When it comes to organizing a business meeting, it is necessary to know what good business etiquette is. Proper etiquette is something that will help you establish cordial relationships between you and your colleagues.
As we know, there can be two types of meetings; formal and informal. Business meetings tend to be more formal, so you need to organize them in your office or in another official environment.
Normally, the person who has gathered the meeting is responsible for the proper etiquette. It is up to this person to inform the invitees about the requirements of the meeting, for example about the dress code and the rest.
The general organizational side of the business meeting is deciding on its venue, time and the agenda. It is included in good business etiquette to make it clear for the participants what is the main goal you want to achieve by that meeting. It is also advisable to send them the list of questions being discussed via e-mail.
Proper etiquette doesn’t simply mean inviting principals and bosses, it rather means choosing those people who are important decision-makers and problem-solvers for their companies; these people are usually lower in position. However, do not go to extremes when inviting the experts, as you may end up with a crowded meeting hall.
Do not speak too long during your speech. However important your speech is, people will not be able to listen to it after the first 40 minutes. So, it is proper etiquette not to bore people with long speeches, overgeneralizations, too many examples and numbers. If asked questions, speak briefly and to the point, never jump from one idea to the other. It is also good business etiquette to ask one of your colleagues to document the results of the meeting to send them to the participants later on.
Let’s not forget about the punctuality, as it is an indispensable part of good business etiquette. Enter the business meeting hall earlier than anybody else, to get prepared with the equipment; Power Point presentation, microphones, screens and so on.
Ant in the end, proper etiquette requires thanking everybody present in the meeting with cordial words.