Video Conferencing Sessions – Best Practices and Etiquettes to Follow

The arrival and departure of the Covid-19 pandemic made some significant changes in our lives. The most significant change was experienced in the business sector, where video conferencing and video calling became the lifeline for numerous businesses across the globe. March 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic was at its peak, saw more than 62 million downloads of video conferencing apps across the globe. This is a whopping 90% increase over the weekly average of March 2019. Let's talk about 2023, as most people still face problems using video conferencing solutions and software.

There are no technical problems in understanding how to operate these applications and software. But the problem is how to behave and what practices and etiquettes to follow during a video conferencing session. Let us understand this in this post, as it will make your next meeting a breeze for you.

Designate the Meeting Leader In Advance

It is a fact that video conferencing sessions can be confusing and awkward. This confusion increases with the number of participants in the session. It becomes very tough to understand when to talk and when not. The most impressive way to remove this problem or confusion is by designating a meeting leader rather than making it a free-for-all meeting. The meeting leader will direct everyone to keep their apps in mute position to allow only one person to unmute and speak at one time. Some video conferencing solutions come with the "raise your hand" feature that participants use to let the meeting leader know that they want to add something to the current speaker's comment. The meeting leader will be helpful, as he will prevent things from getting chaotic and ensure that the time is utilised rather than wasted in confusing voices from all over.

How do you mute and unmute in different video conferencing solutions using keyboard shortcuts?

Skype

Windows: ctrl + m
Mac: command + shift + m

Zoom

Windows: alt + a
Mac: command + shift + a

Google Meet

Windows: ctrl + d
Mac: command + d

Microsoft Teams

Windows: ctrl + shift + m
Mac: command + shift + m

Webex

Windows: ctrl + m
Mac: command + shift + m

Don't Wait Until The Last Minute To Review Meeting Details

It is real that often, people organising a video conferencing meeting wait until the last minute to dig for the link in the inbox or the instant messaging apps. Most of them even engage in figuring out what password to enter, where to enter or what passcode to use. Then, some still have to install or update the software or application. All this mess or chaos should be avoided entirely by reviewing how to join the meeting at least one hour before. In other words, the preparation regarding joining the meeting should be done 1 hour in advance, like searching for the link, learning how to and where to enter the passcode and whether the software or application needs an update.

This time is enough to deal with issues that can become a hurdle in joining the video conferencing right when it starts.

Use Headsets or Earbuds

According to the experts, you must rely upon phone headsets, earphones or earbuds with an inbuilt microphone rather than the laptop's mic and speaker. The benefit is that the sound coming to you will be clearer, and your voice, while you speak, will be better audible.

Eliminate Noise Sources As Much As Possible

As a participant, you must ensure that the video conferencing is done in a quiet and peaceful environment. This means that regardless of the location, you must ensure that there is no noise around you to stop you from hearing clearly and carefully or disturbing other participants. Keeping the video conferencing app in a 'mute' position can eliminate the noises disturbing the participants, but you must also ensure that no noises are present to bother you. You can do this easily by shutting down your fan or the TV running in the background.

Dress Appropriately and Assume That Everyone Will Notice You

Attending a video conferencing session from your bedroom does not mean you can join the video conferencing in your night suit or the T-shirt you have been wearing since yesterday. This becomes more important when attending your office's video conferencing or video call session. It is expected that you don't get lax at all in terms of outfits and behaviour during video conferencing sessions and video calls, even when working from home. The best idea is to play it safe and stay appropriately dressed while assuming that all your colleagues are watching you.

Choose Background Wisely

Modern-day video conferencing solutions and applications come with the feature of hiding your actual background with some inbuilt or AI-generated background offered by the application itself. You must ensure that there is nothing behind you to distract others or pull their attention. In other words, nothing behind you should move or shake at all. The safest bet is using the static background and having a dark-coloured wall directly behind you.

Use Camera And Lights Wisely

The fact about using a camera during video conferencing and video calling sessions is that you do not need a fancy camera or a studio look. With your current camera smartly and using the lights smartly, you can create a studio look around your couch.

Make The Most Of Lighting With These Tips

Avoid backlighting at all, and this means that the source of light should not be behind you. This creates a silhouette effect and makes it challenging for people to see you.

Lighting from beneath you is also not recommended, as it creates strange shadows on your face.
Ideally, the source of light should be in front of your face to ensure that your face is getting all the light to stay visible to other participants.
you can use a ring light used by YouTube influencers for better lighting on your face and some additional impression.

Make the Most Out Of Your Camera Angle With These Tips

Avoid keeping the camera angle below your face.
The camera angle will be more pleasing if it is positioned straight on your face or slightly above your eyesight.
External cameras are the best, and while using them, make sure that you keep them as close as possible to the computer screen.

Test Everything Ahead Of Time

As mentioned in the pointer above, you must test everything beforehand or at least 1 hour before the beginning of the video conferencing session. You must familiarise yourself with all the hardware and software to ensure no technical glitches or lags are present. This includes testing the –