The pandemic measures are finally winding down, and in-person meetings are now on the table again. Whether you’re using the best meeting rooms London has to offer, hosting clients in your own offices or going further afield, here are the tips you need to make those meetings a success.
Display A Confident Attitude
Confidence, as in all things, wins the day. By going into a meeting with self-assurance and calm confidence, you’re much more likely to get the outcome you want. While it’s never good practice to be aggressive, setting firm boundaries will help progress the meeting in an appropriate manner.
Do Your Research Beforehand
Who are you meeting with? What do they want? Why are they coming to you? These are all vital considerations for pre-meeting research. Going into a meeting with a battery of relevant knowledge will always get you ahead. It’s even better if you’re able to look into their industry ahead of time and identify what kind of niche they’re trying to exploit, as that’ll give you a good idea of their talking points ahead of time.
Keep Things On-Topic
With all of the exuberance and novelty now that in-person meetings have begun again, it’s tempting to let conversation meander all over the place! But you’re generally going to have a limited window of time to conduct the meeting, so it’s most important to keep things relevant and progress with the meeting at an appropriate pace. By controlling the pacing and initiative, you can set the tone for the meeting and gain advantage that way. It also allows you to hold multiple meetings in a relatively short timespan, especially useful in a conference or job fair setting.
Be Prepared To Compromise
Obviously both parties in every meeting will have their own agenda, but it’s finding that middle ground that meetings are made for. It’s said a good compromise leaves everyone unhappy, but that doesn’t have to be the case. Giving a bit of ground can get you more than being obstinate or resistant to new ideas. Equally, you’ll be able to get some concessions from the other party if you play your cards right. Ultimately, any compromise should be a flexible arrangement that actually matters to both parties. When this isn’t the case, at least try to foster goodwill between everyone.
Walk Out With A Good Outcome
Whatever a good outcome means to you, it’s important to pursue one. Obviously it’s great to achieve all of your objectives, but even a partial success should be celebrated. Many meetings have ended with no success on either side, either a culture clash or breakdown in communication sabotaging the entire affair early on. Thankfully, by following these tips and working towards a doable solution, you’ll be able to avoid any negative outcomes and make any meeting work for you. Just remember, it’ll be a while before things truly return to normal, if it ever does. We’ll just have to see.