Video conferencing has become an essential service in ensuring businesses and organizations remain in business despite office closures and stay at home orders. Tools like Zoom have increased their user base within a month from 2.22 Million monthly active users to 12.92 million by the end of February.
Within a very short time organizations have had to transition from onsite and in-the-office meetings to virtual meetings. Part of staying connected during this time is ensuring that everyone understands video conference etiquette. Read through these pointers and then share them with your co-workers.
1. Leaders should share their agenda before the meeting starts.
This gives the staff ample time to prepare any questions that they might have and ultimately makes the meeting more objective.
2. Dress Properly.
Do your best to look professional and presentable, wear something that you would if this was an in-the-office-meeting. While you can take advantage of the fact that your workmates won’t see what you are wearing waist down – be careful you don’t want to get up and have people see you in your underwear.
3. Create the right environment.
A big component of video conference etiquette is having the right lighting – you want to be clearly seen. Adjust your camera so that you are right in the middle of the frame. We don’t want to look up your nostrils or only see a part of your face. Ensure you are in a quiet area or have notified those that you live with that you have a virtual meeting.
4. Log in 10 minutes to the start of the meeting.
“10 minutes early is on time, on time is late and 10 minutes late is disrespectful”. This will give you enough buffer time to resolve any technical issues that may arise.
5. Announce your arrival.
Key in a message into the chat box or say hello and then switch off your mic when you first join the meeting. If you are late, discreetly announce your arrival just like you would in an actual meeting room.
6. Start with an icebreaker.
Ice breakers help start meetings on a high note or improve energy levels when they begin to dwindle. To aid you with this, we have compiled two lists. The first gives you 60 FREE ice breakers questions and the second delivers conference call icebreaker activities.
7. Mute your microphone when it is not your turn to talk.
Background and surrounding noise can distract your teammates and reduce the success of your meeting. Put your mic on, only when you have something to say.
8. Set ground rules.
In order to avoid commotion, set ground rules for the meeting and share them prior to the meeting. You could also share them while on call to make emphasis on some of the key rules.
9. Take minutes.
A virtual meeting also needs a secretary. Assign someone to take minutes so that the key points do not slip into the cracks and send them to the staff members after the meeting.
10. Keep the meeting short by sticking to the agenda.
If you choose to run an activity and keep the meeting informal, run only one activity and avoid running too many activities for long. This keeps your staff members engaged and looking forward to the next meeting.
11. Keep time.
Be mindful of everyone’s schedules and stay within the agreed time.
12. Rotate the facilitator of the meetings.
This helps the team participate better and gives a new feeling to the meetings breaking monotony.
13. Give your full attention.
Yes, we know it a virtual meeting and no one will know if you are checking social media or responding to web-WhatsApp messages (unless you have glasses and we can see the reflection of your screen). Be fully attentive just like you would in an actual meeting room.
14. End the meeting on a high note.
List down important notes or discussion points, and clear action items moving forward. A leader needs to make expectations crystal clear: X is the work you should do, Y is the quality standard, Z is the deadline. You can choose a short activity at the end of the meeting. This works very well especially if the meeting is short and allows the team a time to bond together.
15. Embrace the process.
It has already been a few months of Zoom, Teams and Skype meetings and teams are still getting used to general video conference etiquette. We know that transitioning and change is never easy, so be patient with one another. However you choose to run your virtual meetings and calls, remember to have some fun with icebreakers or short activities, and create an environment where staff can engage to work and support each other through this crisis. A supportive environment is key in helping everyone transition to a new way of collaborating.
