Meetings are not just a show for you to show up and sit in. They are events for you to be present, engaged, and even promote your branding for career success.
To achieve such success, let’s look the ways from Forbes so we can present ourselves professionally to leave a good impression and influence potential new beginnings.
Showing up late and unprepared
It is always better to arrive early than late. And in the case of meetings, showing up late or after the boss has arrived is improper office etiquette.
If you were informed of the meeting late or had gotten lost to the external location, it is best to quickly notify the organizer of the situation and mete out an apology when you arrive.
Before showing up, make sure that the essential documents needed for the meeting are with you to avoid any disruptions.
And also, showing up empty-handed or even a laptop or notebook to take notes can be a sign of lack of interest.
Displaying Unprofessional behaviour
Slouching, yawning, playing games on your phone, snacking loudly, or simply closing your eyes, or avoiding eye contact – these are some signs of possible disrespect to the presenter who has prepared the presentation.
To avoid catching glares, try and stay engaged, make eye contact, and take notes. By doing so, it can help you stay attentive to the topic and allow you to raise questions for further discussion.
If the presentation is not of your interest, you can quietly exit the room to get some fresh air and get recharged.
Hogging the presentation
During a meeting, rooms are booked for a specific period and participants have commitments to other events.
To prevent delaying the meeting, you may wish to avoid endless questions with many follow-ups, or worse, start rambling and sharing stories on other topics.
Contributing to a meeting is welcomed, but participants have to know how to communicate their ideas and questions succinctly. Before taking the mic, prepare your thoughts and write out your questions to avoid stalling the meeting.
Repeating ideas
By paying attention to the meeting, we can avoid relaying similar ideas or questions to the presenter. Also, by reiterating other people’s thoughts, it can seem like we may be overlooking their contributions.
To expand on an already spoken idea, you can give credit to the first speaker and add on your thoughts and questions, showing that you are recognition to the person.
