It’s 9 a.m. and you’re in the middle of an important Zoom meeting. The camera sitting on top of your desk is focused on on your face then suddenly the midsection of your husband appears wearing nothing but a short t-shirt that says”Baby Maker”. Oops! Follow these video conferencing tips and you’ll avoid becoming a viral meme for picking your nose during the conference!
There are definitely do’s and don’ts of video conferencing. Here are just a few:
Do
- Speak clearly.
- Take the time to make sure your background is uncluttered. No one needs to see the pair of TUESDAY underwear on the top of the laundry pile over your shoulder,
- Dress appropriately…at least the parts that can be seen! But it only takes a quick search to see the number of times the camera picks up angles that you don’t realize. So go ahead and throw on a pair of pants to be safe.
- Keep body movements to a minimum, too much moving around can create a distraction for the other Zoom meeting participants.
- Maintain eye contact by looking directly into the camera, not at yourself on screen. We know it’s hard…you’re so cute!.
- Mute your mic when there are unavoidable interruptions at home.
Don’ts
- Speak too loudly. Most microphones are extremely sensitive. We can hear you.
- Interrupt other speakers. It can be difficult to find the right place to speak during a video conference. We’ve all been in the situation when two people start to talk at the same time. Then they both stop to let the other speak. Then they both start again. ARGH! Set some rules at the beginning of the Zoom meeting. Everyone should have dedicated time to speak and avoid talking over top of one another. If you ask a question that more than one person is going to answer, call each person by name to let them know it is their turn. We’re not saying the meeting needs to be stuffy – but a little but of structure can make it much more efficient.
- Carry on side conversations within conference.
- Make the mistake of thinking your camera is off when it’s on. We’ve all seen the lady going to the bathroom and the guy getting a little personal. Don’t be the next person who goes viral after forgetting the camera is on!
We know you’re going to become a video conference pro!