I work in the Corporate Management field, our business is medical and we have a lot of meetings. Business management meetings with many different groups internally and externally. As with all meetings, there are attendees that are late, some arrive early and others decide during these meetings to do some personal grooming.

I do believe that personal grooming is critical for all. However, I don’t think that the personal grooming should take place during a professional business management meeting. I do realize that the internal meetings within our own department may be a little less formal, but seriously, it’s not that informal to warrant a comfortable level to groom certain parts of your anatomy.

I thought it might be helpful to reminder people that during meetings it would be best to avoid or break these habits of grooming while we are discussing important business matters. In fact, if you have one of these bad habits, it maybe best to try and break it before your next meeting.

What NOT to do during business or management meetings;

• Biting your cuticles
• Slurping your coffee or any drink
• Talking with your mouth full
• Cleaning your ears with a paperclip
• Picking your teeth with a toothpick
• Texting or IM to others
• Combing or brushing your hair
• Twirling your hair in your fingers
• Flicking your pen or pencil
• Biting and spitting your nails
• Picking your nose
• Snorting or clearing your throat a lot
• Burping out loud
• Tapping your fingernails on the table
• Taking off your shoes, you may not smell your feet but others will
• Sleeping (if you are tired put a piece of gum in your mouth or candy)

I do a lot of presentations for my company, when I have taken the time to review, put together and present a PowerPoint with important facts and I am focusing on you as the audience, it is really hard to concentrate when you are picking your nose. In fact, I have been in a management meeting before when one of my fellow colleagues was actually picking her toenail polish off, isn’t that kind of gross, not to mention unprofessional?

If you are new to the business, management or corporate life and you are attending a business meeting and you really want to impression your peers or superiors, then do the following;

What TO DO during business or management meetings:

• Be prompt or be early to the meeting
• Greet each person professionally and with a firm handshake
• Sit in your chair quietly and comfortably
• Drink your coffee or coke silently
• Make eye contact with the presenter
• Nod if you understand
• Take notes or write your questions down (if needed)
• If you must got to the bathroom, leave as quietly as possible, handle the door gently as you close it so it will not make any noise and interrupt the speaker
• Offer to help the speaker if needed
• Listen intently and pay attention
• If it’s a breakfast or luncheon meeting, eat with your mouth close (no smacking)
• At the end of the meeting, thank the presenter/speaker

Management is a difficult position to be in however; when people are grooming themselves during the meeting it’s even harder. If you do the following helpful tips above, you will come across as a confident, professional individual or manager. Your reputation is yours and yours alone, you make it a good one or a bad one. In fact, if you want to make an impact on management and your colleagues then do these above “dos” or the other option is to leave the business meeting well groomed with little admiration from your fellow colleagues, clients, or upper management.

I know this probably seems funny and in away, it is because some people just don’t realize they have these bad habits. My suggestion is to look around you, beware of your peers, colleagues, or upper management and try to monitor your grooming habits and be as professional as you can be at all times. Business meetings are set up to accomplish a goal or objective, give the presenter the respect necessary to get the goal or objective finalized. Make it a successful management meeting for all involved. So work on the “don’ts” and improve the “dos” during the next business meeting you attend. Make an impression with your professional behavior because when you do you will mostly likely advance quickly with that mature proficient behavior.