How to Host a Seamless Business Meeting

Running a successful company takes a lot of meetings. And there are only so many you can fit into an eight hour workday.

To make the most of each meeting, we abide by a few golden rules.

1. This should go without saying, but arriving on time is of the upmost importance. Arriving late not only makes you look bad, but your company as well. Obviously things come up and if you have to cancel, call, text or email whoever you are meeting with ASAP to apologize and reschedule if possible.

2. Take a quick glance in the mirror before you walk out the door. Do you look presentable? And please don't forget to pop a breath mint if you just finished your morning coffee. Consider where you will be meeting too. Ripped jeans will not fly in a 5 star restaurant and business attire is recommended if you're going to be in a board room.

3. You don't have all day and your clients don't either. A good time to shoot for is an hour or less. Go longer than that and the human brain simple can't stay engaged and exhaustion spreads like wildfire. Having a clear goal in mind of what you want accomplished helps keep meetings on track and from lasting too long.

4. If you're going to be taking notes on a laptop or iPad make sure you announce that so people don't think you're doing something else. Don't check your email or social media pages either because people will notice. If you're easily distracted by your phone, go with good old pen and paper.

Doc B's Fresh Kitchen

5. Set a location ahead of time that way you don't waste precious minutes deciding where to go. If it's a quick, casual meeting a coffee shop will suffice. Balsan at the Waldorf Astoria is quiet and intimate. Consider meeting over lunch for longer meetings. We love RL and the newly opened Doc B's Fresh Kitchen. Fresh and healthy food always seems to please everyone. No one wants to leave a meeting smelly like a greasy french fry.

Have you mastered the art of the business meeting? We would love to hear your tips. Send us a tweet at @MonikaDixonPR or comment on this post!

By Monika Dixon