12 Essential Etiquette Rules to Follow Every Time You Join a Video Call
Essential Etiquette Rules to Follow Every Time You Join a Video Call
Virtual meeting etiquette is real.
If our collective stint as remote workers (slash remote humans) has taught us anything, it's that being on video calls requires some serious finesse. Joining a video job interview without pants? Not the smartest plan. Jumping onto a virtual board meeting where no one is on mute? Nightmare. Hosting a giant Zoom birthday party for Grandma without testing your tech? Glitch-city. And lest we forget the cautionary tale of this poor Texas attorney who went viral for accidentally activating a filter that turned his face into a kitten on screen during a serious Zoom hearing.
In short: We've entered the age where video call etiquette rules are 100 percent necessary. Below, the basic commandments everyone should follow to the best of their ability when logging onto a group video conference (for work or play). While, admittedly, most of these pointers are common sense, it never hurts to refer back to a written list of etiquette rules and tips (because nobody wants to be *that* person).
RELATED: 3 Ways to Make Work Phone and Video Calls More Effective
Be early—and test out your tech beforehand.
The point is to join on time—but oftentimes joining a call can get delayed due to internet speed and other crossed wires. To make sure your face actually appears on time, you might actually need to join a few minutes early. In the same vein, make sure all your tech is working properly. Is your computer’s Bluetooth connection wonky? Maybe don’t use your Bluetooth headphones if it will mess up the audio connection or disrupt the conversation. Do you have a solid internet connection from that corner of the room? Is your laptop well charged (or do you at least have a charger at the ready?). These are the little details to get in order beforehand.
Mute when you’re not speaking, unmute when you are.
Muscle memory is the name of the game. Get into the habit of turning on mute whenever you’re not speaking or finished speaking. This will save the group from hearing weird audio feedback, any side comments you might accidentally make, construction going on behind your house, your kid’s TV show playing the background, and so on. And then every time you plan to say something, make a conscious habit of checking your mute settings and unmuting yourself.
RELATED: 8 Fresh Ideas to Upgrade Your Virtual Parties
Turn off or silence loud notifications.
This might be tricky for people who are constantly on video meetings for the day, but still like to have an audio cue for new messages. But for the most part, it’s courteous to silence any noisy Slack, email, or other pings and notifications before heading into a meeting. It’s hard to listen to you when your incoming email bell is chiming every 45 seconds.
Actually pay attention.
Sorry to break it to you, but people can tell pretty easily if you’re reading an article or answering emails on a video call, or if you’re texting and scrolling Instagram while FaceTiming with them. Do your best to curb distractions (again, maybe pause your Slack notifications) when you’re supposed to be engaged in a meaningful virtual meeting. Think of it this way: Don’t do anything it wouldn’t be polite or appropriate to do during an in-person meeting or conversation.
Present a clean, calm background.
Clean up the space around you as well as you can and make sure the background is pleasant enough to look at. It doesn’t need to be perfect, but it’s worth some effort. People won’t be able to focus on you if there’s a monstrous mountain of dirty laundry, a dizzying wallpaper pattern, or a chaotic kitchen scene going on behind you. It’s not always possible (small space people, we see you), but do what you can with what you’ve got.
Get dressed.
It doesn't have to be to the nines. You’ve heard this a million times, but we’ll say it again. Brush your hair, put on a clean shirt, and please, please wear pants (even if they’re just sweatpants—although proceed at your own risk!). How you present yourself matters. If it helps incentivize you, looking appropriate—not fancy or wildly overdressed, but clean and suitable—is a sign of respect and consideration for other people. If you won't do it for you, do it for them.
Make "lens" contact.
Talk about counterintuitive. Our instinct is to look people in the eye, and that seems like it would mean looking at their eyes on screen. But in order to appear to be looking your interlocutor in the eye from their perspective, you actually need to look straight into your camera lens. This is a particularly good piece of advice for any video calls where eye contact is going to make or break the conversation (like a job interview or big sales pitch).
Embrace the pauses (read: don’t interrupt).
Interruptions are challenging in in-person interactions, but they’re even more frustrating during virtual ones. It’s better to endure a semi-awkward pause of a few seconds to make sure no one else has anything to say than it is to jump into your spiel before someone’s finished speaking. Better yet, use the “raise hand” feature if your video platform offers it. This mitigates interruptions and confusion on a multi-person call like a large meeting or seminar.
Get on the same page about using your video.
Good (albeit unspoken) Zoom etiquette says, if they’re on camera you should be on camera. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule based on circumstances. But for the most part, you and whoever you’re connecting with via tech should be on the same page about whether or not you’re expected to be on video. And if you’re not comfortable, ask to meet by audio-only while scheduling your chat.
Don’t check yourself out too much.
Why is it so hard to resist peeping your own square in the corner? We all do it, but if it starts to become too much of a distraction, most platforms feature an option to hide your self-view. Highly recommended if you can’t help but check yourself out on-screen.
RELATED: 10 Work-From-Home Wardrobe Essentials You Need ASAP
Avoid eating mid-meeting.
If you’re super comfortable with your teammates, and you've all acknowledged you’re meeting during a crucial lunch hour, sure, you can enjoy your salad (on mute, please!). For the most part, though, keep the biting and chewing for moments between Zooms.
Don't assume you're off camera.
When a convo is over, be extra-careful not to say or do anything you wouldn’t want others to see until you're completely sure your camera and audio are off and the meeting has ended. We’ve all had those foot-in-mouth moments we’d like to take back forever and can’t, whether it’s a comment about your mother-in-law while she’s still on the line or letting a curse word slip while you’re still on speaker with the Chicago branch. Don't assume you're in the clear until the camera light is officially off and you've closed the video chat window or application.
RELATED: 10 Beauty Tips to Look Your Best Over Video Chat, Zoom, or Webex
