you should take a revision of your presentation before the meeting starts, as every person with good meeting etiquette will consider doing before every meeting. 

Do use the keyboard. While you are jotting down the important notes like a sincere employee on your laptop, the noise of your keyboard can disturb the person who is speaking. Instead, you can use a notebook and pen to do that without anyone getting disturbed. 

Do not be late. It is a very basic thing, and it is about how disciplined you are. To prove to others that you have good meeting etiquette, being present on time for every meeting is one of them which will make a good impression on the others. 

Look for gestures. Using gestures or accepting gestures during a meeting will help it to keep it in a good flow instead of speaking. You should be able to understand these gestures to inculcate good meeting etiquette. 

Assign a host. Hosting a meeting could be a very proud thing to do. But if the only person does it all the time, then others might lose interest. So, as a person with good meeting etiquette, you should allow everyone to host a meeting one at a time, and you will be surprised with the results. 

Be ready with your technology beforehand. To make sure that there’s no technical fault from your side while doing online meetings by check all your technology ready for your meeting before it starts. This will help you to carry on your meeting smoothly. 

Ask one to make notes. If everyone starts to make notes while your manager is explaining, then you will understand what he is explaining to you. Instead, you should assign one of your colleagues to make notes so that others can listen properly and help each other after the meeting. 

Look for consent. If there’s a problem, then do not try to make the solution to be a monopoly decision because others might not think it to be correct.

Let everyone share their perspective and come to a mutual solution and ask for consent from everyone. People with good meeting etiquettes use this method. 

Wait for everyone. There might be a time when you are on time for meetings, but your colleagues are not. So, you should just not dive in or start the meeting without them. Give them some time and wait for them because they might have got in trouble or work. 

Dress appropriately. If you enter the meeting room with unpolished shoes, a shirt not tucked in properly, your tie is hanging till your knees, your colleagues will stare at you as if you have done some crime. To avoid those gazing eyes, you should dress very well, neat, and tidy. 

Introduce yourself. It is one of the most important things to do before you start a meeting because it is necessary for everyone to know who you are. So, introduce yourself every time you start a meeting, even if you are doing it with your known colleagues. 

Allow breaks. If you think that the meeting is about to last long, then you should allow yourself and others to take a break because every time you must be more efficient and effective. This will also help others to get relaxed and start again with the same energy. 

Keep aside your personal device. It is not necessary for you to switch off your personal device while you are in a meeting. But it is not good behavior if you keep looking at your phone after every few minutes because it will make others feel that you are not interested. 

Make your background look good. If you are joining in a meeting session from your home, then you should try to make your background look good or keep it clean and tidy, which people with good meeting etiquette will always remember to do. 

Do not interrupt. You might not like some point that others are explaining, but interrupting them to state your problem is not a good idea, and it also violates the ethics of a meeting environment. Instead, wait for the right time and then present your opinion. 

Keep time. You should respect everyone’s time, especially when you are working at home because, at that time, they must play the role of parents too. So, a person with good meeting etiquette will make sure that the meeting timings are not very long. 

Know there are different personalities. Not everyone is good and comfortable while they are present in a meeting environment which becomes a big challenge for others.

You should try to notice people who are not comfortable and try to solve their problems so that everyone present in the meeting can move forward together. 

Mind your surroundings. Your colleagues will not be able to pay attention to your ideas if they hear someone else speaking from behind or when they look at your untidy room. Make sure that everything is good and undisturbed before you start a meeting. 

Listen carefully. Seniors can ask about your opinion on what others have said at any point in time, and if you were daydreaming while they were explaining, then you are in big trouble. So, try to listen to everything that the others have to say. 

Is this meeting needed? Calling a meeting for even a small reason will not be an appropriate choice because others must leave their work and invest their important time in it. So, call a meeting only if it is necessary; otherwise, just discuss it with them over a cup of coffee. 

Stop procrastinating. Procrastinating can be tolerated everywhere but not in business meetings.

This is one of the most important etiquettes that everyone should learn, which is to meet their deadlines before or on time because procrastinating can not only get you in trouble but the whole group. 

Do not get distracted. Getting distracted from your meeting can cause a lot of problems for you in the future. In order to become a person with good meeting etiquette, you should be able to remove all the distractions that can arise while you are in a meeting. 

Make eye contact. While you are presenting your ideas and opinions to the other members present in the meeting, it is very important for you to make eye contact with everyone because it will show them that you are confident about your ideas and it is reliable. 

Invite people who are required. Inviting people to a meeting who are not necessary can be very disturbing and can raise conflicts between the members of your group. So, invite the people who are required so that you can carry on your meetings without any hustle. 

Revolve around the topic. While you are the person giving a speech or sharing your idea with others, do not lose track of the topic and the things that you speak; make sure that they are all related to the topic that everyone was discussing instead of speaking something far from the topic. 

Speak up. Every time you enter a meeting room, speak up and make everyone aware that you are joining them; you could do that by greeting everyone with a good morning or a good afternoon. Make sure that you do not interrupt someone’s speech. 

Be sure before using humor. Sometimes meetings get too serious and intense, and you might think of using your humor to ease out the atmosphere but think twice before you do it. Make sure that your joke suits your audience; otherwise, you can get in trouble. 

Come up with the right time. Your colleagues don’t need to be free at the same time you are. So, to find out the right time you should discuss it with your colleagues and choose a mutual time. It will show them that you have good meeting etiquette. 

Beware of your audience. While you are speaking during your meeting, beware of what you speak because you might hurt someone without even noticing it, and it could even result in breaking your team. Understand the people around you and choose your words wisely. 

