While most of the world has become used to the idea of Skype and Zoom meetings in order to conduct business matters, some areas are easing coronavirus lockdown restrictions and are allowing face-to-face meetings once again. Of course, most people still prefer to talk to one another via a computer or phone, but some matters are often easier to discuss in real life and it might happen that a potential client or employer wants a face-to-face meeting with you. If this happens, it’s possible to meet up and to remain safe with a few easy tips. Here’s how:
Try to keep the meetings at a time limit, such as one hour or, even better, 30 minutes. Ideally, you should have a meeting outside, such as a park or an outdoor section of a café, bar, or restaurant. Shorter meetings are generally more productive, but it also limits the time you spend with each other and therefore reduces the risk of infection.
Wash your hands before your leave the house and when you return, but use hand sanitizer for the moments in-between like just before your meeting if no restroom is available to wash your hands. Also, it’s best not to wear clothing that you might have worn outside the previous day, as you want to be sure you’re not carrying around any germs with you. If you really want to wear your best shirt, then wash it on the hottest setting according to the laundry symbols found on the care label and get a laundry detergent from a reputable brand like Persil.
Wear a mask! Ignore the temptation to take it off to get a drink or food, as it’s not worth it. Keep it on for the entire meeting and encourage others to do the same. Don’t fall into peer pressure just because others don’t want to wear their mask. Avoid any hand-shaking or hugs, as even though it’s a nice thing to do in normal situations, these interactions will have to be forgotten for now!
Limit the amount of attendees to only those who are essential for the meeting. 2-3 people is perhaps the best amount if you intend to stick to the recommend separation distance of 6 feet (1.5 meters in Europe).
If you have no other option but to sit indoors, keep the 6-feet distance wherever possible and leave doors and windows open for better air circulation. Refrain from handling any paper documents back and forth between the participants. As there is so much bacteria on our hands, it’s best to use a computer to display any notes or numbers, and to share these with other meeting members via email or cloud sharing platforms.
Try all those steps and you can still have a successful face-to-face meeting in 2020 that can further your business career. It might seem a bit weird not to have the normal meeting habits like hand-shaking and coffee and snacks, for example, but it’s necessary to keep yourself and others healthy in unusual times.
