Zoom meetings are more popular than ever: With the proliferation of flexible and hybrid work schedules, they\u2019ve become the go-to tool for managers and employees alike to meet when an in-office visit isn\u2019t possible. The increase in Zoom meetings comes with some serious plusses, says recruitment specialist firm Glassdoor.<\/p>\n
Moving meetings to Zoom can cut down on needless travel and office set up, says J.P. Gaston, CEO of The Biz Dojo Inc.<\/p>\n
And Lora Poepping, president of Plum Coaching & HR Consulting, points out that Zoom meetings open up the doors to out-of-town employees to work at a place that\u2019s not within driving distance. \u201cZoom is a critical tool in staying connected,\u201d Poepping said.<\/p>\n
But Zoom and other video tools like it also have their drawbacks. Virtual meetings inspire \u201cless opportunity for on-the-fly collaboration, and nothing substitutes for face-time in an office,\u201d said Poepping.<\/p>\n
Such meetings can lead to slower decision making, Gaston said, and too many Zoom calls can quickly fill up an employee\u2019s calendar, leaving little time for productivity and work.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere has also been an overuse of Zoom, or, as we all know it, \u2018Zoom fatigue,\u2019\u201d said Jill Tipograph, co-founder of Early Stage Careers. When technology fails \u2013 such as spotty WiFi or choppy microphones \u2013 a meeting can become awkward or thwarted entirely, Tipograph said.<\/p>\n
But with this ultimate list of Zoom dos and don\u2019ts, you and your team can focus on the plus sides of virtual meetings and avoid its negatives. Glassdoor sets out what to do (and not do) on Zoom<\/a>.<\/p>\n Do: Set camera expectations.<\/strong><\/p>\n If you\u2019re hosting the Zoom meeting, be sure to let attendees know whether they should show up with their cameras on, said Poepping. \u201cSome employees will be delighted to see their colleagues\u201d and have the opportunity to bond with the team, she says, while others \u201cmay prefer cameras off due to family circumstances. The heads up will help them to appropriately prepare.\u201d<\/p>\n Don\u2019t: Leave your microphone on.<\/strong><\/p>\n When you\u2019re not actively engaged in a conversation, it\u2019s best to keep your microphone off, says Joanna Lovering, executive coach, workplace psychologist, and founder of Copper + Rise.<\/p>\n \u201cI realise the quote of the year is \u2018you’re on mute\u2019 because people forget to unmute themselves,\u201d she said, but \u201cthat is no excuse for forgetting rule number one of basic Zoom etiquette: mute yourself when you\u2019re not talking. You\u2019d be surprised what sounds your microphone can pick up.\u201d<\/p>\n Do: Prepare a meeting agenda.<\/strong><\/p>\n Be sure to come prepared and provide an agenda. Doing so \u201censures the team comes to the call mentally prepared for the conversation at hand,\u201d Gaston said. \u201cIt can also ensure you invite the right individuals; some team members may notice key stakeholders missing from the invite.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t: Plan every second of the meeting.<\/strong><\/p>\n While you want a meeting agenda, you also don\u2019t want to pack the meeting so full that you don\u2019t leave time for questions, conversation, and other interactions.<\/p>\n \u201cMy recommendation for a one-hour meeting is that 30 minutes should be planned and the rest used as question-and-answer or conversation time, with some buffer time for late joiners and next steps,\u201d Gaston said.<\/p>\n Do: Pay attention when others are done talking.<\/strong><\/p>\n If you\u2019d like to join in on the conversation, \u201cpay careful attention to when the current speaker is finishing,\u201d said Jodi R. R. Smith, president of Mannersmith Etiquette Consulting. Why? \u201cThere can be slight delays in the transmissions,\u201d she said, and you don\u2019t want to interrupt someone.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t: Panic during technical glitches.<\/strong><\/p>\n Even with proper preparation, technology sometimes fails. \u201cVideos will freeze, the sound will disappear, and calls will drop,\u201d said Anne deBruin Sample, CEO of Navigate Forward.<\/p>\n That\u2019s why it\u2019s smart to \u201cdiscuss how you will handle any issue, whether it\u2019s starting a new video session, finishing via phone, or switching platforms\u201d at the beginning of your Zoom meeting, she said.<\/p>\n Do: Keep it short.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201c\u2018Zoom fatigue\u2019 is real,\u201d said deBruin Sample, which is why she suggests keeping Zoom calls to 90 minutes or less. \u201cFace-to-face interactions boost our energy, but too many virtual meetings can have the opposite effect,\u201d she said. \u201cShorter is always better with online meetings.\u201d<\/p>\n Don\u2019t: Let an employee bogart the call.