“This could have been an email” is the thought we all had from time to time when we were “punished” enduring a boring meeting, whether online or in person, just sitting there fidgeting, or just zoning out.
More than half of the meetings are just mundane work obligations that are not conceived as a conversation about finishing the project, but as that boring lesson that you sat through back in school days.
Listening to monologues that go on forever, without any proper information shared, is detrimental to the workflow. That’s why meeting etiquette is important. Let’s see the 10 most common ones that you need to give your attention to.
1. Being Late (Even by a Few Minutes)
Yes, everyone is sometimes late to a meeting, but doing it continuously disregards your coworkers’ time and the business’s money. So if you don’t want to be that person, you should change some things about it. What can you do?
If you struggle with being late to the meeting, there is probably a problem with you setting your schedule properly. What you can do is to plan your calendar schedule in a way that you can be on time for your meeting, and with that be a better employee and a more respectful colleague.
Get reminders an hour before a meeting, and log in early if you have virtual Zoom call meetings and such. If you have a meeting right after the other, try to reschedule them so you have some breathing time in between.
If you are going to be late because of some other urgent matter, try to give people a heads-up that you are going to be late and apologize in advance.
Accountability goes a long way, so emailing or messaging the person in question with a warning shows respect and manages expectations. Punctuality isn’t just about showing up, but rather it’s about signaling reliability.
2. Not Having an Agenda Upfront
Meetings that have no specific plan or theme that needs to be discussed create problems with time management, your colleagues, and you as well. A study from Harvard Business Review showed that 71% of senior managers believe that most of the meetings are unproductive and inefficient.
Fixing it is easy. That “this could have been an email” saying solves all of this. Think about the specific thing you need to discuss and send your plan at least 24 hours before the scheduled meeting.
Clear objectives that need to be covered can be presented before the meeting, and if some of the things can be solved and answered over a simple email, that can shorten or even make the meeting unnecessary.
If the topic really needs a face-to-face or in-person meeting, this simple email will give participants the time needed to get ready with the questions or answers so everything can be done much easier, faster, and efficiently after all.
3. Too Long Discussion (or Not Long Enough)
There is a thin line between being the loudest one in the meeting and being silent.
While being the one dominating the conversation without giving time to others to respond and talk is frustrating, being silent is even worse because it can show that you are uninterested in the discussion.
The natural conclusion to this is that balance is the key. When you have to or want to add something important to a conversation, make sure that you give short and concise feedback or input into the talk.
If you are a naturally shy person and not keen on giving speeches, prepare comments and questions in advance so you can contribute to the meeting without giving the impression that you are an inactive listener.
For loud ones, the solution to the problem is trying active listening strategies where you will incorporate others’ opinions in your presentation of the point you want to contribute.
Read the room. If you have done most of the talking at the meeting, it is probably for the better if you step back and listen before saying the wrong thing.
4. Multitasking During Meetings
One more way you can give the impression that you are not paying attention to the conversation is if you are multitasking during meetings.
This includes checking emails, replying to messages, or browsing during a meeting, which is more obvious than you think, especially in virtual or Zoom settings. Even though you think the meeting is not worthy of your full attention, you should give it your full attention.
Of course, if there is an emergency message or email that you need to solve as soon as possible, it is probably going to be met with empathy from coworkers, but otherwise, let everything else be on pause for a bit.
Research from Stanford shows that multitasking reduces productivity and can lead to burnout if not acknowledged in time. Staying fully present not only improves your contribution but also shows respect for your colleagues’ time and effort.
If you are multitasking because your thoughts seem to run away from time to time, make notes during a meeting so you can have the most essential key points after, and this will demonstrate your interest to your higher-ups.
5. Poor Video and Audio Setup in Online Meetings
Poor video, muffled microphones, and background noise or visual interruptions can derail a meeting fast. This is particularly problematic if you are working in a remote and hybrid work environment.
If you want to be seen as a professional, you should invest in a decent webcam and microphone. Of course, this also includes changing your location if you are sitting in a chaotic environment around you.
Credibility is the main keyword here. Your points and discussion points are going to be taken more seriously if you are seen and heard clearly. It seems like a small, unimportant thing, but small things can change the view drastically.
This is especially true when you are talking to a new client. The client wants to see that the company uses the best tech and that it shows professionalism even in seemingly small aspects, such as presentation in the first meetings.
6. Forgetting to Mute (or Unmute)
While we are on the topic of Zoom meetings, how many times have you said and heard “We can’t hear you, you’re on mute!” or your voice stays on so the background makes a noise for the whole meeting to suffer through?
The solution is simple: write a Post-it note above your camera to mute yourself when not speaking!
If you’re leading a meeting, set ground rules for mute/unmute protocol. Encourage participants to use the “raise hand” feature if they have something to add. This keeps the flow organized and respectful.
Mute reminders at the start of virtual meetings can also help. For group discussions, assign a moderator to manage who speaks and when, ensuring everyone gets a chance to contribute without talking over each other.
7. Not Following Up After the Meeting
The meeting will be useless if no actions have actually been taken afterward. A productive meeting needs to finish with everybody knowing what the next steps are that each of them needs to take.
You can fix this by summarizing everything that has been discussed and assigning responsibilities in a follow-up email. A simple list that everyone can see will help the job be more effective.
In the follow-up email, there should be bullet points, bolded deadlines, and clear tasks that will turn ideas into execution.
8. Disregarding Time Zones
If a company is global and the team is scattered across the globe, meetings must be scheduled at a time that will fit everyone. If any of the colleagues have to attend the meeting very early or very late in the day, their productivity and satisfaction will plummet.
This can be done by using apps such as Google Calendar’s time zone feature. Set meeting times when it is possible for everyone in the international team to participate fairly.
Being timezone-aware shows cultural sensitivity and inclusivity. If someone in the team cannot attend the meeting because of the time that suits everybody else, consider recording the meeting and providing written summaries.
This helps maintain engagement and ensures no one feels left out of the plan.
9. Not Introducing New Colleagues at Meetings
New individuals who come into the meeting for a particular project should be properly introduced to other colleagues. Individuals who enter new environments might be shy and reserved and do not like to trouble other individuals to introduce themselves.
Begin by introducing all those who are new to the meeting. Invite the call/meeting participants to introduce themselves by giving their names, their role or position, and why they are on the project.
Introductions have the function of relaxing tension that is too rigid in the conversation, particularly in online meetings where people cannot be properly seen and spoken to without everyone else overhearing.
Introductions encourage inclusiveness and participation, even more so where the participants are from different company departments. This should create the perception that everyone is being included in the conversation.
10. Inviting Those Who Are Not Needed in the Meeting
On the other end of the spectrum, having people who simply have nothing to add to the specific matter at hand makes the meetings pointless and suck the productivity from the project members who participate as well as the people who are not actively participating.
Invite only the people who are critical to the agenda of the said discussion to the meeting. If there is anyone who should be briefed but not actively participating, send him or her a summary instead.
Create a meeting structure that incorporates the co-workers associated directly with the project section that needs to be dealt with.
Reducing the number of participants ensures people’s time is respected and leads to more effective, focused meetings. With fewer voices, consensus is simpler to achieve and maintain the focus.
Why Meeting Etiquette Matters?
After all of the tips we mentioned, it is clear that meeting etiquette can transform office productivity and credibility to a new level.
Respecting everyone’s time and effort should be one of the key points where a business builds its pedigree.
Appreciative workers will bring optimistic energy to projects and therefore help your company be more effective. An inclusive space creates a feeling of community that will not tear apart easily.
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