Whether you are happily ensconced in the C-suite or you are an account executive fresh out of school and plopped into your first job, you will sooner or later find yourself in
a meeting. The meeting could change the face of the world or it may amount to a great deal of nothing, but the subject of this column is not about the meeting itself - it is
about how you perform at the meeting. Or to be more precise, how you should not perform.
Here are some quick tips to make sure you shine at your upcoming meetings:
1. Show up on time, or at least a little early. If you want to scream "amateur" with an eardrum-piercing decibel range, trying showing up while a scheduled meeting is
in process. And excuses like "You know what traffic is like" are lame - if you know what traffic is like, why didn't you leave earlier? If you are detained,
however, for emergency reasons or other pressing matters, have the good manners to call and explain the situation, and state how far you are running behind. And speaking of
calls...
2. Turn off the cell phone. Nothing is ruder than ignoring the proceedings of a meeting in order to field a call on your cell phone. Cell phones come with voicemail,
so check for messages after the meeting is over.
3. Do not bring your own food or drink into a meeting. The message spelled out from this is irritating: You are too lazy to have a meal or snack on your own time, so
you are going to carry it over into the meeting. Even worse is opening a food wrapper while someone is talking. As many a teacher harrumphed in school when kids tried to sneak
open a candy in class: Unless you have enough to share with everyone, put it away.
4. Dress the part. Ask in advance if the meeting is a business formal or business casual. Whether it is worse to be overdressed or underdressed is open to debate, but
either way it is too easy to stick out if your clothing doesn't fit the mood. Likewise, make an effort to look professional in your grooming. We're not trying to be catty, but
PR is all about image and message and you are poorly promoting yourself if your appearance is slovenly.
5. Say something. There is no sin in being on the quiet side, but some people mistake being quiet with being passive. Try to get your voice heard at least once in the
course of conversation - be a participant rather than an observer. Don't be shy about asking questions, since you won't learn unless you ask for information or advice. And take
notes...but don't fall into the too-obvious trap of doodling if the meeting gets dull.