Etiquette: Zoom meetings
As we turn to video conferencing more, there
are some ground rules and etiquette we should adhere to.
Proper dress!
Dress for the job you have, not the job you
want. Do not wear your pajamas.
When you are participating on a Zoom platform, put on
professional-looking attire.
Stage your video area.
Keep in mind that people do not just see you, they
are also seeing whatever the camera is pointed at behind you. Maybe arrange it
so that your camera is not facing towards a pile of unfolded laundry?
Lighting is important.
Video quality is dramatically improved with more
lighting. And don’t you want everyone to see your beautiful face, now that you
have gone to all the trouble to put on actual clothes and stuff? An extra
nearby lamp is usually helpful. Just make sure the light is in front of you,
not behind you - being backlit makes you harder to see.
Look into the camera.
If you are presenting or speaking to a group, looking
into the camera will give the appearance of eye contact with whoever you are
talking to. It is also definitely better than being forced to stare at your own
face and realizing how badly you need a haircut.
Use the video option when possible.
It lets people see you and confirm you are being fully involved in the Zoom. This is particularly important if you are the one hosting
the meeting or a speaker.
Stay on mute if you are not talking.
Background noise can be really distracting. If you are
not sharing anything at the moment, go ahead and hit mute until you do. That
way, no one will have to hear barking dogs, screaming children or
conversation from other family members.
Do not eat during the meeting.
It can be a little gross to watch other people eat
sometimes. Or listen to them chewing, for that matter.
Do not do other private things while at a meeting.
Speaking of gross: have you heard any horror stories
about people being caught picking their nose or using the bathroom while on a
video conference, thinking they were muted or had their video off?
Stay focused.
Keep unnecessary conversations to a minimum. It can get extremely
hard to be productive when several people are all talking at once, and even
more so when overlapping audio and shuffling video screens are involved.
The host should be the last one to leave.
If the host closes the meeting, then obviously, the
meeting ends. To make sure no one gets cut off or loses a last-minute point, it
is a good idea to stick around until everyone else closes out of the meeting. Adapted from Sean Adams April, 2020.
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