Business Etiquette 101 - Forwarding Email Invites

Inviting the Uninvited

Etiquette does not only apply to sitting at the dining room table, networking with strangers, or sipping tea at tea time.  It also applies to business. It amazes me that people think it is okay to forward meeting invitations to other people without getting the permission of the host or providing an explanation to the host.  Business meetings are not +1 like social invitations. You never know what political issues are looming in the background with the participants.  Furthermore, who are you to determine the right participants to someone else's meeting?  Okay I won't answer that question on this blog.

Here are a few reasons where it is okay to forward an email invitation if prepping the host:

1. You will be unavailable for the meeting and want to show your love of the topic.
2. Your input is not good enough and there is someone that knows more than you.  Probably not, if you're reading this.  
3. You are no longer interested in the topic and someone else has been assigned to handle that matter.

Outside of these reasons, evaluate hard and send an email to the host before inviting others.  After all, you would not want anyone inviting unexpected guests to a wedding and there was not enough seats or meals at the reception for the uninvited guest.  Save the embarrassment and your reputation.

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Posted in: Business Etiquette,Get A Clue,Temeko Richardson