Business Etiquettes: The Top 4 Meeting Mistakes to Avoid

Whether you’re in your own conference room, your client’s meeting room or an office space rental, business meeting mistakes are sometimes unavoidable. 4Corners Business Centers aims to help you avoid the following common blunders:

1. Agenda: Unknown

Without sticking to a well-organized agenda, meetings can be boring and unproductive. If you are the manager or supervisor, you need to set team meetings to realign your subordinates with the company’s vision, or keep the top management and your colleagues up to date about the progress of your current project. One way to ensure a productive meeting is to inform all the attendees of the agenda in advance. Making and adhering to the agenda will keep you from rambling on about irrelevant topics in the conference room. After all, meetings are held during company time, and company time is valuable.

2. Buzzword Overkill

Before you use office catchphrases like “synergy” and “ballpark figure,” ask yourself whether these terms add value to the discussion. Sure, they sound catchy, but they hardly mean anything concrete. Using buzzwords left and right might only serve to derail you and distract your colleagues from the topic at hand. The key to a successful conference is simplicity. Keep it concise and go straight to the point; your attendees will thank you.

3. Distracting Behaviors

While idiosyncrasies are relatively harmless outside the meeting rooms, they can have a negative impact during business discussions. Some behaviors, such as absent-mindedly chewing on your pen or chewing loudly, can be seen as unprofessional. Even if you’re not the one spearheading the meeting, these habits are indicative of bad manners and can affect the way your colleagues view you as a professional.

4. Technical Blunders

While technical difficulties spare no one, you can reduce the possibility of encountering them by being prepared. Be in the conference room at least half an hour before the meeting so you can check your file to ensure it isn’t corrupted; you may also send someone to do this for you. If PowerPoint presentations are necessary, make sure you only display the salient points instead of reading everything off of the screen. When showing video clips, always maximize the screen, and remember to move the cursor to the side so the progress bar does not show.

4Corners Business Centers offer meeting room rental services for companies that recognize the importance of connecting with colleagues and clients. You may contact us at (718) 280-5170. We offer fully furnished offices and meeting spaces in Brooklyn, NY.