Whether it’s from your desk at work or your kitchen table, participating in remote meetings is here to stay. To ensure these conferences are productive and engaging, it’s important to follow some etiquette basics. Read on to pick up a few tips about keeping your virtual gatherings professional.
Best Practices for Remote Client Meetings
Many of the tools required for running a successful remote client meeting are the same as for in-person gatherings. There should be a clear agenda, and it’s smart to distribute necessary materials ahead of time. Participants should arrive, or login, early to avoid disruptions caused by tardiness.
Because attendees are often stationed in far-flung locations, some additional details merit attention. Use appropriate Zoom immersive view templates to place your entire team in a virtual conference room to help brand your organization during client meetings and enforce a sense of cohesion. Set clear muting guidelines to minimize interruptions, and designate someone to field questions or comments that arise so they’re handled in an orderly manner.
Maintain Professionalism at Home
When you’re working from home, it’s your environment that has the potential to be the biggest distractor during remote meetings. Practice good etiquette by working from a quiet space, and check for distracting views behind you or use a virtual background. Mute your phone and smart devices, and then put the dog outside if weather permits and ask your children to respect your need for silence.
In a comfortable environment like your home, it’s easy to slip into bad practices during a meeting. Be mindful of your facial expressions, avoid the temptation to snack, and don’t let your eyes wander. Keep paper handy for taking notes, as the sound of typing can be surprisingly loud. Close background tabs, even your email, so nothing on your screen pulls your attention away from the speaker.
Appearances Matter
Regardless of where you are when attending a remote conference, optimizing your optics will keep you from being a distracting participant. Both your personal image and your surroundings should reflect your professionalism.
No matter how casual the tone is at your workplace, when you’re on camera in a virtual meeting you should look sharp. Wear a clean, wrinkle-free shirt, and test the camera-readiness of its pattern in advance. Tidy your hair and do a waist-up check of yourself for anything that looks out of place before logging in.
Choosing an appropriate background image is also a must. Be aware that older devices may prohibit the use of greenscreens or high-resolution pictures, so accessing Zoom backgrounds Mac may require a system update or another workaround. Address issues well ahead of time so you’re ready to present yourself professionally when the meeting begins.
From your Teams virtual background to the neatness of your appearance, professionalism is key for maintaining proper etiquette in remote meetings. To ensure your tech is supporting your meeting objectives, work with a trusted provider of branded backgrounds to project a polished company image during your next virtual gathering.