Meeting Etiquette Guidelines

Ever notice how some leaders seem to have a sixth sense for meeting dynamics while others plow through their agenda oblivious to glazed eyes, side conversations, or everyone needing several "bio breaks" over the course of an hour? Research tells us executives consider 67% of virtual meetings failures, and a staggering 92% of employees admit to multitasking during meetings. After facilitating hundreds of in-person, virtual, and hybrid sessions, I've developed my "6 E's Framework" to transform the abstract concept of "reading the room" into concrete skills anyone can master. (This is exactly what I teach leaders and teams who want to dramatically improve their meeting and presentation effectiveness.) Here's what to look for and what to do: 1. Eye Contact: Notice where people are looking (or not looking). Are they making eye contact with you or staring at their devices? Position yourself strategically, be inclusive with your gaze, and respectfully acknowledge what you observe: "I notice several people checking watches, so I'll pick up the pace." 2. Energy: Feel the vibe - is it friendly, tense, distracted? Conduct quick energy check-ins ("On a scale of 1-10, what's your energy right now?"), pivot to more engaging topics when needed, and don't hesitate to amplify your own energy through voice modulation and expressive gestures. 3. Expectations: Regularly check if you're delivering what people expected. Start with clear objectives, check in throughout ("Am I addressing what you hoped we'd cover?"), and make progress visible by acknowledging completed agenda items. 4. Extraneous Activities: What are people doing besides paying attention? Get curious about side conversations without defensiveness: "I see some of you discussing something - I'd love to address those thoughts." Break up presentations with interactive elements like polls or small group discussions. 5. Explicit Feedback: Listen when someone directly tells you "we're confused" or "this is exactly what we needed." Remember, one vocal participant often represents others' unspoken feelings. Thank people for honest feedback and actively solicit input from quieter participants. 6. Engagement: Monitor who's participating and how. Create varied opportunities for people to engage with you, the content, and each other. Proactively invite (but don't force) participation from those less likely to speak up. I've shared my complete framework in the article in the comments below. In my coaching and workshops with executives and teams worldwide, I've seen these skills transform even the most dysfunctional meeting cultures -- and I'd be thrilled to help your company's speakers and meeting leaders, too. What meeting dynamics challenge do you find most difficult to navigate? I'd love to hear your experiences in the comments! #presentationskills #virualmeetings #engagement

$36,000,000,000… That’s how much money U.S. businesses waste every year in useless meetings. That’s the equivalent of having 600,000 people each making $60,000 to sit in an office all day and do absolutely nothing. At Process Street, we’ve eliminated 90% of our “useless meeting time” And we made a guide on how we did it… It’s called, How to Run Business Meetings That Aren’t a Complete Waste of Time: 1. have clear objectives EVERY meeting needs a clear, written statement identifying the purpose of the meeting. The same way you hold an employee accountable to goals, you need to hold a meeting accountable to its objective. A good objective of a meeting could be the executive team discussing a strategic change and how to roll it out to the company A bad objective would be a roundtable status update that could’ve been an email. 2. Invite the right people If the meeting is not relevant to someone’s work. They are better off missing the meeting and just doing their work. 3. Stick to the agenda Do not just walk in to a 60-90 minute calendar block and start to casually talk about the objective. That’s a recipe for wasted time. Instead, decide what is going to be discussed in the meeting beforehand, set an agenda, and allot time for each specific item. Send the agenda to people inside the meeting before it begins. If they understand and can visualize the agenda throughout the meeting, it’s WAY more likely the agenda is actually followed. 4. Don’t let it be derailed Most meetings get derailed and off topic, especially when someone starts rambling. Whoever is in charge of the meeting needs to rule it with an iron fist and frankly cut people off if they get off topic. My policy here is to interrupt the rambler first and ask for forgiveness later. It may be a rude thing to do, but every 5 minutes someone rambles could mean 1 hour of wasted time if 12 other people are in the meeting. 5. Start and end on time If you have flex time where people can show up a minute or two late, or the meeting can go a minute or two over to finish the conversation, then you’ll always have meetings where both of those things happen. Just as you would hold the meeting accountable to its objective, hold it accountable to the clock. 6. No distractions Have you ever been in a meeting with someone constantly checking their phone? Or a zoom call where it’s obvious someone is doing emails? Create a 0 tolerance policy for this. Or, if someone believes they can check out of the conversation, they probably should have not been involved in the first place. 7. Create memos Meetings are useless without stated outcomes. Whatever the objective of the meeting was, create a memo with notes on who talked about what, key takeaways, action items, and whether the objective was completed or not. Then, share the memo with everyone who was in the meeting. Follow this process and I promise you'll run meetings 90% better than you currently are.

Want to know why most meetings are a complete waste of time? 🟢 Here are 7 best practices that actually work: 1. Set a clear agenda (24h before) → Share it with everyone → Include time slots for each topic 2. Keep it short (30min max) → Start on time → End on time → No exceptions 3. Invite only key players → Decision makers → Direct contributors → No "nice to have" attendees 4. Assign roles upfront → Meeting leader → Note taker → Timekeeper 5. No devices allowed → Phones away → Laptops closed → Full attention required 6. Follow the "2-minute rule" → If someone talks for more than 2 minutes → Politely interrupt → Keep discussions focused 7. End with clear action items → Who does what → Due dates → Follow-up schedule I've implemented these in my company for 3 years now. Result? • 85% higher team satisfaction • 100% better outcomes • 60% fewer meetings The secret? Consistency. You can't do this sometimes. You must do it EVERY single time. No shortcuts. No exceptions. Just results. Try these for a month. Watch your team's productivity surge. P.S. What's your biggest meeting pain point? Share below. 👇 #team #meetings #employees #productive

