After a year into the pandemic, there's no excuse not to be a video meeting professional.
1. Do: Turn on the camera
There’s always someone. The camera isn’t on, but what are they doing?? We get little interaction with our colleagues as it is, so make the most of this time.
Pick up on each other’s subtle facial expressions – remind everyone that they are dealing with real people. Doesn’t matter if it’s a bad hair day – show up in person admitting entry.
2. Don’t: Be late
There’s no slow bus excuse – so being late is even more unforgivable than in person meetings. And no, you can’t sneak in – everyone saw you were late.
Susie Wilson’s top Tip: lock a meeting 5 minutes before it’s due to start, and Zoom has a waiting room function where meeting organisers can make latecomers wait before
3. Don’t: Have lunch and Zoom
If you must eat, mute yourself – modern headsets and microphones love to share the noise of your mastication – and you know what? No-one likes a noisy eater.
4. Do: learn how to virtually interrupt
All those body language cues that work (usually) in a real meeting are stifled in a video call – which is why a good moderator/organiser is useful for keeping an eye out for someone turning off mute (I want to talk). Yes, raising a hand can work, but your ultimate aim is to forget this is a virtual meeting.
5. Do: Close out the rest of your household if you can
Shut the door if you can, and try to get yourself in a private office ‘zone’.
Yes the cat is adorable, but after 30s it’s not. Turn off notifications on your phone (you wouldn’t answer in a ‘real’ meeting – at least I hope you wouldn’t).
Yep it was amusing when we first started working from home to have the dog trampolining on the sofa behind you but that novelty has worn off – try to be as professional as possible.
6. Don’t: Have other tabs open on your computer
Look back to how this whole article started – don’t be doing something else while the meeting is on. It’s too easy to be sidelined if you have other windows crying for your attention during the meeting..
