What NOT to do on a video call!
Video calls, conferences, and webinars are becoming the norm. We use technology to connect with people in our professional, academic, and personal lives more than ever since are living in the midst of a pandemic. Live video communication isn’t a novel concept anymore and it’s important to navigate it successfully. If you don’t, it can negatively affect your professional reputation or ability to land your next job. Learn from other people’s mistakes! Here’s are some watch-outs of what not to do.
Don’t log-in late
Many people underestimate the time it takes to locate an invitation request and/or log onto a video call. When you are late, it inconveniences others and is unprofessional. This is also a big red flag for a potential employer! Log-in early enough to test your technology and properly prepare before engaging with others.
Don’t leave your microphone on
Unless you are in a small meeting or have a very active role on the video call, mute your mic when not speaking. This will prevent you from projecting sounds unintended for others and it minimizes technology-related feedback when others are speaking. Don’t forget to turn your mic back on when you do want to speak so the others will hear you!
Don’t eat
Remember, when you are on a video call everyone can see you! Try to eat either before or after your call. That way, you are ready to speak when you need to (without having a full mouth of food) and the other people won’t see you chewing. It is generally acceptable to sip a drink during a call.
Don’t hold side conversations
It is rude to not pay attention to the task at hand while in a meeting or on a video call, but it’s even worse to hold an obvious side conversation. I’ve been on calls where two people are clearly chatting with each other as you see them smiling and typing on their keywords back and forth. This is disrespectful to everyone else and should be avoided. If you absolutely must turn your attention away from the call, be discreet or turn your camera off after you excuse yourself via a chat message. And if you private chat through the chat function on Zoom? Be careful! Many people don’t realize that after the meeting the host has access to all messages that were sent during the Zoom call/meeting, including your private ones!
Don’t interrupt others
Be mindful of when others are speaking and try not to interrupt anyone. It may be harder to pick up on cues via video as opposed to in-person, but do the best you can. For larger meetings, determine if there’s a preferred way to comment (can be via chat, raising your hand to be seen in the video view, or raising your hand via a video chat function).
Don’t tune in with a bad camera angle, lighting, or background
Computers and cameras can be adjusted in order for you to attain a good camera angle. Try to frame yourself in the middle of the screen looking forward. Avoid angles that have you facing down or up on a video call, as that can be distracting to others and can appear to be unprofessional. Also, be mindful of your lighting (make sure you have adequate light, not too dark, not too bright, not lit from behind) and remember that other people can see your background (pick up your laundry and don’t have the camera facing the bathroom door!).
Don’t exclusively look at the screen (or specifically, yourself on the screen)
When speaking, try to look at the camera so the other participants will see your eye contact and engagement. Don’t obsess about how you look and just focus on watching yourself.
Keep these watch-outs in mind during your future video calls, conferences, and webinars. This is not an exhaustive list, but it does cover many key aspects of video engagement. If you are inexperienced, practice! You can practice with a friend or do a test run where you record yourself and then review the session to determine how you can do better. Video calls are here to stay, so do everything you can do in order to present yourself and communicate in an engaging and professional way.
