Having business meetings online, require a different set of conditions. Here is a list of how you can adjust your practicalities and behaviors so that you also succeed in your digital meetings.
The environment
First and foremost, make sure you create a professional meeting environment. What is seen in the picture should look as professional as possible. Try to image that you are in a little TV studio and give some thought to what appears on the screen and that there is good lighting.
Tip!
If you work from home, decorate a corner where you can sit in peace without being disturbed by family members walking past or perhaps the family dog starting to bark.
Make sure the things you surround yourself with give a professional impression. Clean up your area and do not let piles of clothes or rubbish form the background disturb the image you wish to deliver to your meeting participants.
And speaking of image. Far too many people do not think about how the camera captures their upper body and face when they are in the picture. Of course, it is best that the camera is placed directly in front of your face. Avoid the classic mistake where participants look straight into your nostrils.
Tip!
Put your laptop on a stack of books or raise your desk if possible!
Your look
How do you want to present yourself when you participate in online meetings? Do you arrive directly from the sofa in your home, with messy hair and your bathrobe on?
The fact that you spend time presenting yourself with a professional exterior contributes to what you want to convey to others.
Tip!
By maintaining a professional appearance even at distance meetings, it is easier to maintain your own pondus, pride and professional feeling. In addition to this, always wear trousers or a skirt – in case you suddenly stand up, and for a good self-perception of course. 🙂
Another tip is that you do not wear small-patterned clothes that tend to flicker in the picture. It can both irritate and make your meeting participants unfocused. Choose a solid color shirt, blouse or sweater. And do not forget to sit with a straight back.
The technology
Check the technology before the meeting starts. Be prepared 10 minutes before the scheduled time, so you can test that the sound and camera work and that it looks okay.
If you want, you can also switch on a background filter. It can be a quick way to arrange so that the environment looks professional.
Be punctual
Keeping the appointed time always applies, no matter where we are, in the digital and physical world. The person or people you meet should not have to wait for you or anyone else. Of course, it is equally important to end the meeting on time.
Come to your advantage
Are you one of those people who feels uncomfortable at video meetings and not understood when you don’t have the meeting participants next to you in the room? A trick to get into the dialogue quickly is that you make a comment of a general nature early in the meeting. By making your voice heard from the beginning, it becomes mentally easier to also continue to comment when the conversation touches on more work-related topics.
Eat or drink
Coffee, tea or other beverages are usually welcome at digital meetings. But eating meals is usually not appreciated. Of course, there may be exceptions where it is perfectly ok to bring a breakfast sandwich into a meeting. However, make sure to agree on this before with your meeting participants and turn off the microphone.
Stay focused
Do not other things to break your concentration during the meeting. Turn off notifications on your mobile phone and other things that can disturb both you and others.
Switch off disturbing elements
If there is a risk of disturbing noise in your surroundings, from coffee cup clinking to construction work in the building, turn off the microphone when you are not talking.
Reflection questions
- How do you think about your own attire and the impression you give at meetings at a distance?
- How important is it for you that the person you meet digitally gives a professional impression? What do you usually react to in those you meet in a digital meeting?
