Individual behavior conveys a great deal about who you are as a person, both professionally and personally. Most of the time good common sense, allows us to know what acceptable behavior is and what it is not, especially when we are in a business meeting. Your professional demeanor or lack thereof can contribute to making or breaking a business deal and will also affect how your clients, your supervisor and your co-workers treat you in a work environment. That is why it is very important that you use proper business etiquette when attending any type of meeting.

Basic rule number one of proper etiquette is to always be punctual whenever you are going to a meeting.

If you’re able to, get there a few minutes early even better. This demonstrates to the other attendees that you care enough about the meeting to show up early and that you are an attentive participant. Be polite and shake the hand of the person who is hosting the meeting and to thank them for inviting you to participate.

Basic rule number two is that you should always be properly prepared and have everything in order for the meeting.

It is a good idea to know what the meeting is about and do some research on the topic, so that you will know in advance what is most likely going to be discussed. Bring any supporting documents and other information that will enable you to be an essential asset during the meeting. By being prepared and having researched the topic prior to the meeting you will be in a position to advise your manager and co-workers more effectively on the subject as well as being able to knowledgeably ask and answer questions regarding the subject at hand. By being properly prepared for the meeting you are demonstrating to your employer, clients and co-workers that you are well organized and focused.

Basic rule number three of proper etiquette is to be courteous and pay attention during your meeting.

You should never speak out of turn, be impatient to get your own point across or talk over those who are attempting to make a point that is different from your own. Don’t do anything else while another person is speaking during the meeting, because this exhibits a lack of interest and a lack of respect for the other person.

If it is up to you to host the meeting, you should be well prepared and give all the participants advance notice of the date, time and location of the meeting. Send e-mail invitations, as well as office memos, which will allow your co-workers time to prepare in advance. You should also inform your co-workers of the topics that will be discussed and provide them with a detailed agenda. Your meeting should have a definite start and end time so that items on the agenda can be discussed more efficiently. If you have guest speakers or presenters you should ask them how much time they will require for their presentations and schedule accordingly. This will keep the meeting moving smoothly without too much time lapse between topics. Guide the progression of the meeting by staying on track and focusing on the key points.

Above all, be diplomatic, calm and avoid arguments. As the meeting comes to an end, summarize the topics discussed and wrap up everything. If a follow-up meeting is required let the attendees know that you will inform them of the time and place. Remember that using proper business etiquette when attending any type of meeting is vital to the success of your professional career, so always put your best foot forward and mind your manners.

Leading a business meeting is not as easy as it seems. There are a lot of business meetings which are ill-directed, drawn out and digressive. For this reason, you have to appropriately plan your meeting so that it is firmly structured and you can achieve your goals.

The first thing you have to do to lead your business meeting runs well is to decide whether or not you highly have to call a meeting. You have to consider whether that problem can be resolved by individual. If it can, you don’t have to call a meeting then. On the other hand, if it can’t, you can call a meeting.

The second thing is to determine the attendants. Certain issue may only involve certain individual. You have to consider the individual who has to attend the meeting. It allows the other to keep on doing their tasks. In addition, it will make the discussion more focus.

The third thing is to prepare for the agenda. You have to determine the definite time to start and stop. Also, you have to determine the goals and the main priority of your goals. It will help you to make the meeting clear. In addition, you have to circulate the agenda earlier so that the attendants can make a preparation.

The fourth step is to start your meeting after all are ready. You can start it from the easier issue and then to the heavier issues so that your meeting will be effective. For each issue you want to discuss, you have to make certain allotted time. To help you monitor the time, you can use a timer. Set the discussion at the end of the meeting so that you can cover all the issues in the agenda.

The last thing you have to do is to hand out copies right after the meeting so that you can remind everyone about the result of the meeting and the action plans.

If you have a small business, you obviously envision it becoming a big and well established enterprise. As the business grows beyond city, country and continental borders, communication modes need to be upgraded. This is why as you nurture your business you have to think of the best way to cut traveling costs while maintaining a high level of productivity during business meetings.

In conventional business setting, designated employees would ideally travel across the world to make business deals or to attend conferences that would market the business. These business trips entail booking a hotel for accommodation, booking a meeting room, having transport arrangements to various meeting points, setting aside traveling allowances as well as organizing for meals for the traveling persons. We all agree that employees are bound to make fraudulent claims after a trip.

Some people misuse these business trips and turn them into their personal expeditions at the expense of their companies. Other employees turn the trips into a shopping spree. Monitoring the steps of your employees while they are away requires a lot of time and money thus many organizations would not think of spending funds to check on their employees whom they have sent away on business.

The best way to curb problems arising from traveling far to have meetings is to invest in a good online meeting room, with a powerful computer which can transmit multimedia. Have a web-cam, headsets if needed and install necessary software to support communication as the meeting goes on. It is also important to have a standby generator that ensures the meeting is not affected by power blackouts. With technology, you can link to your customers, suppliers and business partners at the comfort of your office.

In the long run, if you compare the money used to set up an online business meeting and that used to send staff to a physical meeting point, you will definitely settle for online meetings.