Look at the camera. When you are in an inline meeting session, and your turn has come to speak, then you should look into the camera and then start speaking instead of looking here and there.

If you speak while looking at the camera, it will make others feel that you are talking with your utmost attention. 

Be calm. People present in the meeting will not like it, and it’s neither good meeting etiquette to lose your temper during a meeting because it only leads to an unsuccessful meeting session and conflicts. So, keep your mind cool and stay calm. 

Choose the correct room. Every meeting that takes place is not the same, or taking a meeting in the same place will not be the right choice. You should be able to choose the correct room for every meeting if you are the person to whom this responsibility is passed on. 

Be confident. You will often find people in your meeting who are normally shy but are very confident in the meetings because confidence will help you make others understand your surety and relatedness to your idea. Take a deep breath and put up your ideas confidently. 

Mute your microphone. It can become very irritating and disturbing for your colleagues to listen to that echoing sound if you leave your microphone on even if you do not speak. Turn on your microphone only when required because that echoing sound is very irritating. 

Help others. If you notice someone in the meeting has lost track, then you should try to help that person get back on track, which will prevent you from extending the meeting for long hours explaining it from the beginning. It will show others your good meeting etiquette. 

Recap the previous meeting. Every meeting should start with a recap of the things that you have discussed in the previous meeting. It will help others to remember the important things and will make other people know that you are content with great meeting etiquette. 

Move around. Do not make your meetings like old school and boring where people sit in one place during the whole meeting even while explaining. Make it interesting by just moving around the board while explaining and using some friendly hand gestures. 

Do not carry your device everywhere. If you are holding a meeting online, it might be important to get up and look at the problem that has occurred in your house, and of course, do not carry your device everywhere with you because it will become a house tour of your home for your colleagues. 

Set time for a question session. Every meeting will be a successful one only if the things discussed during it are clear to everyone, and that can be known only by setting a time at the end of the meeting for questions and answers. It will help to clarify their doubts. 

Inform others what they need. It is a responsibility of a person with good business etiquette to inform the rest of the members of the meeting of the things or material they will need during the meeting beforehand.  

Thanks, everyone. When the meeting has ended and when everyone is about to leave, thank everyone for the precious time and attention that they have invested in the meeting. It will be a very appreciable and great gesture to everyone.  

Do not eat. Getting caught eating snacks while you are in a meeting could be a very embarrassing moment for you. Eating snacks before a meeting starts is one of the good meeting etiquettes that you should inculcate within yourself. 

Follow up with your members. As soon as the meeting ends, assign everyone their responsibilities and tasks with deadlines. This will help the meeting to be successful when you and your members have achieved your goals. 

Set goals. Every meeting has an objective or goal to achieve. One cannot call up a meeting without any reason or objective. So, if you are the person calling up a meeting, make sure that you are ready with the objectives to achieve by the end of the meeting. 

Ask and give feedback. One of the most important etiquettes of meetings is giving and receiving feedback because, without feedback, your communication process is incomplete. Try to give feedback to other members and appreciate it when others give you. 

Be ready with your agenda. To make a meeting successful, you should prepare a list of everything that you are going to do in the meeting beforehand, like every person with good meeting etiquette will prefer doing before every meeting. 

The dress code should be followed. Other members will not like it if you enter the meeting wearing something very different from the dress code. If there’s a dress code given for a meeting, stick to it and make yourself look like a professional. People will love it. 

Provide necessary documents beforehand. Distributing essential documents that everyone needs for the meeting can be a waste of time if you do it during meeting hours. It is a better idea to provide others with the important documents before the meeting starts. 

Be concise. You cannot throw your bottle of water to the person’s head if they are not able to understand you while you are presenting your thoughts and ideas. In this case, you should try to be more concise so that your idea can get through that person’s head but be gentle. 

End on time. One can make a meeting last for a long time, but it will prove to be a waste of time if you have already finished discussing the things you were supposed to. So, try to end meetings on time so that others can complete their work on time. 

Be present. Managers might often use the technique of letting everyone speak about their opinions turn wise so that everyone stays focused. In order to be a person with good meeting etiquette, you should be present and use this method if you are in charge. 

Stand while introducing yourself. If you are attending a meeting for the first time, then others would like to know about you. If someone introduces you to the rest of the members, then stand up and greet everyone. It will prove to be a very gentle gesture to everyone. 

Confirm the meeting. If you have arranged a meeting and informed everyone beforehand, then also confirming the meeting with everyone a day before will show others that you have a good business meeting etiquette, and everyone will become confident about you.

Do not multitask. You can miss out on a lot of important things if you try to multitask during an important meeting. You should avoid multitasking so that you have given your full attention to the meetings. 

Check-in with everyone. Before you start a meeting, you should check in with your colleagues about their mood and if they are not good, then try to make it good. This will help to make your meeting flow smoothly without any inconvenience. 

Do not move too much. If the meeting is being conducted online, then it must be very hard to keep yourself in one place for a long time. But you must restrict yourself from moving your body too much. Find a comfortable chair on which you can sit for long hours. 

Cancel if there’s a conflict. Canceling a meeting just before it is about to start should have a very important reason because you can be the person wasting the time of others.

So, if you see that there’s a possibility of any conflict rising, cancel the meeting beforehand and make everyone aware of it. 

Set boundaries. While you are attending your meetings from your home, you cannot have the same environment as you had in your office. So, you should find a place where you will not be disturbed by your people at home during your meeting sessions. 

Summarize the meeting. Every one present during the whole meeting must have a clear objective about the discussion you had. To make sure, as the meeting is about to end, try to summarize the whole meeting in a few minutes. 

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