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThey are always employees who take over the Zoom call,\u201d warns Poepping. Employees have different reasons for stealing the show: They may be trying to impress a manager, she said, or they may not have the social skills to read the proverbial room.<\/p>\n Either way, if you have a team member who\u2019s apt to take over, \u201ca manager may want to approach that employee in advance and mention that they want to allow other employees to show up and shine,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Do: Be mindful of the time.<\/strong><\/p>\n If you book a 30-minute meeting, Gaston says you shouldn\u2019t take 31 minutes of people\u2019s time. \u201cMost individuals have multiple calls, often back-to-back,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cConsider how many team members are on the call with you and book the appropriate amount of time for the discussion you expect to have. Stick to your agenda and if you need more time, then book a follow-up call.\u201d<\/p>\n Don\u2019t: Write anything unkind in a chat.<\/strong><\/p>\n This is obvious, but it\u2019s worth a reminder: Don\u2019t say anything in a chat that you wouldn\u2019t say in the meeting itself. \u201cAs with most things on the internet, do not consider this chat private,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe person hosting the meeting has the ability to download, read, and save the chat.\u201d<\/p>\n Do: Check your camera angle.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cEven after more than18 months of quarantine, people are still struggling with backdrops and camera angles,\u201d said Poepping.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re unsure how to choose a good angle, Poepping recommends heading to YouTube and watching a tutorial. By fixing your camera angle and setting a professional backdrop, you can leave a better impression on managers, she said.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t: Forget to look into the camera.<\/strong><\/p>\n It can feel strange to look at your computer\u2019s camera rather than at its screen. But \u201cwhile looking at the camera may feel awkward at first, the dividends are worth it,\u201d said Lovering.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you\u2019re having a conversation with someone in-person, you use eye contact as an active listening tool [and] that eye contact signals to the other person that you\u2019re present, you\u2019re listening, and you care. To recreate those all-important feelings on a Zoom call, you must look into the camera so that it seems as though you\u2019re giving the audience eye contact.\u201d<\/p>\n Lovering suggests placing a sticker or Post-It note next to the camera so that you\u2019ll look at it rather than at the screen.<\/p>\n Do: Plan interactive elements into the meeting.<\/strong><\/p>\n Interactive elements keep your teammates engaged throughout the call and prevent them from getting too bored. \u201cFew of us enjoy \u2018watching\u2019 meetings,\u201d said Tipograph. \u201cIf we\u2019re invited, we want to participate.\u201d<\/p>\n She suggests that you assign various aspects of the meeting to different team members or consider taking votes, polls, or asking planned questions during the call.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t: Don’t forget to wear pants.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cOne would think that this wouldn\u2019t need to be said,\u201d Lovering said, \u201cbut clearly, from all the crazy videos we\u2019ve seen on the internet, it does.\u201d It may be more comfortable to wear yoga pants or sweatpants, and that\u2019s OK. But no pants aren\u2019t an option.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s Murphy’s Law: The day you need to pick up a pen from the floor is the day you decide to take the risk of no pants,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Do: Encourage mindfulness.<\/strong><\/p>\n Ahead of your call, \u201cask the team to set aside distractions for your meeting,\u201d advised Gaston. If you have planned a longer meeting, he also encourages you to plan for a break. \u201cIf you show respect for the individual and their time, they will do the same for you,\u201d Gaston said.<\/p>\n \u201cAssure the team you will focus the conversation, but also require their dedicated focus and to put away their phone, email, and other distractions for your time together for everyone\u2019s sake.\u201d<\/p>\n Don\u2019t be afraid to ask if choosing Zoom was the right call.<\/strong><\/p>\n At the outset of a Zoom meeting, explain why you chose Zoom and \u201cclarify what level of engagement you need from the group,\u201d said Tipograph. \u201cThis will give people an opportunity at the end of the meeting to see if your rationale lived up to the vision you put forth.\u201d<\/p>\n Then she encourages you to \u201chave the courage to ask: \u2018Did we need to do this via Zoom today?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
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