It’s just a few hours before your company’s video meeting. It’s your turn to anchor the program and with the look of things, the CEO, COB, COO, CFO, and other major clients of your company will be present! We understand this is a big deal for you and you’ve been running helter-skelter to ensure this meeting works out; and who knows, you might as well be promoted!
Many find themselves in the above dilemma; almost every week. Can we blame them? No, it’s just that we live in a period traditional ways of doing things have changed swiftly; and to be as productive and competitive an employee has to follow the trend.
There is no way we can talk about video meeting experiences without the Pandemic. Does that imply that Video conferencing started during the pandemic? No! As a matter of fact, it can be traced to the early 80s. However, COVID-19 gave it unimaginable traffic. While being realistic, the period was so hectic, that many businesses were on the verge of extinction. Come to think of it, you can’t go to work, and neither see your employees nor clients within and outside the nation.
In short, video meeting was one of the answers to businesses’ prayer at the time. Later, we discovered that video meeting apps such as Zoom, Skype, Free conference, etc; are even the best way to completely severe travel costs, and risk of infection, save time, as well as increase business efficiency and productivity.
With the gradual change of businesses from traditional meetings to video meetings, how can you have a great video meeting experience?
Note that our guide excludes the basic meeting decorum which includes not eating and drinking, minding one’s body language, and being quiet and attentive while others are commenting. They are basic routines, but the following are crucial to a video meeting success.
Give Honor to Whom Honor Is Due
Imagine being a CEO or an important figure of a company and you were not even recognized in a meeting; how would you feel? Well, you don’t have to show it; but the meeting has been devoid of one of the critical etiquette principles; respect! To avoid this scenario, politely introduce every member available according to their ranks at the beginning of the meeting to stimulate the gathering and ensure everyone knows everyone!
Prepare a Work-Appropriate Background
Professional meeting requires professional background, I’m sure you know that. However, you may want to juice it up a bit but not too extravagant as that would distract your attendees from the major content of the meeting. How can you do this? We assume you have a workspace already, you can simply add work-appropriate art and decorations to enlighten the place and make it less distractive. You can also use a virtual background mostly offered by these video meeting apps; especially, if you’re cornered and the meeting is a must! Furthermore, always remember that a good background should be quiet; you don’t want a baby’s cry, messages alert, or ringing tones to distract you and your audience.
Ensure You’re Looking at the Camera While Delivering Your Speech
Do you know that looking at your laptop screen or any other device aside from your webcam makes you appear 100% distracted to your audience? This may sound tricky, but you should definitely connect with a friend and see the effect! Looking at your webcam, on the other hand, during a presentation or making comments makes it appear as if you’re looking at the audience eye to eye. The effect is always positive and everyone will be carried along. As the meeting is about to start, check your webcam positioning; if it’s movable, then you’ve just got an edge! Whatever the case, simply ensure it meets your eye directly; not above or below.
Be Time Conscious and Act Professionally
In every meeting, everyone has a say; therefore, ensure you are not eating someone else’s time during your presentation. However, if another member is wasting time on unnecessary agenda you can notify them as the anchor. But if there’s no positive response, then you can politely interrupt such a speaker ONLY if he’s a lower rank. This action is very crucial as doing so would protect the interest of other members in the meeting as well as save time.
Furthermore, you should also be able to control the meeting audio and video settings. For instance, before you make contributions as may be required, check if the microphone is muted for you and others to ensure no time is wasted on repeated sentences.
As a Host, Be the Last Man Standing
As the anchor of the program, it’s a must to be available until everyone is gone. You may think the meeting has ended and you leaving the meeting before everyone else is nothing. You’re wrong! By doing so, you’ve devoid another critical etiquette principle; which is patience! Members of the meeting may want to commend your efforts on your presentation; but if you’re not there, it shows you have no respect for them! Leaving the meeting while other members are still there is like running away while it was time to be rewarded for the hard work done!
Bottom Line
You should definitely follow the above essential tips to make your video meeting experience seems professional, efficient, valuable, and a great one. And who knows you may be promoted this summer!