All you need to know about best practices for virtual meetings
Do you participate in a lot of virtual meetings and are wondering how you can make them more effective? Knowing the best practices for virtual meetings is important to minimize distractions, collaborate better and make your meetings more productive. I’ve facilitated countless virtual meetings and today I’m going to give you tips on the best things to do to make the meeting run smoothly for everyone involved.
1- Check your lighting
Having good lighting when you’re on a video call is critical because you want to ensure that other people can see you clearly to read body language and facial expression. This will make communication so much smoother and will improve the communication within your meeting. If you can, using natural light is a great way to ensure that the lighting on your webcam is good so that your picture is not grainy or dark. Pick a window and face it so that your camera can capture your best self!
2- Pass the virtual talking stick
The tip I’m about to give you should be obvious, but many people still don’t do it. Mute yourself when you’re not talking. Even if you don’t have loud kids running around the house or a pet dog barking, you might still make background noise! Think about it… You might simply put your coffee back on your desk after taking a sip and it makes a loud noise, or maybe your home phone rings mid-meeting. You don’t want to accidentally interrupt someone else who’s talking, so it’s always safest to mute your microphone when possible.
3- Stay present
Even if you think people can’t see what you’re doing outside of the camera, it’s truly obvious when someone is checking their phone or doing other work during a virtual meeting. People can tell when you’re not being present! So, hide your phone far away from you so that you’re not tempted to pick it up. And don’t think that a virtual meeting is a time where you can multi-task and get other work out of the way.
More Virtual Meeting Etiquette Tips
That’s not all there is to know about virtual meeting etiquette. I’ve created a short video for you with additional tips and details on how to ensure you have the best virtual meeting etiquette. Join me over on YouTube to learn the rest of what you need to know to have the most productive and effective virtual meetings possible!
