Online mee ng e que e

ONLINE MEETING ETIQUETTE

by Nhlanhla Sibanyoni

Only invite people who need to be in your mee ng

When your invite list is long, and you’re invi ng co-workers who don’t need to be involved in the discussion or decision, it can cause the mee ng to go off the rails. Make sure everyone invited knows who else will be there – just like you wouldn’t call on people to sit in during a tradi onal mee ng, you shouldn’t make surprise invita ons during an online one.

Address technology issues before the mee ng

The whole point of online mee ngs is being able to listen and see each other virtually. If there is an issue with either of the op ons it defeats the purpose of conduc ng online mee ngs. Also, make sure your internet connec on is working as intended. The online mee ng so ware should be simple and easy to use. Anyone should be able to hop in seamlessly, leading to a be er experience without any confusion.

Dress appropriately

Just like you wouldn’t show up to an offi ce mee ng with pj’s on, you should dress appropriately for a virtual conference. Dress as you would in the offi ce mee ng room. It’ll help you stay focused and in “work” mode, even if you’re in the comfort of your home. It’s s ll a work mee ng and you should treat it that way.

By arriving early, you can troubleshoot any problems with the mee ng tool by tes ng the video, audio, and background. You can even check your presenta on before presen ng it to make sure there aren’t any glitches or errors.

Clear Background

Always choose a place with a simple solid background colour such as a wall, rather than a place that displays many things behind you. Get the ligh ng right: whether it’s adding an extra lamp nearby or posi oning your workspace near a window, a li le extra light can go a long way. Anyone listening to you should not be distracted by what is in the background. They should be able to focus on your face and what you are saying.

Learn how to mute your microphone

When you’re not talking, it’s best to mute your microphone. This is especially important if you’re joining the mee ng from somewhere with unavoidable background noise, such as a cafe or airport.

Give a virtual mee ng your full a en on

Although it’s temp ng to check your emails or fl ick through papers when you’re not speaking, there’s a good chance you’ll miss key informa on or an opportunity to give input.

End the mee ng on a posi ve note

Something subtle that you can do as a way of improving virtual mee ng e que e is to end the mee ng on a posi ve note. You can do this by saying something as simple as “thank you so much for all your eff ort on this project” or “it’s been a pleasure working with you all on this”.

Sources

● h ps://blogs.fi refl ies.ai/online-mee ng-e que e/ ● h ps://blog.gotomee ng.com/7-rules-virtual-mee ng-e que e-every-professional-know/ ● h ps://fellow.app/blog/mee ngs/zoom-mee ng-e que e-dos-and-donts/ ● h ps://www.expressvirtualmee ngs.com/en-au/blog/e que e-for-online-mee ngs-10-things-you-need-toknow

eLearning doesn’t just ‘happen’! It requires careful planning and implementa on. Anonymous