The ins and outs of Online Meetings – NOT Meeting Online

Tyler Ryan learns about the 101 of online meetings from Pamela Eyring

All things are heading online, from simple news and information to finding love, and of course business.  The Internet allows face-to-face meetings with participants from across the world.   There are rules, however, that apply to business if you are actually face to face or in a virtual environment.

Pamela Eyring from the Protocol School of Washington offers these tips:

1. Sign in Early: Nothing throws off a meeting worse than someone being late. And
also because there are often log in problems with certain applications or equipment
issues, you should sign on early and prepare for the meeting to start, giving you
time to settle down and get acquainted with the app or program and to simply get
things moving.

2. Appearance: Because most of these online meetings are done via video, do try and
have a professional appearance. Even if you are a home worker, don’t show up in
your bathrobe or your hair all a mess. Your online presence should be polished and
professional just as if you were in the room live with your colleagues. Also, ensure
your backgrounds are not distracting, such as having a pile of dirty laundry behind
you if you are working from home. Also, try and keep family members and pets out
of view. You don’t want anything to distract from your agenda.
3. Speak Now: Because of the lag time in some online meeting software, there may
be a delay in being heard or hearing someone else. So always speak clearly and
take a tiny pause after someone else has spoken to make sure they are
finished—this is particularly true if you are just on an online meeting without video.
Also

4. Gesturing: Also, if you are on a video call, try and keep your body movements
“small” trying to move and gesture slowly and naturally. Again because of a slight
lag on most video conferences, gesturing too wildly or dramatically may come
across as distracting or unprofessional.

5. Timeliness: Last, try to keep things on time. Online meetings were made to be more
convenient and adhering to a prearranged agenda and a set timeframe will benefit
everyone and show that you respect everyone’s time.