The Do's and Don'ts of Virtual Meeting Ettiquette | Be a Prepper

Home-bound workers have turned to videoconferencing and collaboration software to handle their everyday needs.  Many of us are on conference calls for a good portion of our day, so it’s important to look your best and not like you just got out of bed.

Impressions are everything, especially if you’re having a video chat with a new potential customer. We lightly covered this topic in our article about the Culture Shock of Working From Home, but if you want to go even further and make the best impressions during your video calls, here are some of The Do's and Don'ts of Virtual Meeting Etiquette.

What to do before you start your call:

  • Be sure to dress the part.
    • Dressing professionally lets others know you’re serious about the meeting. If it’s an everyday meeting with your coworkers and it is not required, wear your company shirt if you can. And please, wear pants; sweatpants don’t count.
  • Broadcast form the quietest location.
    • Find the area with the lowest about of background noise and connect from there if you can. Use a good quality headset to avoid echo and so others can hear you clearly. If you are using your smartphone, try to get a Bluetooth headset.
  • Be Comfortable.
    • Now that you found your quietest area, make yourself as comfortable as you can to avoid adjusting yourself too often and/or moving the webcam constantly. Make sure that your portable device has enough power for the meeting or is plugged in for better performance. There are few things worse than a dead battery when talking to the boss.
  • Test your equipment well before the call starts.
    • Technical difficulties can and will happen when videoconferencing so it’s best to test your equipment well before the call begins. Assure that your microphone, speakers, headset and camera are working properly before you go into a video call.
  • Frame yourself nicely.
    • When you are testing your equipment, be sure to frame your video shot so your attendees can see yourself the best way possible.
    • Check your camera first to see what you would look like during the call. Make sure the camera angle isn’t too low; no one wants to see up your nose and you don’t want a double-chin look going on.
    • Get the camera to be as close to eye level as possible. Assess your lighting to make sure that your face is well-lit and avoid backlight. If you are sitting in front of a window you will have most likely have a shadow over your image, so try to avoid them if possible. Ring lights typically used in streamer and YouTube videos are a good option
    • Clean up your background. If your conferencing software allows, utilize background blur or change your background image. As tempting as some of the background filters my be, don’t choose one that could be too distracting while the meeting is taking place.
  • Rehearse if you are presenting something.
    • Prepare your documents if you are planning to share your screen or send files. Try to have minimal windows open when you are going to share your screen so you don’t accidentally click the wrong one.

What to during the call:

  • Mute yourself when necessary.
    • If you aren’t speaking for long periods, consider muting yourself by the mute button in chat or through your headset. They may only be in the background for you but subtle distractions like a dog barking or a doorbell ringing can disrupt someone else when they are speaking. If you are unmuted, noises from movement and shuffling of clothing can be picked up by your microphone.
  • Don’t sneak out.
    • Just because you’re remote doesn’t mean you can excuse yourself without warning. If you must step away, be sure to notify the rest of the participants. Plus, it’s just rude.
  • Try not to move around.
    • Seeing someone on your call shaking their camera around can be disorienting. Don’t move your laptop or camera while you’re in a call. Make sure it is placed on a stable surface. If you are video chatting from your phone, don’t pace around or shake your hand while you hold the phone. Consider getting a small tripod to hold your phone on a desk or use a business card holder to prop it up during the call.
  • Speak Up
    • Speak loudly and clearly so others can hear you. Depending on your surroundings or your microphone, you may have to speak loudly “for those in the back.”
    • Make sure your mute button isn’t on when you are answering a question or chiming in. Microsoft Teams does alert you when you are trying to talk while muted.
  • Stay Focused.
    • Avoid distractions like your smartphone or social media while in a call, even if your camera is turned off. You don’t want to be called to several times during a call because you were too distracted by Twitter.
    • Looking at the camera can simulate eye contact, therefore making you look focused and engaged. By nature, we tend to look at the person talking on your screen, which isn’t bad either, but taking a moment to look into the camera while you are talking keeps the energy up because you are then “on.”

neoRhino can help you implement the best videoconferencing tool for you and show you how to get the best experience while working from home. Fill out the form above, contact us, or call us at 281.779.4850 and we can help make your remote work lifestyle as seamless and productive as possible.