Two Things to Do After Every Meeting

Every item on a meeting agenda should have a designated person responsible for that task and any
follow-up work that happened. Public accountability ensures that a project or task would actually
get done.
There are a number of reasons why the productive conversations in a meeting seemingly go
nowhere. Attendees are often immediately running to another meeting where their attention shifts
to a new set of issues. Or people leave the meeting without clarity about what was agreed upon.

To make sure productivity does not slow after you walk out of the room, do two things after and in
between meetings: Quickly send out clear and concise meeting notes and follow up on the
commitments made.

MEETING NOTES
As the Chinese proverb goes, “The palest ink is better than the best memory.” If you do not capture
the conversation and put into a form that can be easily retrieved later, the thinking and the
agreements can be lost.

Meeting notes are not a necessary burden. They are a powerful way to influence others. They help
inform people who were not there about what happened and remind those who were there about
what agreements they made. You can use them to keep everyone on the same page and focused on
what you all need to get done before you meet next.

If you are working to reduce the number of people who attend your meetings, the notes take on
more importance because people love to be included and informed. Sharing a summary of the
meeting is an important part of working on engagement.

Here is what works: 

Distribute concise, clear notes about the meeting. Historically, minutes were like court
transcriptions, capturing everything that was said during the meeting. This is not what you want. A
single page will suffice for most meetings. The intent is not to re-create the discussion but to
capture the key points and the specific commitments for each topic, so that non-attendees have a
sense of what happened and all have a record of who will take further action.

These notes should state each topic you discussed, the key takeaways, and a list of specific actions
that will be taken, by which people, and by when.

Write and distribute the meeting summary within 24 hours, if not sooner. Your ability to remember
and capture the essence of each conversation lessens with each passing hour. Sending the summary
out within an hour or by the end of the day also demonstrates a sense of urgency.

FOLLOW UP COMMITMENTS
Persistence is a key influence skill. If you want anything to happen, you must follow up, follow up,
and follow up.

Often managers, think that people are self-starters—natural leaders who only need an idea and the
autonomy to pursue it. Talented, committed people do not always do what they say they will do,
and we should not be surprised when they don’t. People are pulled in all different directions and
overwhelmed with too much work. If you want a project to be completed, you have to follow up
closely and consistently. Otherwise, rich ideas easily fall by the wayside.

Some managers are concerned that close follow-up might be interpreted as micromanaging. They
do not want to be accused of not trusting people to perform. In reality, consistent follow-up is a
necessary part of project leadership.

Here is what works:

 At the end of each topic in a meeting, pause to agree on next steps and establish specific
commitments with clear deadlines.
 Let people know they can negotiate at the time they make the commitments, especially
with regard to due dates.
 Don’t use the automatic “by the next meeting” as the due date. Be thoughtful about what
timing make the most sense.
 Make clear that you expect each commitment will be fulfilled as agreed upon, and if
something comes up, you expect they will reach out to discuss the change.
 Assign someone to check in at appropriate intervals to ensure the commitments will be kept
as promised or re-evaluated if something unexpected comes up.

Conclusion
Respect is always earned and never demanded; proper business meeting etiquette is indispensable
to a successful meeting setting.

In simple words we can say that business etiquette is simply about feeling and showing kindness
and respect for those around. It is about exercising good judgement because your manners will
make the difference!!