Today’s post is by Gayl Southard, Administrative Consultant for SafeSourcing.
Etiquette Rules for Video Conferencing.
In order to save costs, video services such as Skype, Google Hangouts, Join.me , Got to Meeting and WebEx to name a few are available to companies and individuals. These services really cut down on the need to travel for face-to-face meetings. There are certain manners that must be adhered to for these meetings. There are right ways and wrong ways to conduct yourself – don’t let that small screen fool you—others are watching!
- Don’t type. The noise of the typing is distracting and also is an indication that you are not listening. Even if you are taking notes, others may think you are working on something else. Experts say it is better to be taking handwritten notes.
- Make Eye Contact. Making eye contact builds trust and indicates that you are paying attention to what is being said. Moving the video-chat window near the computer’s camera so that you can look into the camera and other people’s faces is beneficial.
- Don’t Eat.
- Discourage Interruptions. You can post a sign on your door or cubicle that you are on a video-conference call to discourage interruptions.
- Don’t Leave Without Telling Someone. If you are the moderator, just indicate that you are taking a quick break. If you are participating in a large meeting, private message a colleague you will be right back.
- Pay Attention. People can notice your eyes drifting to a keyboard. Don’t look away from the screen.
- Remember the Outliners. A video conference call can be between a room full of people or one person in a remote area. Make sure individuals outside the group are included in the conversation and have openings or cues for comments and/or questions.
- Controlling the Background. A messy background can cause people to focus on the mess rather than your words and ideas. Noise can also be a problem. If your personal space is loud or messy, move to a conference room.
- Head Off Technical Difficulties. One of the biggest issues is when technical issues prevent a person from joining the call. Make sure your software is up-to-date. Fumbling to sign-in, joining late as a result, or missing a call completely, can make an individual look unprepared or technologically inept. Join the call early so you can trouble shoot any technical problems. Also, once the call is over, make sure you sign off. Comments made when you think the call has ended and has not, can be very harmful.
- Act at Home as you Would at the Office. Remember if you do work from home, these same etiquette rules apply. In a survey by Lab42, 7% of respondents have indicated that a participant was on a call while still in bed, or a pet made a cameo appearance in the background. So in short, get out of bed, keep pets or children out of the picture, and get dressed!
Sally French, Wall Street Journal, 3/14/16
There are many video conferencing solutions available to both individuals and companies today. There are also at least as many pricing programs. SafeSourcing hosts thousands of these calls annually and we have also sourced these services for numbers of companies across multiple verticals.
For more information on how the team at SafeSourcing can help your company with video service sourcing, or on our Risk Free trial program, please contact a SafeSourcing Customer Service representative. We have an entire team ready to assist you today.
