Meet Etiquette

Even if you dread them, meetings put you in front of coworkers and bosses who you may not work with on a regular basis. That means how you conduct yourself in them may leave a lasting impression. Is it acceptable to eat during a meeting, or check your phone? Should you be the person asking questions at the end? If broken, the unwritten rules of meeting professionalism may damage your reputation. 1. Be on time. Make sure you come on time and prepare for the meeting ahead of time, says Pachter. You don’t want to waste anyone else’s time by not being punctual. “Leaders need to start on time so people can depend on that,” she tells us. 2. Make introductions. If everyone doesn’t know one another in the meeting room, you need to make introductions. You should do this by starting with the person of the highest rank first, says Pachter. For example, “Ms. Greater Importance, I would like you to meet Mr. Lesser Importance.” 3. Have a strong agenda. This is part of bei