Here’s What You Need To Know About Remote Meeting Etiquette

As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to spread, more and more organizations are moving to a remote working environment and adjusting to this new normal. Organizations are adopting various tools such as attendance and leave management software or remote employee management software to continue running their operations smoothly. It has become critical in these times to know how to ensure productivity levels and assure that everyone is on the same page.  

While remote working has drastically changed the way organizations function, meetings have become one of the most significant factors to stay connected with your team. Hence, virtual meetings are an essential part of our daily schedule now. If you are totally new to this remote working environment, you may have noticed that remote or virtual meetings are different compared to the in-person meetings at the workplace.

And hence, in order to make these virtual meetings successful, you need to first create a strong culture for your remote team and ensure that they know the etiquette of a virtual or remote meeting. If you are thinking about where will you find these, then you have come to the right place. Here are some remote meeting etiquette that will benefit you as well as your team while attending a virtual meeting: 

• It's Not Always About Being Keyed Up! 

If you have ever worked with the support team then you obviously know how annoying the typing sound can be! The same is the case with remote meetings as well. 

While attending the meeting, if you are typing notes or doing any other work, then you are not paying complete attention to the meeting. Also, the typing sound can distract others, hence, stay away from using the keyboard while you are in a meeting. 

If in case you want to make notes of the discussion, note it down in your diary.   

• Be Clear and Specific When You Speak  

Yes, technology has made it very easier to connect with people instantly. But, it also has some flaws which we need to be aware of! 

According to Susan Colaric , AVP for Instructional Technology at Saint Leo University, Florida, there is a two or three seconds delay in the speech after someone speaks. 

Therefore, make sure that you take a pause while speaking and be clear and precise about what you want to convey. If you are on a video call, you may consider raising your hand to say something, instead of directly attempting to speak which may sometimes result in interrupting others.  

• Find a Calm Place to Prevent Disturbances During the Meeting  

Set-up your own home workstation at a calm and serene place. Especially during video meetings, make sure that your background looks neat and tidy as you may not want to embarrass yourself in front of your coworkers. Find a space that is free from distractions in order to stay active and attentive in the meetings. 

• Stay Focused and Avoid Multi-tasking 

It has been identified that 73% of the employees were busy doing other work while attending the meeting. And this can result in employees being less productive than usual as their concentration is divided.  

Hence, before starting a meeting, make sure that you stay away from your phones, keep aside your work, and completely focus on the discussions in the meetings.  

• Keep Essential Windows Open

A lot of windows or programs open on your monitor make you more vulnerable to distractions. You may want to check your email or the status of your task, etc. But just imagine, if keyboard sound was distracting, then how annoying can an email or message notification sound? 

That is why you should consider closing all non-essential programs so that they don't act as a hindrance for you in the meeting. It will also be easy for you when you need to present a document or a report from your system.  

Final Words:  

Being able to attend meetings from your living room is, of course, an advantage for us during this uncertain situation of Covid-19 pandemic. However, this shouldn’t serve as an excuse to forget the basic etiquette of a meeting.  

And hence, follow the above-mentioned etiquette of a remote meeting and ensure you respect each other's time by making this remote work phase a cakewalk. 

Stay Home! Stay Productive!