With more digital classrooms and more jobs working remote than ever before, we wanted to pass along some key Do’s and Don’t for Video Conferencing — both etiquette and security. Following these tips will help you to have more effective meetings and appear more professional and engaged.
Don’t delay start times, or waste time throughout the meeting by being unprepared.
Do:
Test Your Technology
For virtually any meeting involving technology, it is important to test the equipment setup. Typically, there’s a test process you can run to make sure your app or browser interface are connecting properly to your camera and any other attached equipment like speakers and microphones.
Don’t leave your Microphone On
Do:
Check to be certain that your audio and video settings are what your desire them to be — whether or not unmuted; turned off or on. If you are not talking, it’s usually a good idea to mute yourself so that others don’t get a lot of background noises.
Do not allow your camera positioning to become a distraction to other participants in your video meeting.
Do:
Be sure that your camera is properly positioned on the primary monitor you will be using for the video conference. A camera that is pointed too low on your body or pointed somewhere else in the area can be both distracting and unflattering. Make sure that the camera is in a secure position and focused at your eye level. Doing this allows for more direct engagement with the other meeting participants. Also, be certain that you have good lighting; natural side lighting is generally the best. Without proper lighting, you may be ghosted out (too much light from the wrong angle), or too dark to see if there isn’t enough light in the room.
Do not leave public access open during the meeting
Do:
Lock the room after you have all of the intended attendees for security and to reduce vandals from invading your conference for kicks.
Do not forget that appearances matter in video meetings.
Do:
When attending a movie meeting while working remotely, dress as if you were in the office or classroom. In addition, it is important to remember that appearances aren’t limited only to you.
Don’t Ignore Your Surroundings
Do:
Know about the condition of your surroundings. Messy piles of paper on your desk? Piles of laundry? Stack of dirty dishes? To the people on the opposite end of the camera, an untidy work area can cause a significant distraction.
Don’t multitask during meetings
Do:
We’ll point out the obvious here: while we’re all guilty of occasionally multitasking through audio and web conferences, in a video conference, everyone can see you. Responding to another email? Checking your cell phone? We can see you doing that also. Eliminate distractions and concentrate on the meeting. Turning off notifications, closing or minimizing running programs and muting cell phones, streaming radio, etc., are all basic etiquette rules.
Don’t interrupt other speakers
Do:
Wait for a pause before speaking. You’d hopefully do this in person, so do the exact same here. It’s even worse on a video call because it is not as simple to see everyone to know who has interrupted the conversation.
Don’t record the meeting without permission
Do:
Request people in the session’s permission to record and be clear on how it will be shared.
Don’t Go Too Long With Your Meeting
Do:
Take Breaks & end the meeting on time. Everyone is busy and have many meetings or classes scheduled. People also require a rest between all of these video meetings. Sometimes these meetings are even tougher if you are standing all day or cooped up in one room and not getting any exercise. Taking a short break in between is actually needed.
And do not forget to smile! 🙂 With each of these video meetings taking over our lives, a sense of humor and a smile can go a long way to making the meetings more pleasant for everybody!
Tech Tuesday is heard each Tuesday on Mix102.5 with Big Poppa and CCNY Tech’s Marketing Guru Daryl Ledyard. Since 1988, CCNY Tech has been an IT Hardware Sales and Services company. Ten years ago, CCNY Tech has added IT Asset Disposition to it’s offerings.