With the boom in remote work, largely thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, video meetings are more prolific than ever. In fact, about 80% of executives say that video is their go-to form of communication for internal meetings.
If you’re one of the many people who uses video conferencing to meet with colleagues and clients, it’s important to understand how to behave professionally in a video meeting.
Good video conference etiquette helps ensure successful video meetings and builds strong professional relationships, so make sure you know all the dos and don’ts outlined below.
You might even consider sharing these with your team to get everyone on board with virtual meeting best practices!
Video Meeting Etiquette Dos and Don’ts
1. Mute yourself whenever you’re not talking
Whenever your microphone is on, it’s picking up small background noises. And, if you’ve ever been in a meeting where someone who’s not talking has their microphone on, you probably know how annoying these little sounds can be.
Unless you’re actively speaking, keep your microphone muted. This will avoid the awkward moment of someone asking you to mute yourself.
Only turn your microphone on when you’re the primary person speaking or when you need to briefly respond to a question or comment directed at you.
2. Get to the meeting on time
It doesn’t matter whether you’re the person hosting a video meeting or an invitee — always show up on time.
In fact, it’s better to be a few minutes early, as most people tend to show up to video meetings before the scheduled start time.
If you’re the host, definitely plan on being ready at least five minutes early to avoid leaving people hanging around waiting for you to start the conference.
3. Test your video and audio ahead of time
Getting to a video meeting on time only to realize you have technical difficulties with your video, audio, or both, wastes time and can result in some awkward moments.
To avoid delays in starting a video meeting and maintain your professionalism, always test your video and audio beforehand to check that everything is working.
Most video meeting platforms have built-in test features that you can use to make sure your tech is good to go, but you could also ask a colleague to do a quick test call with you.
4. Don’t show up to a meeting disheveled
Just because you’re working from home doesn’t mean you should show up to a video meeting unshowered and in your pajamas.
Sure, you can get away with dressing a little more casual than you might in an office setting, but make sure your personal hygiene is taken care of and that your clothes are appropriate for the meeting.
5. Look into the camera
Even if you’re not the person talking, maintain eye contact with the camera during a meeting to show that you’re engaged.
If you do need to deal with something in the background, turn your camera off briefly so you don’t distract the people talking and listening with your movements.
6. Introduce everyone if you’re the host
If you’re like us, you’ve probably been to a few video meetings where you had no idea who half the people were.
To be a good video conference host, start by introducing everyone in attendance to make sure everyone has an idea of who the other invitees are and why they are in the meeting.
This also helps facilitate productive, collaborative video meetings, as it makes it easier to direct questions and comments at the right people.
7. Don’t eat during video meetings
Eating on camera is distracting and unprofessional, not to mention loud if you have your mic on to talk. Just don’t do it.
8. Don’t record meetings without asking if it’s OK
You should never record people without their consent. So, if you want to record a video meeting to refer back to later, ask everyone if it’s okay first and inform them that you will be doing so.
9. Actually pay attention
Looking at the camera is one thing, but actually paying attention to what people are saying is another.
Avoid working on other tasks during a meeting and do your best to engage with speakers by nodding, asking questions, or adding comments.
Not only is this polite to the people talking, but it helps you actually absorb information. You’ll also avoid awkward moments if someone asks you a question, because you’ll actually know what they’re talking about.
10. Choose an appropriate background
Before you start a video call, make sure your background that people will see is professional and appropriate. Avoid on-screen messes, like piles of laundry or dirty dishes, for example.
When in doubt, a blank wall is always a safe bet for a video meeting. Many video conferencing apps also let you set a virtual background, in case you want to cover up your real-life setting.
11. Don’t interrupt people
Whenever someone is talking, give them the floor and wait until they are done speaking to talk yourself.
If someone is talking for a long time and you really want to add something, you could privately message them in the sidebar chat and ask if they could let you make a quick comment or ask a question before they move on.
