In a world of virtual meetings, it’s essential to follow a few basic online team meeting etiquette rules. These will help ensure a productive and successful meeting.
First and foremost, arrive on time. This will show your attendees that you respect their time and are committed to a successful meeting.
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Arrive on Time
It’s a good idea to arrive on time for an online team meeting. This way you can iron out any issues with your tech setup and ensure that everyone has a clear view of your screen.
It also helps to have a good understanding of the tools you’ll be using. This will make the session more productive for everyone involved.
One common reason people arrive late to online meetings is that they don’t know when the meeting will open and start. This can cause them to miss out on important information or get stuck talking about something they’re not familiar with.
Keep Your Microphone Muted
If you’re the host of a virtual team meeting, it’s important to keep your microphone muted whenever you don’t plan on speaking. This is typical online video conferencing etiquette and can help you avoid unwanted interruptions from attendees or other sounds in your meeting.
To un-mute yourself, press and hold Ctrl+Spacebar (Windows) or Option+Spacebar (Mac). Microsoft Teams will then send you a notification that you’re temporarily un-muted. When you release the keys, you’ll be back to muted mode again.
Take Down Notes
When you sit down for an online team meeting, your first instinct may be to just jot down notes as quickly and verbatim as possible. However, this practice will lead to unorganized, messy handwriting and can cause a number of issues.
To avoid the issue, it’s best to format your notes before you sit down for the meeting. By doing this, you’ll be able to organize your ideas and thoughts better, which will help you remember them later.
Make Eye Contact
If you’re holding an online team meeting, making eye contact is critical to communicating well. It demonstrates that you’re interested in what your colleagues are saying and it enables them to feel more comfortable with you.
The right amount of eye contact is a matter of judgment, and the length should vary according to the person you’re speaking with and their cultural norms. For instance, Japanese individuals tend to make less eye contact than Western Europeans or North Americans.
Don’t Interrupt
When you’re holding an online team meeting, interruptions can quickly derail the entire flow of the conversation. This is especially true for remote workers who aren’t in the conference room with their colleagues.
It’s important to avoid interrupting in a virtual environment, because there is usually a lag between the voice and video conferencing software and everyone’s response. This can create confusion, so wait a second to speak, or leave yourself enough time to say your piece before you interrupt.
Don’t Go Off-Topic
When you have a meeting online, it is important to avoid going off-topic. This can make the meeting feel rushed and can lead to unnecessary discussions that don’t benefit everyone in attendance.
This is why it is important to set up an agenda before the meeting begins. This will ensure that all points are covered and no time is wasted in discussing irrelevant information or topics.
This is also a good time to make sure that all participants have RSVPd for the meeting. If any key stakeholders haven’t YESed, it may be best to reschedule the meeting so that everyone can participate.
Be Prepared
When it comes to online team meeting etiquette, there are some things you can do to help ensure your meetings are productive and pleasant for everyone. By following a few simple rules, you can make your virtual team meetings run smoothly and avoid embarrassing misunderstandings and mistakes.
The most important thing is to be prepared ahead of time. This will ensure that you and your team members are ready to talk without any interruptions or delays.