Etiquette and the Business Meeting

Overview/Description
 "Sleep not when others speak, sit not when others stand, speak not when you should hold your peace, walk not on when others stop." Was George Washington referring to the etiquette required at the business meeting? Indeed, such meetings have their own set of rules. Did you know that it's acceptable to use the telephone to invite people to a small, informal meeting but that written invitations are considered proper for all formal meetings? Did you realize that at a business lunch, small talk should be reserved for the period before the food has been ordered? Such is the nature of etiquette at the business meeting. In this course, you'll learn the proper conduct to display during both formal and informal meetings, negotiations, and entertainments.

Target Audience
 Human resources, training organizations, and employees

Expected Duration
2.5 hours

Lesson Objectives:

Business Meeting Basics

  • recognize the value of understanding the relationship between proper etiquette and the business meeting.
  • identify reasons people dislike meetings.
  • identify appropriate reasons for having a meeting.
  • identify tasks required for the three key roles played at a business meeting.
  • identify ways of properly demonstrating interest at a business meeting.

    • Preparing for a Meeting

  • recognize the value of planning for a meeting according to the principles of proper etiquette.
  • analyze whether someone has effectively prepared for a business meeting using the principles of proper etiquette.
  • assess whether the appropriate steps have been taken in preparing an agenda in a given business scenario according to the principles of proper etiquette.

    • Running a Meeting

  • recognize the value of applying proper etiquette when running a business meeting.
  • evaluate a given meeting scenario to determine if a meeting leader is successfully facilitating participation.
  • evaluate a given meeting scenario to determine if the meeting stayed on track.
  • employ proper etiquette to handle a difficult person in a given business meeting scenario.

    • Course Number: COMM0183