The Eleven Critical Tips for Successful Videoconferencing: That’s a Wrap!

Whew. The last user has logged off, we’ve finished our post-meeting sprint to the bathroom, and now its time to get our notes together and think about what worked, what didn’t, and to get our actionable items documented and working, etc.

Lets review the tips that got us here:

PART 1: LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

• Lighting
• Camera Positioning
• Your “Set”: Background & Environment

PART 2: BE PREPARED

• Practice, Practice, Practice
• Dress for Success
• Fine-Tune Your Camera Position
• Avoid Common Screen Sharing Snafu’s

PART 3: IN THE MOMENT

• Don’t be Distracted
• Keep it Quiet
• Excuse Yourself to Leave the Frame
• Chat Etiquette

There’s an underlying theme to just about every one of these tips, and all the myriad others you’ll read online: Use common sense, don’t try to be overly cute or “cool”, and if you wouldn’t do it in the office conference room you should think long and hard before doing it in a virtual meeting. 

Remember that no matter the who the meeting is for, where you do it from, or the subject matter at hand, people innately want you to do well. It’s the rare individual (or ex-spouse) that is hoping for you to fail. Don’t be afraid to break the rules if you know it fits the audience and relax and enjoy!