Basic Etiquette for Virtual Meetings

In these days of high fuel costs, distance alternatives to face-to-face meetings make sense. Video conferencing, web conferencing and conference calls are great tools to include people who cannot or need not be present in person. The do’s and don’t’s for remote participants in virtual meetings are:

• Don’t distract and annoy on-site participants by calling in from noisy areas such as airports, train stations, cars with the windows rolled down, or from a hotel or conference center where there is background commotion.
• When calling in from home, turn off the television or radio and keep children quiet. Put your pets outdoors or in another room behind closed doors.
• When calling in from the road, don’t swear at other drivers while on speaker phone.
• Don’t multi-task while on a conference call. Don’t check e-mail, read the newspaper or carry on side conversations. Give your full attention to the meeting as if you were physically present.

Tagged as: Business Etiquette, business meeting, conference call, interruptions, Leadership, virtual meeting