Zoom Etiquette - How to Conduct Yourself via Video Conferencing
By now, we’re sure you’re all “Zoom aficionados” right? It’s crazy! Everything has changed so quickly due to a virus and now our world has been flipped upside down both professionally and personally. With that being said, the way things have been operating are completely digital. From meetings to conferences, interviews, and more - It’s all via webcam. And, most likely, it’s via a popular meeting website called Zoom. So, let’s talk about Zoom etiquette shall we?
What is Zoom?
Zoom has become a popular video conferencing app and site where up to 49 people can join and chat and video share and screen share. On Zoom, video chatters can take part in meetings, webinars, conference rooms, phone systems, and chats. Not to mention, Zoom is #1 ranked in customer reviews. We figure it’s important to mention this before we continue in case some of you are behind on the Zoom trend!
Proper Zoom Etiquette
The mute button exists- Yes, there is a mute feature on Zoom! If you’re outside, in a home full of children, or are working in close quarters, it’s nice of you to mute those background noises for the interest of others and the efficiency of the meeting. “Check whether your microphone is unmuted and that your camera is on to ensure that all attendees can hear you and see you when you speak. If you notice that someone in the meeting is speaking but their microphone is muted, you can alert them that they are muted by requesting that they unmute their audio in the Manage Participants tab. You also can manage how you start and join meetings — with video on, entering a meeting muted, etc. — in your Zoom Meeting Settings.” (blog.zoom). So, be sure to mute yourself when you aren’t speaking and especially if you’re doing other tasks such as folding laundry, playing music, eating (please don’t eat), or anything else...
Put on a nice top- If you happen to be doing a video interview, be sure to look presentable. We understand that sweat pants are probably your outfit of choice these days and that’s totally fine! We get it, but it doesn’t hurt to put on a nice t-shirt or jean jacket...something! Business up top - think of a mullet?...Weird analogy but you get the point. Make sure whatever is visible on camera is appropriate.
Make sure your background is appropriate- “You want your attendees’ focus to be on the meeting content, not your messy office or your amazing art collection. By having a clean setting with work-appropriate art and decorations, you reduce the chance that attendees will get distracted. You should also try to attend the meeting from a quiet area that has minimal background noise and movement. Zoom’s virtual background feature is an easy way to eliminate background distractions when you have to meet in a messy or busy location.” (blog.zoom). Nice quote right? This goes hand in hand with the above point. Be sure your area is clean. Make sure there’s nothing inappropriate or distracting in the background and be presentable. Pick a nice area of your home or apartment and make sure you have privacy so no wandering children are barging in and out.
Eat before or after...Seriously- Unless you’re entirely muted - don’t be munching away on a sandwich or slurping on a cup of coffee. As you can imagine, those sounds aren’t pleasant.
Communicate clearly- Now, if you’re not video chatting it can be tough to know when someone is finished speaking. You can’t always see their face and you can’t always pick up on cues especially if someone tends to be long winded or takes more pauses (everyone is different!) So, be sure to state “that’s all” or “I’m finished” - something to alert your team that you’re done speaking, you’ve said your piece, and now it’s time for more conversations and responses so that you can continue to be efficient and effective in your meetings and not talking over one another and overlapping.
What have you learned from your Zoom conversations? Has there ever been an instance where you feel as though some sort of etiquette or guideline should have been in place? Let us know!