Have you ever attended a meeting where most attendees are completely zoned out? 

Or a meeting where someone showed up late? And you were then forced to repeat everything. 

And let’s not forget the colleague who eats loud snacks right into their unmuted microphone.

These are only a few cases of poor board meeting etiquette. 

In this article, you’d learn 21 dos and don’ts of meeting etiquette. 

If properly implemented, you can turn your board meetings from mere discussions to productive conversations.

Let’s dive in!

Board meeting etiquette dos 

Board meeting etiquette is essential for workplaces that help discussions run smoothly. You can leave a lasting impression by adhering to the dos of board meeting etiquette. 

It’s how you differentiate yourself from the competition by shattering people’s expectations with your expertise and preparedness. 

Below are the 10 important etiquette rules you should follow in your next board meeting to stand out from others.

1. Do – Set and share an agenda

Your meeting agenda should be clear. 

Every participant should understand the purpose of the meeting. 

Write down what you want to address during the meeting. Always remember to share the agenda with the participants before the meeting.

2. Do – Be punctual 

This is the most crucial board meeting etiquette. 

If even one member of the meeting is late or doesn’t show up on time, then the meeting is not productive. The participants won’t be able to achieve the meeting’s agenda. 

If you are the host, ensure that everyone is aware of the meeting timings way ahead. 

Read Also: Video Conferencing Apps for Remote Work

3. Do – Think about who needs to be in the meeting

The ground rule of every meeting is to value everyone’s time. Invite those whose presence in the meeting is crucial. 

Only share the meeting minutes with the remaining people. This way, you don’t waste their time by asking them to attend the meeting.

4. Do – Use scheduling software 

Ever sent more than five emails trying to schedule a meeting? 

Email tag is ineffective and time-consuming. A better course of action is to use scheduling software. This provides a better user experience for the scheduler and recipient.

To save time, you can conduct virtual meetings using easy-to-use conferencing solutions. Grptalk and Telebu are two of the best ones in the market. 

Grptalk is an audio conferencing app. It eliminates the need for the internet and hardware to conduct large-scale audio conferences. With grptalk, you can connect with over 50,000 participants on a single call.

TelebuJoin is a video conferencing solution. You can set up a virtual meeting on TelebuJoin in three simple steps. TelebuJoin makes collaboration smooth and easy, courtesy of its screen-sharing and group chat features. 

And there’s more.

Grptalk and TelebuJoin help businesses treat their meetings and calls with a high degree of professionalism. Thus allowing you and your teams to get the most out of the virtual sessions.  

5. Do – Follow the agenda  

The most essential part of any board meeting is strictly adhering to the agenda. 

Stick to the agenda because it shows respect for the time and effort invested into arranging the meeting. This way the meeting also remains productive and on track. 

6. Do – Add a time buffer before and after your meeting

Showing up late for meetings leaves an unpleasant impression. 

Are you frequently in back-to-back meetings? A quick solution is to establish a time cushion of 15 minutes before and after each meeting.

7. Do – Dress appropriately

You wouldn’t appear for a face-to-face meeting wearing pajamas and bedhead, right? 

Working from home may not have a formal dress code, but you should still appear professional. Or at the very least, look professional from the waist up for your virtual meetings. 

Wear a decent shirt paired with comfortable sweatpants. And most importantly, do your hair.

8. Do – Circulate routine reports 

Send out any e-reports as attachments to all the members ahead of the meeting so they can review them. 

Why is that important, you ask?

This way the participants get to come prepared for the meeting. This expedites the decision-making process and approvals during the meeting too.

9. Do – Divide responsibilities 

Share and divide responsibilities in the meetings. As it instills a sense of belonging in each member of your team. 

An excellent method to keep everyone in their respective lanes is to set clearly defined roles and responsibilities. 

10. Do – Read post-meeting papers

The etiquette for board meetings go beyond the actual meeting. 

Here’s how. 

When you arrange a meeting, you are accountable for summarising the proceedings after the meeting ends. Post-meeting, the organiser and attendees must read the resolutions and outline the future tasks decided in the meeting. 

