MEETING ETIQUETTE
Make Every Meeting Matter
At ANDERSON, meetings are more than just calendar events—they’re opportunities to communicate and collaborate with both your peers and clients to work towards a common goal. Whether you’re leading a meeting or simply attending, it’s essential to be prepared, engaged, and respectful. This guide serves as both a tool and a checklist to help you come fully prepared and practice strong meeting etiquette.
Before the Meeting: Get Set
Before the meeting begins, set yourself up for success by creating a clear, concise agenda. This helps everyone understand what to expect and ensures nothing essential gets overlooked. Take time to connect with internal teams or vendors to gather any updates that need to be shared or discussed.
Think ahead about what you need from the client and what they’ll expect from you. Review the previous meeting’s agenda: Are any topics still in progress? Then, clarify the flow and goals for this session. Who’s covering what?
Finally, have any documents or presentations open and ready to go before the call starts—nobody wants to sit through that awkward few minutes of dead air while you search for a file.
Being overly prepared will help you feel confident and ready.
During the Meeting: Stay Sharp
Once the meeting begins, your focus should be solely on the meeting room, whether that’s physical or virtual. Staying attentive helps you contribute meaningfully and shows respect to everyone involved. If the conversation starts to veer off course, do your best to gently steer it back on topic to keep things productive and on time.
If you’re meeting in person, don’t forget the basics: bring business cards—especially if you’re meeting someone new—and always have a notebook and pen on hand. Taking notes by hand rather than on your phone or computer can help minimize distractions and demonstrate that you’re actively engaged (unless, of course, you’re responsible for updating the agenda in real-time).
For virtual meetings, aim to log in about five minutes early in case technical issues pop up. Make sure your camera is on so you can stay visually connected, and keep yourself muted when you’re not speaking to minimize background noise. Avoid working on side projects or checking emails so you can stay engaged in the conversation.
And my personal favorite: Always be mindful and over-cautious when sharing your screen. Close unrelated tabs and silence notifications to avoid accidental distractions.
After the Meeting: Follow Through
Once the meeting is over, it’s essential to regroup with your team, combine everyone’s notes, and agree on key takeaways and next steps. This helps ensure that nothing important slips through the cracks.
Next comes the follow-up email, and as my clients like to call it, their “to-do” list. Be sure to include any attachments they requested, outline any action items, and list the next steps. It’s a simple touch that reinforces professionalism and keeps everyone on the same page. Don’t forget to log action items in your team’s project management system (or your preferred method of communication) and assign them accordingly, so the momentum continues.
Final Tips: Level Up Your Meetings
Stay curious and observant in every meeting. Even if you’re not leading the discussion, there’s always something to learn.
If you’re asked something you don’t know the answer to, no stress! It’s perfectly fine to say you’ll follow up with the correct information. Just make sure you do.
Meetings are the best way to collaborate, build trust with clients, and move projects forward. By showing up prepared, staying engaged, and following through, you’ll stand out for all the right reasons!