Where 2019 brought us Baby Yoda, noise-canceling AirPods, and the disaster that was Season 8 of Game of Thrones, 2020 has brought us DIY haircuts, Tiger King, and widespread teleworking.
We’ll save our TED Talks on Joe Exotic and proper skin-fade techniques for another day; we’re here to talk about teleworking. Again.
The new normal during the COVID-19 pandemic response, teleworking may be here to stay for the long haul for companies all across the globe. Researchers from a recent University of Chicago publication estimate that approximately 37% of U.S. jobs can be conducted from home — and you can bet that a good chunk of that 37% will be working from home fairly regularly in the future as businesses look to redefine the workplace post-pandemic.
With teleworking often comes the need for collaborative tools that allow companies to communicate more effectively. We at Beacon Cloud Solutions have already taken a deep dive into some of the most secure video conferencing platforms you should be considering, but let us help you with some of the nuances involved in actually using those platforms.
Here is our extensive list of Dos and Don’ts when it comes to video conferencing.
DO: Wear headphones
Personal computers have come a long way, with many of today’s machines packed to the brim with a horde of valuable features that make our day-to-day lives that much easier.
One of those features? Built-in microphones and speakers.
One of those features that you shouldn’t exclusively rely on during conference calls? Built-in microphones and speakers.
While some computers provide quality speakers that offer nothing more than quality audio, far too many built-in speakers create a distracting echo that will cue everybody on the call to tune out and lose interest.
The solution? A pair of headphones. Whether you go big with a pair of pricey Bose headphones or small with some of the cheaper finds on Amazon shouldn’t really matter. Most will come with input and output capabilities to make you less of a nuisance during the weekly meeting.
DO: Announce yourself when you speak
All right, so we’re cheating a bit with this one, since most video conferencing platforms will notify the rest of the group who is speaking by automatically switching to that person’s camera, or at least showing their name.
But between those who manually dial in, or groups who exclusively use audio-only platforms, keeping track of who’s speaking in a large group can be a pretty difficult task for many. An easy way to resolve this: Introduce yourself when speaking. Bigger, more unfamiliar groups may require more context, like last names, departments, job titles, or cities.
We need to know if that unpopular opinion belongs to Jeff or George. We need to know if the person who won’t stop talking is Linda or Maria. That person with the nasty cough — is that Brian from accounting or Brian from engineering? Come out from the shadows and identify yourselves.
DON’T: Talk over others
This one is more or less common sense for most adults IRL, but it’s admittedly much harder to accomplish during a video call.
Whether it’s a lack of social cues to indicate when a person may be done talking, or the slight delay in audio that prevents you from perfectly timing when to start speaking, chiming in during a video call can be pretty problematic.
We’ll probably never strike a balance between awkward silences and bumbling interruptions during video calls, but we can at least try our best to be mindful of others who want to participate in the conversation.
When all else fails, an apologetic “oh go ahead” should do the trick to keep the dialogue flowing.
DO: Mute yourself when you aren’t speaking
As noted in a previous blog post, there are numerous video conferencing platforms that allow for anywhere from two to several hundred people on the same call. But trust us: nobody needs all of those several hundred people talking — or even audibly breathing — at the same time. Save everybody a headache or two by muting yourself when you aren’t speaking, even if your group is as small as 10 people.
While we’re at it, make sure you’re fully aware of when the mute button is activated… and more importantly, when it’s not. Believe us, there is no other five-word phrase that induces quite as much trauma as during a video conference than “uh… we can hear you” when you thought you said something in private.
DON’T: Schedule meetings with 1,000 people
This may seem like a good idea, but it absolutely isn’t. Unless you’re talking about a webinar that only grants speaking privileges to the person hosting, scheduling a meeting this large will be as unproductive as it will be chaotic. Even with a set of business rules to prevent this from being a total free-for-all, enforcing those rules will be virtually impossible.
Not to mention the sheer length of time necessary to give even a fraction of these people to speak their minds. People will walk away from these meetings frustrated and reluctant to return.
We could go on all day on why this is a bad idea, but we won’t. Please just limit your meetings to a much more manageable number (say, 20?) and call it a day.
DO: Situate your kids before the meeting
Kids are great. Really, they are.
Except, you know, when they’re not.
There are no recent credible studies to cite, but we’d guess your kids see about an 83.6% increase in the chance for a total meltdown from the moment you hit “Join Meeting.” Look it up. It’s science (legal disclaimer: JK it’s not actually science).
There’s really nobody to blame here. You’re busy trying to balance your workload from home, and kids are, well, kids. But you can do your best to try to avoid this by making sure your kids are situated before your scheduled meeting begins.
Make them pancakes. Throw on Bubble Guppies. Put them down for a nap. Make sure the iPad has a full battery. Do whatever it takes to keep those little people happy for the duration of your meeting (and probably after that too — but, hey, we’re not parenting experts).
DON’T: Allow yourself to get distracted
Another one of those “you should probably already know this” tips, but video conferencing changes the game a bit.
Being physically present in a meeting with others often requires us to at least appear attentive, since the consequences of being anything but are a little more readily available with your boss sitting just a few feet away. You wouldn’t just grab your phone and start scrolling through your Instagram feed while your colleagues work through the initial stages of a significant project, right?
Simple enough for most.
But what if we’re not physically present, and the very device you’re using to communicate is also incredibly capable of distracting you beyond measure? That’s video conferencing in a nutshell.
Don’t let Twitter suck you into the rabbit hole and distract you from the task at hand.
DO: Establish your frame
Perhaps we’re nitpicking here, but perhaps we’re not. Bare with us for a minute, this one’s a two-parter.
First: Make sure your face is, you know, actually within the frame of your webcam.
There are few things more distracting during a video conference call than the dude who can’t seem to show you anything but his forehead. You wouldn’t participate in an in-person meeting with your head barely visible from under the desk while the rest of your colleagues sit up straight, so why is that suddenly OK here?
Adjust the camera so we can all clearly see how terrible your partner is at following barbering tutorials on YouTube.
Second: If you’re by a window, make sure it’s not behind you.
Quick photography lesson for you all: Your subject — not your lens — should be facing the source of light. Same rules apply for video conferencing.
Position yourself with a window to your back and you’ll instantly morph into a confidential informant as your webcam struggles to focus on anything but the brightness in the background. You’re discussing next quarter’s marketing budget with your colleagues, not punching your ticket into witness protection. Avoid the suspicious silhouettes and let that beautiful sunshine smack you right in the face.
DON’T: Be late
Again, something you should already be doing in the real world, but here goes anyway: don’t be late. This is especially true for the key person who called the meeting in the first place.
Imagine showing up on time, seeing the key person hasn’t yet joined, and being forced into small talk with other people who, wouldn’t you know it, also equally hate small talk. Barf. No thanks.
The only thing worse than small talk? Small talk during the COVID-19 pandemic. What are we even supposed to chat about other than sports or the weather? Neither of those things even exist right now. I refuse to spin through my dusty rolodex of conversation topics just because you can’t show up on time.