Etiquette

 

Just as the workplace encourages a professional culture to help us communicate effectively, video conferencing introduces its own set of social graces. Many of these suggestions are simply long-standing social rules that have been adapted for new technologies.

 

These recommendations can help you hold a productive meeting or conference that gets the job done, strengthens your working relationships, and makes your conversation partners feel valued and respected.

 
Call Initiation
 
 

Similar to knocking on an office door before entering, sending a chat message to check availability before starting a video call shows respect for a person's privacy and time. We recommend a brief online chat message asking whether it's a good time for a video call.

Pacing Yourself
 
 

Every system and network adds latency—a delay between the time when you move or speak and the time when the other participants see and hear you.

 

To avoid inadvertently causing missed conversation, your pace of conversation and gestures should be slightly slower than what you use when talking to someone in person. This will allow the meeting participants to remain in sync with you.

Looking at the Camera
 
 

Eye contact is critical to any conversation. When the conversation occurs online, however, it becomes harder to look someone in the eye because the person's image and your video camera are in two different places.

 

To overcome this issue, place your video camera as close to the other person's image as possible. This way, when he or she speaks, you can look at the image—but to your conversation partner, you'll look like you're focusing on him or her.

 

When it's your turn to speak, look directly into the camera. This will make your conversation partner feel as if you really are peering directly into his or her eyes.

Reducing Distractions
 
 

As with in-person conversations, certain distractions should be avoided:

  • Large movements
  • Walking around or out of the room
  • Holding side conversations
  • Doing other work during the video call

Minimizing distractions will help meeting participants remain focused and productive.

Being on Time
 
 

Timeliness is always a courtesy, even for a virtual presence. When a meeting has been arranged in advance, make sure you are online and ready ahead of the scheduled time. After all, you no longer have the excuse of getting caught in traffic!

Online Status
 
 

If you frequently spend time away from your device, set your status to automatically turn to "Away" after a specified period of time. By keeping your online status accurate, you can help your colleagues identify when you're truly available, when you're occupied, and where you are working.

 

To access this setting, click or tap the Settings button, then click or tap the Preferences button.