By now, virtual meetings are part of our daily routine. A Zoom presentation to the office team, or presenting as a Keynote at a large virtual event, along with a multitude of video conferencing options, is here to stay. Face to face often means screen to screen and making a personal connection remote and leaving a positive imprint is still part of doing good business and building goodwill. Review these virtual meeting etiquette tips before scheduling your next remote presentation.
Virtual Meeting Etiquette:
Treat Every Meeting Like It’s Your First
You know your material and you’re confident in the delivery. However, each time you connect virtually, it’s important to do a trial run beforehand to ensure there are no technology hiccups. Before every session, I request a quick meeting to go over any potential problems. We go over the agenda, timeframe and check lighting, audio and video settings. Zoom has a feature that allows you to test your settings before entering a meeting and you should not hesitate to use it.
Keep Your Meeting Private
If you share an upcoming event on a public platform, it should be no surprise when there are people on that you don’t recognize. Share passwords and links carefully, or you will have visitors joining and perhaps a few uninvited guests.
Follow the Traditional Host Duties
Similar to face to face events, the host should arrive early and be the last one to leave. If you are a guest speaker, arrive a few minutes before you are scheduled to take the virtual stage. Depending on how you have the session set up, you can be a co-host or simply a guest who will speak at the event. Don’t jump off until the host closes the session and thanks you for your participation.
Be Respectful of the Attendees Time
Have a deliberate, well-thought-out agenda and stick to the timeframe you posted on the invitation. Start on time and finish 5 minutes early. Leave time for last-minute Q and A’s and avoid getting off topic. If a question pertains only to one individual, set up a personal call or meeting for another time.
Keep the Guest List Manageable
Virtual meetings are the perfect breeding ground for social loafing. Asking every participant to turn on their video and encouraging engagement helps counter the sense of invisibility one feels when hiding behind a computer screen.
Closure and Request Honest Feedback
Before the meeting comes to an end, ask if the participants if there is anything that needs clarification. Be prepared for silence as it’s getting close to the end where people are anxious to check their phones, emails and take a break.
Schedule a 10 minute debrief shortly after the meeting with the organizer to discuss what worked and what needs adjusting the next time around. Send out a short survey asking for candid feedback. Use the information as a learning tool. Starting out, I encouraged EVERYONE to talk, get involved and ask questions throughout my sessions. I was used to large crowds with plenty of personal interaction. On a remote platform, having large groups of people and constant questions doesn’t work as well. I had to alter my sessions to keep engagement high without continuous interruptions, which take on a different feel on a remote platform.
The goal of every remote meeting is to be informational, effective and deliberate.
If you liked this post you may also like How to Successfully Manage a Remote Team. For more of Diane’s etiquette tips read her posts on Inc., subscribe to her articles on The Huffington Post, “like” The Protocol School of Texas on Facebook, and follow her on Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter.
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