Work with a virtual meeting services providers who is always in the present, in the moment? Working with a virtual meeting services starts with respect and ends with respect. Just about anywhere someone has to collaborate these days with external parties or clients, using a virtual meeting services can be a valuable way of doing so.
Why is Online Meeting Etiquette Important?
As the home and workplace are beginning to merge into one, the boundaries between our personal and professional lives have also started to mix up. Needless to say, during an online meeting, multiple awkward situations are bound to occur.
With an increase in remote work, we are being introduced to a lot of new ways of working, and there are a lot of things that we are yet to learn. Many guides to remote work can help us with this, but it begins with connecting with the teammates in the correct way.
It is possible that a family member could walk in on you while you are in an office meeting. This compromises the professionalism and might even stretch the meeting time a bit.
But these things can be improved and optimized better by knowing about a few and basic online meeting etiquette. This will also ensure that your presence and appearance on screen remain consistent throughout the meetings.
Becoming more productive and saving time for others goes a long way for a company.
By following basic meeting etiquettes, you help your colleagues and company in-
- Saving more time
- Become productive
- Complete the meeting agenda on time
- Being more focused when meetings happen
So here, we present you with some ground rules for virtual meetings to ensure high productivity and professional remote work culture.
1. Test your setup
The whole point of online meetings is being able to listen and see each other virtually. If there is an issue with either of the options it defeats the purpose of conducting online meetings. Also, make sure your internet connection is working as intended.
In all the online meeting tools like Zoom or Skype, you can test your microphone and video before joining any meeting.
2. Mute By Default
Either it is a large group meeting or a meeting limited to 2-3 individuals, make sure to enable options like mute by default while joining for audio and video. This will give you time to look at your surroundings and analyze for unwanted sounds and visuals.
Unmute audio only when it is your turn to speak or when required.
3. Choose the Right Technology or Software
To make sure everyone is equally productive and collaborative in the meeting you need to have the right software. The online meeting software should be simple and easy to use. Anyone should be able to hop in seamlessly, leading to a better experience without any confusion.
For file sharing relying on the most common tools like Google Drive or Dropbox is good enough. Also, use a common Calendar platform so everyone gets the invite without sending dozens of emails as a reminder.
Tip #3 Start the Call Right
Meetings should always start with introductions. If you’re hosting the call, make sure everyone is properly announced so that all attendees are aware of who’s on the line. If people don’t know each other, a round of brief introductions that increases awareness of everyone’s roles and responsibilities can make the rest of the call go more smoothly.
Once introductions have been made, briefly remind participants why you’ve gathered. Include the reason for the meeting and any necessary objectives or outcomes. This is also a great time to go over any housekeeping items or ground rules for the call. This can include asking participants to shut down notifications, but it’s also a good idea to set expectations regarding questions. If you have a prepared presentation, for example, you may ask that attendees hold their questions until the end – rather than have a more informal discussion, where back-and-forth is appropriate.
Tip #4 Keep It Professional
Virtual meetings often feel less stressful than in-person meetings, which can make it feel tempting to relax, kick back and be more casual than you would around others in the same room. Even if participants can’t see you at home with your bare feet kicked up on your desk, your casual attitude will carry across in the sound and tone of your voice.
Whether you’re participating in an audio or video conference, maintain a professional posture and appearance. Dress the way you would as if you were meeting in person. Don’t assume that pants are optional on a video call. Fellow attendees may only be able to see you from the waist up until you unexpectedly need to stand up!
Online meeting etiquette for attendees who are remote
Ask for an agenda
If you get invited to a meeting without an agenda, it is good virtual meeting etiquette to push back and ask for one. Being forced to go to meetings without a plan is like someone stealing your chair. Time is the most precious resource in a digital workplace. If you let people steal it from you, then you are as much to blame as they are. Ask for an agenda and any pre-reading or pre-work you can do to be ready.
Check out our virtual meeting agenda template here.
Come prepared
Make time in your day to be ready for the meeting. Do your pre-reading. Leave comments on the agenda. Send notes if you want to add things to talk about. You can do your part to make the meeting great if you can jump into the discussion time as soon as possible.
Tell your brain it’s time for the meeting
Think about how you went to meetings when you were in the office. You stopped working, stood up, and stretched. You grabbed a notebook, and walked by the desk of coworkers to see if they were ready. You grabbed a quick cup of coffee and had a seat in a totally different room from where you were before.
What happens when you attend a virtual meeting from home? You work right up until 9:59am, click a link, and BOOM, you are in the meeting.
Good virtual meeting etiquette means not bringing all your baggage from the day.
How can you recreate this when working from home or a co-working space? Five minutes before the meeting, stand up, stretch, and go get something to drink. Consider logging in from a different room, or at least a different part of the room. If you don’t need to share visuals, take a walk. Or at least go put on some pants, just in case.
You are trying to make a shift from Focus work mode to Engaged. Otherwise, you’ll immediately start thinking about the other work you could be doing instead of being in the meeting. Changing your environment will help you stay engaged with the conversation instead of doing email.
Signal to others you are in a meeting
If you share space with others, let them know you are getting on a meeting. Everyone in a 20 foot radius should be fully clothed :-). Make it clear if it’s ok to interrupt you if they can’t find the scissors to cut off the top of the popsicle.
Prevent your distractions
Turn off all chat applications and notifications. Silence your phone. Close out any tabs that aren’t essential to the meeting. If you are a fidgeter, have something in your hand.
Log in early
Don’t wait until the last minute to log in. You will start off distracted, and you may forget to log in on time. Logging in five minutes ahead of time is good online meeting etiquette for attendees. Start some light conversation with others.
If you are going to be late, send a message to the meeting organizer so they know if they should wait for you.
The exception to showing up early is if you are joining as a guest on someone else’s platform. In such cases, you want to show up right on time. Start logging in 1-2 minutes early in case you run into issues with a new platform or installing software.
Start with video on
Video is a powerful way to maintain a human connection in a virtual meeting. Starting a call with a bunch of blank screens is pretty cold and impersonal.
If you are uncomfortable sharing your background, apply a filter or a blur. “I didn’t brush my hair” is not a valid excuse to keep your video off during a planned business meeting.
If connectivity or bandwidth is a problem, let everyone know you are going to turn your video off after saying hello.
Muting
Staying on mute unless you have something to say lowers the fidelity of the conversation. It gives others fewer signals to interpret. Even picking up on a quick laugh or “mmhmm” is helpful to whoever is talking.
Mute yourself when not speaking if:
- It is a large call of ten or more people
- You hear a feedback echo
- You have noise in your background
Otherwise, don’t mute.
Speak slowly
Be aware of non-native speakers on the call. Many rely on watching your face or reading lips to get the full context. Without those signals, they need you to slow down to make sure they catch what you say.
Don’t leave the room
You wouldn’t quietly sneak out the back door of an in-person meeting, would you? Online meeting etiquette for attendees is the same. If something urgent comes up, such as signing for a delivery at the door, leave a chat message to say you will be right back. If you have your video off, send another message when you return. This also prevents the awkwardness of being called on during the meeting and not answering.
Conclusion
You might want to dismiss this post as a trivial and irrelevant note about virtual meeting etiquette and web conferencing etiquette. I wouldn’t blame you. It must be difficult to imagine how this small topic could make any significant or substantial difference in anyone’s businesses. Well I’m here to tell you it can!