This enables you to identify and highlight any corrections that you need to make to the action items. Make the appropriate changes by examining these while reviewing the post-meeting papers. 

Board meeting etiquette don’ts

You now know what you can and must do in board meetings. Following the dos of meeting etiquette ensures that you achieve the purpose of the meeting. 

But what about the things you should avoid doing at all costs in board meetings? 

Before you schedule your next board meeting, here are the don’ts of meeting etiquette that you should keep in mind.

1. Don’t – Make your agenda unrealistic

Do you keep too much on the agenda to discuss in the meetings? 

Either you won’t discuss anything at all, or the meeting will drag on uncomfortably. 

Always remember to keep the agenda short and realistic. Don’t forget that your board members volunteer their time for the meetings. They don’t want to spend the entire afternoon in a meeting. 

2. Don’t – Be late 

This one is again the most important board meeting etiquette. 

Being on time shows professionalism. Joining a meeting late annoys the attendees and breaks the meeting’s flow.

3. Don’t – Interrupt others

Always let the other person finish before you start speaking. It is one of the most complex parts of virtual meetings. 

We know what you are thinking. You feel it is difficult to know who is preparing to speak next in an online meeting. 

But there is a simple solution to that. 

Use the in-built tools in the conferencing solutions, such as the raising hand feature, to let the speaker know you want to speak. This way you won’t come across as rude for interrupting others. 

4. Don’t – Put others down

Whether it is an in-person meeting or online, everyone must feel welcome in these meetings. So give everyone a chance to speak and welcome their ideas. Make sure you hear and respect every attendee’s opinion. 

5. Don’t – Use your smartphone 

Keep your phone away to avoid any distractions during the meeting. 

Or there’s another thing that you can do. 

Either switch it off entirely or put it on silent. 

Also, avoid checking your phone when someone is speaking. It is highly disrespectful and unprofessional.

6. Don’t – Inundate your board with several different pre-meeting emails

When there are too many emails, each one loses significance and attention. That’s why, send all the regular reports in one email. 

Ensure that all the necessary reports are in their hands at least a few days before the meeting.  It expedites the proceedings of the meeting by preventing time wastage and distractions.

7. Don’t – Allow side conversations

Distractions cause delays. 

Meeting participants who aren’t focused on the agenda are disrespectful and unprofessional. Ensure that the discussion always remains on the agenda. 

Read Also: Best Video Conferencing Apps For Online Classes

8. Don’t – Read committee reports out loud

It is tempting to read reports at every meeting to update the board of directors. 

But this is a huge waste of time. 

Proceed under the presumption that the directors already read the documents. And that came prepared to the meeting, ready for a discussion.

9. Don’t – Schedule meetings last minute

You can’t assume that everyone can attend a meeting on 10 minutes’ notice. 

While setting up a meeting, keep in mind that everyone has their own schedule and workload. The earlier you let people know about a meeting, the better. 

10. Don’t – Spend all your time taking notes

Yes, recordkeeping is crucial. But if you spend the entire meeting taking notes, you won’t be an active participant. 

As a result, you could seem disinterested or disengaged in the discussion.

11. Don’t – Get off track

Try to keep meetings under an hour long and adhere to your agenda. 

Going off-topic or spending too much time on one topic can result in board member burnout or poor decision-making. It can also decrease participation and attendance. 

There is also the possibility of skipping crucial issues in the meeting. And the meeting will most likely not end on time. 

Instill board meeting etiquette in your business

So there you have it. These dos and don’ts of business meeting etiquette can make you shine in your next board meeting. And also limit personality conflicts or miscommunication.

With a few additions, you can make your meetings even more productive. 

It’s simple. Just make sure there are no technical hiccups. 

All you need is to get the best conferencing solution to conduct your meetings.

We recommend getting TelebuJoin and grptalk conferencing solutions for your next meeting. So that you can enjoy a smooth experience from start to finish. 

Try TelebuJoin for yourself for FREE, or contact us to book a demo now. We’d be happy to help. 

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