71% of meetings are unproductive. Jeff Bezos wasn’t having it. He built Amazon into a trillion-dollar machine — not by attending more meetings, but by making them actually work. Here are the 6 rules he enforced to turn meetings into momentum: 1. The Two-Pizza Rule ↳ If two pizzas can’t feed the group, it’s too big. Fewer people → faster decisions, clearer focus. 2. No PowerPoint ↳ Slides oversimplify. Bezos required written memos. Writing forces clarity. Slides disguise flaws. 3. Start With Silence ↳ Every meeting begins with 15–20 minutes of silent reading. Everyone starts informed — no posturing, no guessing. 4. Leave an Empty Chair ↳ One seat always stays open. It represents the customer — a reminder of who really matters. 5. Encourage Disagreement, Then Commit ↳ Debate is encouraged before decisions. But once decided, the team commits fully. No passive resistance. 6. End With Clear Ownership ↳ Every meeting ends with action. Who’s doing what — and by when — must be 100% clear. Tired of meetings that go nowhere? Save this post. Share it with your team. Use even 2 of these rules — and watch your meetings transform. 💬 Which rule do you already use? ♻ Repost to help your network. 🔔 Follow Natan Mohart for more high-leverage frameworks.

What’s wrong with our meetings? First, the case for why it matters.  On balance, great teams make better and faster decisions than their competition.  A compelling strategy, a culture of innovation and excellence, clear delegated authorities, effective processes, and capable talent are all foundational to winning.  However, an ineffective operating cadence and undisciplined meeting management can lead to bad decisions at the top and erode value, or worse, it can take an otherwise successful business off the rails. The following is "My Top Ten List" for more productive meetings. 1. Ensure your strategy and "nested intent" are clear to everyone on your payroll. - Greater clarity drives confidence and an ability to act without constant check-ins. 2. Precision is productivity: right topics, right people, right time.  - Topics need to earn their way onto an agenda. Ask, “Is this worth my team’s time?”  - Avoid piling unrelated topics into a weekly staff meeting. Doing so causes your top players to “check out.” 3. Pressure test every "standing meeting."  - "Why are we here, and is there a better way?" 4. Be on time and reliable – the more senior you are, the more it matters. - If you consistently change times or fail to punctually adjourn meetings, you cause chaos for the people delivering for your customers. 5. Encourage vetting of different views and avoid "toxic positivity."  - If dissent isn't welcomed, then tell people the answer and let them go back to work. 6. Stay on the topic at hand and watch out for the "Jeopardy Syndrome." - "Major Capital investment idea for $1,000" or “Let’s make my issue, your issue for $800” are examples of unproductive meeting practices, usually raised by the "team contrarian" who complains the most about meetings going off the rails. 7. Bring positive energy and beware of "Eeyore." - Positive energy is contagious, and one "Eeyore" can bring a team down. - Constructive dissent is great; "I've lost my tail” is not. 8. Allow space for new ideas, but maintain the pace and don't let go of the reins. - High-performing teams make good ideas great through dialogue and debate. Keep the pace moving and make decisions "on time.” 9. Celebrate positive behaviors publicly and address issues offline.  - Consistent reinforcement of actions and behaviors leads to more effective meetings. 10. Memorialize actions, timing, and owners. - Use whatever new technology suits your needs, but always create a visual artifact of the decisions made and who owns what actions.

Managers: You never want your meeting attendees to think, “Yeah … that could’ve been an email." But obviously, not *all* meetings are the enemy. They can be golden opportunities for collaboration, creativity, and connection. So why do so many feel like a waste of time? Well too often, meetings become echo chambers—where the loudest voices dominate, disagreement feels risky, and the leader talks more than they listen. Here’s what great leaders do instead: 🔹 1. Speak to clarify. Notice when someone trails off or offers a vague idea? Step in with a clarifying question like, “Can you walk us through how that would look here?” or “Do I have that right?” It’s a simple way to make sure people feel seen and understood. 🔹 2. Share your opinion last. Instead of leading with your views, ask the group first: “What are your thoughts on this?” or “Does anyone see it differently?” Holding back your own take creates space for more honest, unfiltered input—especially from newer or more reserved team members. 🔹 3. Close with a catch-all question. Give everyone, especially quieter voices, one more chance to contribute. “What did we miss?” might be the most powerful question you ask. Are you doing one or all of these already? What have you noticed when you do? Let us know in the comments! Image alt text: null

95% of meetings are calendar clutter. Stop confusing them with progress. Most people leave meetings confused, frustrated, or thinking: "This could've been an email." The best leaders know every minute is precious. The more white space in their calendars, the more time to work on what truly matters. So if you have to have a meeting, here's how to make it worth it: 1. Know the Why ↳ No agenda, no meeting. Be clear about the purpose. 2. Make Space for Everyone ↳ Invite input from everyone, not just the loudest. 3. Choose a Skilled Lead ↳ Every meeting needs a driver who keeps things focused. 4. Leave with Actions ↳ End with clear next steps, owners, and deadlines. 5. Rethink the Format ↳ Use async updates or shared docs when possible. 6. Ask, Then Improve ↳ Close with a quick check on what to improve next time. I've pulled together the sheet below on how to make meetings smarter. Read it. Apply it. Watch how much gets done. What's your biggest tip for running a great meeting? ♻️ If this hits home, share it with your network. 🔔 Follow Christine Carrillo for more leadership insights. 💡 Join The 20 Hour CEO: https://lnkd.in/gsZjcDN8