Formal Meetings

The etiquette of formal meetings (departmental meetings, management meetings, board meetings and the like) is often perplexing, even to old hands. Formal meetings operate on the basis of a regular timetable (weekly, monthly, quarterly and so on), are run by an appointed chairman, have precirculated minutes, agendas and reports and have a secretary who looks after their administra­tion. They usually have an established way of conducting their business that sometimes involves resolutions and voting. Follow these guidelines:

1. Prepare for the meeting by reading the last set of minutes, the agenda and any precirculated reports. If you want to raise a topic that is not on the agenda, you can usually do so orally under the heading 'Any other business', but if it involves anything compli­cated or of major principle, you should ask for the item to be added to the agenda and your submission precirculated at least three working days before the meeting.

2. Dress formally (smart business clothes) unless it is clear that this is not expected, and arrive promptly. Ideally, aim to be at the venue at least five minutes early − ten minutes if it's your first meeting. Little irritates a chairman more than having to delay the start of a meeting for a late arrival. Always remember to switch off your mobile phone for the duration of the meeting.

3. Respect the established seating plan. Simply wait until the members are about to be seated and ask where would be the best place for you to sit.

4. Acknowledge welcoming remarks from the chairman (if it's your first meeting) with a simple 'Thank you' and not a five-minute speech!

5. If item is open for discussion (after, for example, the person submitting a report has presented it), wait for more senior members to express their opin­ions before offering your own. Be brief, courteous and relevant and, wherever possible, put forward positive rather than purely critical views.

6. Be respectful of your peers and their views, however violently you may disagree with them. Polite and persuasive argument is much more effective than sarcasm or personal abuse. Don't forget that the way you conduct yourself in meetings is often an impor­tant factor when promotion decisions are made.

7. Make sure that conclusions are drawn on every issue. Although this should be the chairman's job, you may sometimes find that items are left unresolved and it is perfectly proper to ask, for example, whether they are to be carried forward to the next meeting. If the custom is to propose and vote on resolutions, remember that you may propose amendments − but only with the permission of the chairman.

8. You should always remember that what is discussed in many formal meetings is confidential. It can be a serious breach of etiquette to talk too freely about what went on in a meeting and the reputation of being a 'loose tongue', once gained, is very difficult to shake off.

9. Minutes are normally agreed in draft by the chairman before circulation but are not formally adopted until the following meeting. If you think a particular minute is incomplete or inaccurate, it is good practice to alert the chairman to your concern before the meeting at which they are to be consid­ered.

10. If you strongly disagree with what is being done by the group, you may decide to withdraw from a particular meeting or to resign. If you withdraw from a meeting, you should ask that your withdrawal is recorded in the minutes so that anything decided after you have left does not necessarily carry your support. If you decide to resign, you should write personally to the chairman stating this intention. Even after you have left a group, you should regard yourself as being bound by the same ethical principles of loyalty and confiden­tiality as you were when you belonged to it.