Want to know the etiquette rules and tips we’ve found most effective?
Here’s are the top virtual meeting etiquette tips for business owners
By Deanna Ritchie For Calendar.com
Even if you’re not working remotely full-time, a whooping 70 percent of people around the world work remotely at least once a week. This means that even if you’re in proximity to your colleagues, there may be days when the meeting doesn’t take place in a conference room. This is where virtual meeting etiquette becomes important.
Instead, it’s a virtual meeting where attendees can participate in the meeting without having to actually be in the same room.
Since the entire Calendar team works remotely, virtual meetings have become a necessity for us. But, for a virtual meeting to be successful we’ve first had to create a strong culture with our virtual team, as well as learning the proper virtual meeting etiquette.
Choose the right technology.
In order to have a successful virtual meeting you first need to use the right software. While there’s all sorts of awesome gadgets, like telepresence robots, you want to keep things simple. After all, you don’t want your team to spend too much time setting-up cameras, downloading a ton of software, or loading PowerPoint presentations.
Instead, keep things to a minimum. You can use tried and true tools like Skype, Facetime, GoToMeeting, and Join.me to communicate virtually with your team. If you need to exchange documents, stick with Dropbox or Google Drive.
To make sure that everyone attends the meeting, use a scheduling tool like Calendar to pick the best date and time for everyone without having to exchange a million emails.
Keep your hands off the keyboard.
Have you ever been in an office full of people typing on keyboards. Some people find it relaxing, but others find it distracting. The same is true while on a virtual meeting.
Whether you’re typing notes or chatting with a friend secretly, keep you hands off the keyboard. This way the meeting has your complete attention and you aren’t annoying the other participants.
If you want to take notes, jot them down by hand. It won’t distract anyone else and research has found that you retain more information when write notes by hand.
