Meeting Room Etiquette for Consultants

Posted by Consultize

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All good consultants should possess basic meeting room etiquette. Unfortunately, this is one of the most overlooked areas of focus when grooming the junior consultant. Here are a few guidelines to help you avoid common mistakes and shine in the meeting room.

Always arrive on time. If you are the person presenting (as consultants often are), arrive 5-10 minutes ahead of the scheduled start time to prep the meeting room (check/setup laptop and projector, and activate dial-in number for conference calls). To have meeting attendees arrive late and interrupt a meeting that is already in progress ranks high on everyone’s list of meeting annoyances. If you going to be late, ensure the Meeting Chair is aware and has received any material from you that will be required at the meeting.

Come to the meeting prepared. Ensure you have reviewed any pre-read material for the meeting prior to attending the session. This demonstrates interest on your part in the topic being discussed and makes for a more valuable discussion during the meeting. Clients aren’t dumb, and lack of preparation is easier to spot than you think.

Switch off / mute all electronica. Often an oversight and easily avoidable, yet a mistake even seasoned consultants make. An annoying ring tone or madly-vibrating BlackBerry aggravates meeting attendees, especially if it happens when progress isn’t being made or the meeting is running behind schedule. Put all electronica away for the duration of the meeting (laptops, projectors that are required for the meeting are excepted) or at a minimum turn to silent mode so it doesn’t interfere with the meeting.

Listen first, ask questions later. It is tempting to interrupt someone mid-sentence only to get a word in - avoid this at all costs. Often what you will learn just by listening to others speak is more valuable than getting an answer to a question you couldn’t wait to ask. Besides, clients feel important when they talk, so let them.

Ask thoughtful questions. Especially true as a consultant, you have been retained to add value to the discussion. Don’t make the common mistake of asking questions just because you feel the need to participate. Be brief when you speak and ensure what you say is relevant. Ask exploratory questions based on what you heard the client say (see 3 above), making use of phrases such as: “I heard you say x; what makes you say that?” or “from what I heard you say, you believe the issue is x; do you think y could be a root cause of this?” The trick is to get the client to reflect on their answer and engage in a conversation with you as opposed to providing perfunctory yes/no responses.