Many people struggle with attending meetings at their business. You may feel that you are not needed or that your opinion doesn’t matter. Yet, you need to arrive with purpose. Here are seven tips on how to be smart when attending a business meeting.
1. Do Not Multitask, Stay Focused On The Meeting
It is so easy to get distracted and start thinking about other aspects of your day. Then you begin to try and listen to the meeting and focus on other things. It could be your next meeting, a phone call you need to make, a report you need to do, or a task unrelated to work.
It is important to stay focused in meetings. Try and put your entire focus on the person directing the meeting and block everything else out. That way, you can contribute fully and know what is going on.
2. Bring Pen And Paper For Note Taking
Note-taking is important and can help you remember the little details you may need later. However, it can be hard to retain a lot of information all at one time. So do yourself a favor and take notes. You can take them by:
- Writing Them
- Typing Them
- Recording Them
3. Keep The Goal Of The Meeting In Mind
Everyone knows that when you are in a meeting, things can get off track. You have to complete many tasks in your workday and don’t want to spend longer than needed in the meeting. Intelligent individuals will politely direct the meeting back to the goal at hand.
4. Always Keep Eye Contact
Eye contact shows the person in charge of the meeting that you care about what is being discussed. It will also portray that you are serious about your job and what is discussed in the meeting. You can vibe off of what someone is feeling and thinking when you keep eye contact.
5. Only Use Phone For Informational Needs
It is so easy to get distracted by your phones in a meeting. You pick it up to check the time or a message that came in, and the next thing you know, you’ve been looking at it for 15 minutes. Try not to touch your phone during a meeting unless necessary to check for information.
6. Stay Courteous When Exiting and Be Where Your Needed
As an employee of a business, you may play several different roles. That means you may make your way from meeting to meeting. This can result in some meetings overlapping. Stay for the meeting as long as you can, and politely excuse yourself when needed. Before you leave, give any information you feel is necessary, then slip out.