It used to be that if you said you were going to attend a meeting, that meant you were physically going to go somewhere and meet with another party. However, with all of the new technology out there, the traditional way of holding a meeting has drastically changed. One technology that is gaining more popularity in the meeting world is video conferencing, as the advances in secure networking have made this a more feasible solution. It has a lot of advantages, but people are still hesitant to use it because they’d still prefer to meet in person. This brings up the question: Is video conferencing as effective as meeting in person? The answer to this depends on a number of factors, including the following two major ones which I’m going to discuss: The type of meeting you’re planning and your target audience.

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How many times a day do you hear something to this effect: “We need to meet to discuss this.” I would venture to say that it is quite a bit. However, what follows is an email chain like the following:

“Ok, what time is good for you?”
“Hmm, whenever, I’m pretty open.”
“Me too, do you have a time that you prefer?”
“Not really, whatever works for you.”
“Ok, how about 3:00?”

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It seems like everyone and their brother has a BlackBerry today. I think this might be one of the most annoying inventions in the last 50 years. Why? Simply this: Every time that I’m at a meeting with someone who has one, they inevitably start checking their email with it. This is extremely rude, and I have no idea how people see this to be acceptable. Hence this tip: When at a meeting, treat your BlackBerry just like it was your cell phone. You wouldn’t start talking on your cell phone in the middle of a meeting would you? By the same token, don’t check your email either, it’s just as rude and unacceptable.

The last thing you want to have when you are shaking someone’s hand is sweaty palms. Unfortunately, you don’t always have time to clean up this problem in the restroom before you have to shake someone’s hand. What’s the solution? I’ve seen people use their pants, but this doesn’t usually work that well and it also is rather obvious. I recommend keeping a paper towel in your pocket. That way, right before you shake someone’s hand, you can quickly reach into your pocket and dry off your hand. People reach into their pockets all the time, so this looks entirely natural. Just remember to change this paper towel every once and awhile, especially if you’re the sweaty type.

The business card is one of those classic business tools that have managed to endure through all of the changes that have occurred in today’s workplace. It remains one of the most important ways to get your name and your companies name out there, and is considered standard for many jobs today, even entry level ones. This is why you should always carry a few business cards with you wherever you go. I suggest getting a small, plastic business card holder to keep them nice, rather than stuffing them in your wallet. This way, when you meet a new client or even someone else in your company, you can give them a crisp business card right on the spot. This is a very professional move and will help to put you in position to be the “go-to” person, which is great for your career.

One new article for you and a new Tip of the Day, see below:

• See Using the Document Map View for a huge timesaver when it comes to navigating large Microsoft Word documents.
• The new Tip of the Day, Cell Phone Surprise, has some good advice on what to do with your cell phone during meetings.

Most, if not all, business professionals today carry around some type of cell phone. It is almost essential in the workplace today in order for people to contact you on the fly. However, there is nothing more embarrassing than going into a meeting and having your custom ring from “The Police” start playing while the meeting is going on. Save yourself the embarrassment: make sure to put your cell phone on vibrate before you enter the meeting, or leave it at your desk entirely.

Three new articles today (one involving hair, hence the title), check it out:

• Check out the first part in our Tales of the Metro series for a “hair-raising” experience (I slay myself).
• Want to embed a Microsoft Word document in a Microsoft Access table?  See the new article on How to Embed a Document in Microsoft Access.
• The next part of our “Surviving a Meeting” series is here! Take a look at Surviving a Formal Meeting - Part II for tips on how to act once your in the meeting.

As always, feel free to comment on these articles or send us feedback via the Contact Us page.  We want to hear from you!

Ok, now that everything seems to be in order for the meeting, we will explore tips on how to actually act while attending the meeting. Let’s get started.

• Seat Selection - Generally, it is not a huge deal which seat you take at your meeting.  There are a few guidelines however.  For example, you should try not to take a seat where you think the conductor of the meeting will be seating (such as next to the projector where they will be running their presentation from).  Also, if you are meeting with clients, try to sit with your peers.  This facilitates note taking as well as helps whoever is conducting the meeting to direct different parts of their presentation to specific members of the audience.  However, this is not a hard and fast rule and is highly dependent on your situation, so it’s your judgment call.

• Posture - This sounds like a no-brainer, but most people really don’t pay attention to it.  Just like your Mom told you when you were a kid, sit up straight and don’t slouch in your seat.  Don’t put your feet up on another seat, and for god’s sake don’t fall asleep or doze off (I’ve seen this on a number of occasions).  If you think you are going to have trouble staying awake during the meeting, bring a soda or coffee with you.  Drinks are generally acceptable fare at most meetings.  You want to showcase that you are actively involved in the meeting and paying attention to what is going on.

• Making Comments/Asking Questions - This is a highly situational tip.  There are some meetings where you are just there to take notes or be a fly on the wall.  In this case, talking is usually not encouraged.  However, most of the time if you have a question or a comment to make, there are some guidelines you should follow.  For example, make sure that you know what you’re talking about before you comment on something.  Don’t throw out some “buzzword” just to make yourself look good, as most people will see through this.  When asking questions, have the question formulated before you ask it, don’t ramble.  Rambling questions waste everyone’s time.  Also, don’t just talk for the sake of talking.  This will do you no good and just annoy people who want to get things accomplished at the meeting.  Finally, make sure you are “business appropriate” at the meeting.  Don’t think you can throw out an offensive joke just because a client does, it doesn’t work that way.  Even at an internal meeting, think before you speak.

• Paper Rustling/Noise - Try to limit the amount of extraneous noise you make.  For example, don’t rustle your papers loudly, especially near the speaker phone if you are using one.  This just distracts everybody at the meeting and makes you standout for all the wrong reasons.  Another big one is loud gum chewing (you probably shouldn’t be chewing gum anyway), as well as finger or pen/pencil tapping.  You don’t have to be totally silent, just try not to be noticeably obnoxious (read: squeaky chair).

• Take Notes - Remember that pad and pencil/pen you brought? Use it, it’s not for show.  Even if it’s just to put the meeting title and date on the pad, do it.  This shows active interest in the meeting and makes the audience think that you value the goals of the meeting.  Also, these notes could be valuable if the resulting meeting notes are not up to par.  Good meeting notes can help out tremendously when dealing with follow up meeting action items.
• Eating - As stated earlier, taking a drink to a meeting is usually acceptable.  However, you should try and stay away from taking food to a meeting.  This can be distracting to the rest of the meeting attendees and is not appropriate for most formal meetings.  Once again, this is situational, so use your best judgment.

Those are pretty much the big points that I think about when attending a meeting.  Look for a future article on how to facilitate a meeting.

If you missed Part I of this series, see it here: Surviving a Formal Meeting - Part I.

The promised updates:

• Check out my new article in a multiple part series on how to prepare for and survive attending a “Formal” business meeting under the Office Life section.
• Today’s Tip of the Day concerns my most hated grocery store chain, Safeway.  Be sure to read it, it may just save your life (ok, maybe not, but it could save you from an upset stomach or a bad rash…I’m just saying).