Basic business meetings

Ross Woods, Aug. 09, rev. Apr 13

One of the biggest single factors in business meetings is the use of time. So most of these guidelines are about how to use time.

Setting it up

Make an appointment beforehand if possible. Mention a particular purpose and perhaps propose an agenda. People need to know what the meeting is about, unless it's too confidential to discuss. Clarify who needs to be in the meeting and try to indicate how long the meeting will take.

Find the right place for the meeting. Sometimes an office is ideal, and sometimes a coffee shop is better. If your business is confidential, make sure you can't easily be overheard.

If you've planned the meeting a long way ahead, email to confirm the time, just to check they can still do it.

Getting there and starting

Be correctly dressed. Some offices are fairly casual, and some expect a jacket and tie, or female equivalent. Plan to be there ten minutes before the scheduled start. Phone ahead if you're delayed.

Start with introductions if you don't know the person. It's good practice to have at least a business card and preferably also a brochure of your organization. Put the person at ease and manage the tone. How business-like do you need to be? How much personal chat can you include? These will vary greatly depending on the situation.

The meeting

Respect their time. They might have very little available:

• Stick to the agenda. You might need to chase up unexpected aspects that you hadn't foreseen, but don't digress into time-wasting chat.
• Keep the meeting moving. However, you need to take more time if you don't know the person but need to feel you can trust them; give the preliminaries a little more time so you can both know each other a little better. And if you are handling sensitive or detailed issues that need careful attention, you may need to take more time.

Do what you can to prevent interruptions. In particular, don't take phone calls unless you really can't avoid it. If you do, apologize. (Taking a phone in a meeting call gives the other person the message that anybody else is more important.) It's good manners to have your mobile phone switched off, and don't take desk phone calls. You might need to allow emergencies, but even then, most "emergencies" can wait and sort themselves out.

When you discuss matters, seek agreement and identify clearly the decision to be made now, even if it isn't the final step. It's a matter of "Don't discuss and defer. Decide and do." In many cases, one or both sides may need to talk to other people for a final decision to be made, but at least give them something to work with.

Keep notes. You don't achieve much if you have a good meeting but then forget what was decided. You might not be able to take full notes during the meeting itself, so fill in the detail afterwards.

Closing

Try not to go overtime. They might have a scheduled appointment straight afterwards, or be under pressure to meet a deadline.

It can be good to email the person afterwards, thanking them for the meeting. It is highly recommended that you enclose a copy of your notes, for two reasons:

• They serve as a reminder of what was decided. People forget.
• They serve as a record of what was decided. People tend to remember their own biased version, and you can prevent disappointment and frustration by having an accurate record of exactly what was decided. You can avoid the discussions that go "But I thought you meant ...", "As I remember it ...", or But you promised ..."

 

P.S. Planning a meeting

(An adaptation of my notes from WestPac)

1. Who will be there?
2. Why are you holding it?
• Did a particular need or problem bring about the meeting?
3. What agenda items?
4. How will you do it?
   • What is the time frame?
   • What are the ground rules?
   • What preparation do you need to do first?
5. What measurable results can you expect?
6. How will the result address the KPI's in your job description?