Since much of the world is working remotely at the moment and COVID-19 has put the kibosh on meeting in person, there’s been a surge in web conferencing to fill the communications void. All the standard events have gone virtual, the nightly talk show hosts now webcast from home, and Saturday Night Live even parodied the pitfalls of businesses adapting to digital office meetings. One startup cofounder is already publicly lamenting the uptick in meeting from home (MFH) and there is now such a thing as Zoom fatigue.
But like it or not, web meetings are here to stay for the duration.
Taking the stress out of this now-common practice seems to be something everyone could use a few tips on these days. Here’s a brief overview on what you do and don’t need to web conference like a boss.
Equipment
Most modern PCs, laptops, tablets, and smartphones come with decent microphone and camera technology integrated into the device.
Unless you’ll be broadcasting and recording for regular professional appearances on television or hosting your own podcast, you really don’t need to invest in purchasing a new webcam or XLR microphone. If you have the equipment, by all means use it, but it’s not essential for MFH. Microphone-equipped headphones or earbuds paired to your device are a nice accessory, especially if you’ll be participating from outdoors or anywhere with the potential for distracting background noise.
Setup
Make sure to test your web-conferencing app before the appointed time, and follow standard security/privacy guidelines.
Download any updates. If you’ll be screen-sharing documents, do a dry run to make sure you can launch and navigate through them in-app. Some web-meeting applications issue frequent background updates that may reset your preferences and permissions. That means you might be unable to pull up your PowerPoint slides at this week’s staff meeting without restarting, even though they worked fine last week.
Check microphone and video permissions and settings (make sure they’re enabled), and test sound and volume.
Position your computer or device so that the web camera is at eye level or slightly higher (stack your laptop on a couple of books if you have to) and make sure you aren’t backlit. Close the shades if you’re sitting in front of a window and dim any significant light sources coming from behind if you can — or position a lamp in front of you to illuminate your face.
Virtual Meeting Tips
Try to look directly into the camera as much as possible. It’s the equivalent of maintaining eye-contact in person.
If you’re in a large web conference or meeting, mute your microphone when you aren’t speaking.
Try not to interrupt — wait until a speaker has finished before asking questions.
Unless you’re giving a presentation, don’t monopolize the conversation — give others a chance to participate.
If you are giving a presentation, make sure to pause frequently and ask if there are any questions before moving on.
Save the funny virtual backgrounds and filters for informal virtual gatherings. If you’re professionally representing your employer, MFH as the Cosmic Cat Head is not appropriate.
If your physical location is not something you want to broadcast on a web conference, a virtual standard office background is fine to use.
Be advised that virtual background function in Zoom and similar web meeting applications depends on specific bandwidth, processor, and/or green-screen requirements. But there are some free apps (like Snap Camera) that can help you workaround those limitations on many devices and operating systems.
And it may sound cliché but remember to be yourself and try to enjoy the opportunity to virtually leave your house.
Gathering online for web meetings and conferences doesn’t have to be a chore. It can be a great way to stay engaged, connect with each other, and collectively keep our spirits up during these isolating times.