That said, some of the good-old-fashioned face-to-face meeting etiquette guidelines didn't seem to make the cut when we all went virtual. For example:
- Be realistic: Only agree to attend a meeting if you are genuinely interested and intend to take action. The same goes for you sales folks out there: don't push people to take a meeting out of the kindness of their heart if you know it's a lost cause. Everyone hates rejection, but at the end of the day, saying "no" upfront can save both organizations a lot of time.
- Use your calendar: There is a reason that your computer, smart phone, and even your wall come with a calendar. Calendars are amazingly proficient at telling you when you can or cannot meet, and reminding you of a meeting that you may have forgotten. Here are some specifics:
- Check your availability: Don't accept a meeting if it conflicts with something else. This includes accepting meetings that are adjacent to other meetings that you think might run late. I make a point of not accepting meetings when I am on vacation, for example.
- Set a reminder: Make use of Outlook's reminder feature or a reminder on your smartphone. Generally speaking, you have to turn reminders off, but that didn't stop a former co-worker of mine. He never set reminders for any meeting because he found them "annoying". Guess how many meetings he missed on a weekly basis.
- Use time zones: It's a big world out there. Here on Earth, we have 24 time zones, some of which are more densely-populated than others! When you suggest a meeting time, it's courteous to specify the time zone. Otherwise, your colleagues end up guessing which time zone you are in, and a lot of people guess incorrectly.
- Come prepared: This may sound high-school trite, but a lot of people will agree to a meeting two weeks out and do absolutely nothing to prepare for it during that time. For example:
- Complete tasks/readings: If you've promised to complete a task, discuss something, or review a document prior to the meeting, be sure that you do. If you don't, you're wasting everyone's time, and it's better to cancel the meeting than do show up and talk about nothing.
- Test your computer: Many web meetings require installation or other configuration prior to the meeting. Take 30 seconds before the meeting to make sure you can log into the web conferencing system. If you hit a snag, you'll have time to fix it instead of wasting everyone's time while you install.
- Arrive on-time (or early): Showing up on time is courteous. Showing up early (even 1-2 minutes) is better because it allows you to prepare, and to deal with any pre-meeting issues, like a web conferencing system that doesn't work (see above). Arriving late is rude, especially if you don't let the other party know. If you have another meeting that is running over and you'll be 5 minutes late, send a quick e-mail to let your other participants know. If you'll be more than 10 minutes late, reschedule for another time. With everyone glued to their smartphone, there is no excuse anymore for being late to a meeting and not letting the other people know.
- Cancel early: If you must cancel a meeting, do so as early as possible. Cancelling 5 minutes before (or 5 minutes after) doesn't cut it. Chances are, the person on the other end has spent time preparing to meet with you, and if you're not going to show up, that time has been wasted. If you're out sick, traveling, or on vacation, you can cancel all of your meetings the first thing in the morning and save everyone a lot of time trying to track you down. Always give a reason for cancellation--don't just decline an Outlook invitation. This is equivalent to slamming the door in someone's face.
- Offer to reschedule: If you have to cancel a meeting, or you miss a meeting, you should reach out to the meeting organizer and offer to reschedule. Give a few times that you're available over the next few days. This makes it easier to reconnect later.
If you're a repeat offender, feel free to print this out and post it next to your computer :)
