108
Business Etiquette
mistakes, and are thus worth the time and effort necessary
to plan and participate in them. Whether you fall into one
of these two camps automatically
or are ambivalent about
formal workplace gatherings, you’ll want to know how to
get the most out of the time you spend in meetings—and
how to keep little problems from escalating into big ones
with co-workers and superiors.
Once you follow the advice here on developing prompt-
ness, improving communication, and handling challenges,
you’ll be ready to take advantage of what you learned dur-
ing the gatherings and put it to practical use.
Tip #66
Tip #66
Tip #66
Tip #66
Tip #66
Never ar
Never ar
Never ar
Never ar
Never
arrive
rive
rive
rive
rive
too
too
too
too
too early for a meeting.
early for a meeting.
early for a meeting.
early for a meeting.
early for a meeting.
Many people don’t consider that arriving in someone’s
office more than five to 10 minutes before a meeting’s sched-
uled time is a breach of privacy. Most of us are susceptible
to tight schedules and to the “wrap-up-as-much-as-possible-
before-the-pow wow” syndrome that accompanies full days.
Early arrival can definitely be an etiquette no-no. How
would you feel if someone were sitting across from your
desk, staring at you while you tried to make the most of the
scant time remaining for some daunting task on your lengthy
to-do list?
Although arriving early at an in-house meeting is usu-
ally considered positive,
remember that in this case, “early”
means no more than, say, three to five minutes before the
scheduled start time. Even while following that guideline,
you may well run into a situation where a colleague or su-
perior would prefer that you take a trip to the water cooler
while he or she uses those precious minutes to attend to
some last-minute detail or other. Don’t make the person
ask you to leave. Be considerate.
Discreetly step out until
the exact meeting time arrives.
109
Meetings
Making a habit of showing up early—and first—to ev-
ery meeting can have a potential negative impact on your
career: Your colleagues and/or supervisor may conclude
that you have too much time on your hands. Bring your
PDA along and get some work done while you wait!
Punctuality and promptness are certainly values to be
honored, however, avoid letting your commitment to them
blind you to the unintentional messages you may be send-
ing by arriving too early, too often.
Tip #67
Tip #67
Tip #67
Tip #67
Tip #67
Know what to do when you’r
Know what to do when you’r
Know what to do when you’r
Know what to do when you’r
Know what to do when you’re going to be late.
e going to be late.
e going to be late.
e going to be late.
e going to be late.
When being late
to a meeting is unavoidable, it is im-
portant to cover yourself and demonstrate courtesy and
consideration towards others. Say, for instance, that you
are on your way to a meeting and have hit a traffic jam that
clearly will delay you by anywhere from five to 20 minutes.
If you have a mobile phone, you can and should call ahead
to convey the problem and to allow the person(s)
waiting
for you to decide whether they should continue to wait or
to cancel the meeting. If you don’t have a cell phone, look
for the earliest opportunity to stop at a pay phone. If call-
ing is simply impossible, then an apology and explanation
upon your arrival will have to do.
Tip #68
Tip #68
Tip #68
Tip #68
Tip #68
Apologize when you miss a meeting.
Apologize when you miss a meeting.
Apologize when you miss a meeting.
Apologize when you miss a meeting.
Apologize when you miss a meeting.
You are hard at work at your desk, when the telephone
rings. It’s
your client, Mr. Big, and he has been waiting at
the restaurant for the last 20 minutes—where are you? You
check your calendar and gasp in horror. Your lunch meet-
ing with Mr. Big is clearly noted, but you overlooked it! As
you fumble for an excuse, you look at the clock and note
110
Business Etiquette
that the restaurant is 30 minutes away from your office. Mr.
Big (understandably) chooses not to wait further and can-
cels the meeting.
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