As more and more companies transition towards being remote, people are learning how to navigate all aspects of digital work. If your organization is like most businesses across the globe, you’re spending much of your time on Skype, Zoom and the like these days.

Virtual meetings are becoming the norm. For those more familiar with in-person discussions, video calls can take some getting used to—especially when your whole team is now location-independent. It may be helpful to treat it as a face-to-face talk but there are some unique issues to consider as well.

Less-experienced attendees often struggle with the technology or their internet connectivity at home. In the call, people also talk over each other, which is a huge ‘no’ given the problems of speaker clarity, delays, and buffering.

Video Call Etiquette 101

Love them or hate them, meetings are part of almost every online job. There are thankfully many video call tips to help you navigate new territory. To align your team to best practices and save you from blunders, we’re sharing these tips.

Check that everything works

Nothing can be more awkward than malfunctioning hardware or slow internet speeds during an important conference call. Thus, one of the most important things to do before joining a meeting is testing your technology.

For testing your hardware, most video calling apps like Skype will help you test your speakers, camera, and microphone to confirm that they function as they should. Look at the settings menu if you can’t spot the tests right away.

When it comes to checking your internet connection, there are plenty of speed tests available online. We recommend getting your bandwidth to at least 8Mbps/512kbps for a call that involves 7 or more people. If you can help it, connect to LAN instead of Wi-Fi as much as possible.

Find a bright and quiet place

It’s important to find a silent place for your video calls so that you can hear the other participants. At the same time, you won’t disrupt anyone when your microphone has to be turned on.

However, working from home with children or pets makes it hard to find a quiet spot to attend your meeting. Ideally, you should be in a low-traffic area where you can close the door for privacy. If not, be where others are less likely to be at that time of day.

Notify the people you live with when you’ll be participating in a call so they know not to disturb you. When background noise is unavoidable, consider installing a noise cancelling app like Krisp on your PC. A white noise machine would be useful in muffling your conversations too.

If you’re using an Nvidia GTX or RTX video card, try RTX Voice, a beta plugin that removes background noise. Unfortunately, there’s no AMD equivalent.

Clean up your background

Perhaps you don’t have an office at home. If you do have one, it might be that it has bland décor or plain messy. Your easiest option would be to move to another location with a blank background.

When that isn’t possible, clean up the laundry, dishes, and other clutter behind you. Cover them up with a large clean cloth if you’re in a hurry, although this isn’t advisable.

Don’t have the inclination to change the room itself? Hide the appearance of the space through background features offered in some video conferencing programs. Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Skype, for instance, allows you to add a virtual background to your video.

Dress for your audience

One of the best things about working from home is being able to dress in your pajamas while toiling away. This doesn’t mean you should do this during a video meeting though.

If you’ll be talking to your family or friends, you can get away with your comfiest shirt and sweatpants. With your co-workers, it’s advisable that you adhere to the company dress code. You can even dress up from the waist up, if you wish. Just make sure you won’t be getting up during the meeting!

There’s probably no need for a suit but do wear something clean and professional. Check your appearance in a mirror before you go on camera. Have a handkerchief or some paper towels on hand in case you need to wipe away sweat as well.

Mind shares and messages

There may be a need for you to share your screen during the conversation. Maybe you have to present a sales report or a training slideshow.

Either way, make sure to minimize the number of tabs and windows you have open. This way, it’ll be easier for the other participants to see what you’re referring to. Close any documents or files that you would rather not want others to see.

It’s a good idea to temporarily disable any incoming notifications while you’re presenting. Some apps will show a snippet of the message on the screen and you can’t be sure what someone will be messaging you during the call.

Stick to the agenda

It’s normal to be nervous if you’ve been assigned to lead the next virtual meeting. Ease your nerves by remembering this rule of thumb: always stick to the agenda.

It’s easy to veer off topic as video calls seem more informal in nature. You have people working in bedrooms, dining rooms, and dens so there are plenty of distractions.

For the sake of focus and productivity, limit the topics to be discussed and send them to the attendees beforehand. Anything that needs to be delved into further can be covered in another meeting, if it’s a matter than can wait.

Use mute and chat functions

Do you happen to be in a place that has a lot of background noise like a co-working space or coffee shop? These spots aren’t very quiet and can interrupt your co-workers when it’s their turn to speak.

Thus, keep your microphone muted if it’s someone else’s turn. Doing this prevents the sounds of your movements from being streamed to everyone else. It spares people from hearing your child cry, your dog bark, or the neighbor’s rooster crowing.

Should you have any questions about the content discussed or presented, don’t talk over the speaker. Use the chat function on your video conferencing app so you can submit all the queries you want without audibly interrupting the host or presenter.

Avoid doing other things

When video calls seem to go on forever, it can be tempting to check your email inbox, social media, or the news. The thought of going to the kitchen for a small snack may sound tempting as well, but hold off on the idea.

Good video call etiquette means you have to pay attention to the person speaking. It’s clear when you’re distracted by something if you keep gazing elsewhere, moving around, or fidgeting. This can prompt other attendees to do the same so overall productivity goes down the drain.

Even if you have deadlines that you need to meet, fight the urge to work on your tasks during the call. Inform your superior about it beforehand so they can help you manage it. They might even excuse you from the meeting altogether to let you focus on your work.

Last Word of Advice

As a final suggestion in our list of video call tips, we remind you to always be patient and kind to your colleagues. People have different levels of expertise and comfort when it comes to video calls. Don’t blow your top if they encounter bandwidth or microphone issues, and offer assistance instead.

Ready to apply the tips you’ve learned but don’t have the chance to do so because you’re still looking for work? We at Remote Workmate can help you find a good remote job where your strengths would be put to use. Allow us to connect you to clients from across the globe.