PAPER making! g FROM THE PUBLISHERS OF PAPER TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL Volume 6, Number 1, 2020
"Be on time!" Q-CTRL's Love said. "Better to be 10 minutes early, than a minute late." 7. Choose a quiet location It's easy to forget that there is a mic picking up not only your voice, but if you decide to eat/chew something, that sound will come through. If you make a cuppa tea, the sound of your cabinet opening and the dinging of the microwave will be amplified. Wait until the meeting is over. "Ambient noises can come through on your computer microphone, if it's not silenced," KnowB4's McQuiggan said. And like most things, location, location, location: If you live on a busy street, if your meeting coincides with trash pickup, if you live next to a preschool (or it sounds like it), choose a different room to take the meeting. "One of the biggest distractions on conference calls come from unmuted attendees," FlexJobs' Gardner said. If your remote office is the local coffee house, consider that it might be too noisy, especially if you'll be competing with the ambient noise when delivering your update. Finally, if there is a mute-mic alternative, choose it, and only unmute when it's your turn to talk. And who are we kidding? We definitely care about how we look, sheltering at home, to our colleagues. "If possible, sit somewhere with plenty of daylight, Around's Zane said. " We tend to feel more comfortable and look better--especially on an integrated laptop camera--in spaces with lots of natural light." 8. Place pets in another room A giant perk to working at home (if that's your remote office, and if you're sheltering at home) is having your pet around you. However, if your dog has a tendency to get the zoomies, your cats constantly battle for dominance, or your macaw screeches (and you may be used to it, but to others, it's horrifying): Put them in a different room. Your colleagues do not want to hear that, not only over your voice, but over anyone else's. And be sure your pets are secured away/quiet before you call in to the conference call. 9. Stay on track Accustomed to constantly checking into social media? Love getting those Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or TikTok updates? That all needs to be turned off during the meeting. "Multitasking is rude to the other participants in the meeting, who will be able to sense that you aren't fully engaged," Miro's Khusid said. It may also be tempting to watch a captioned movie or show during the meeting, but proper etiquette deems you be 100% focused on the call. FlexJobs suggested you stand during the meeting while listening and talking, and even to stretch or do lunges to keep alert before you're asked to speak. 10. Speak up You may have a great connection, a crystal clear view of participants, and sound like you're in the same room. However, everyone won't have the same connection. Even if you can hear teammates perfectly well, it might not be so in the other direction. Always speak clearly and loudly (but of course, don't shout), and ask if you can be heard by everyone. This isn't the time to mumble or speak softly. It's a conference call, not an ASMR YouTube video. 11. Say your name Even if you have a Brady Bunch-esque grid of attendees in front of you, it's hard to keep track of who is saying what (hopefully the meeting leader established a way to avoid the seemingly inevitable over talking). When you start talking, identify yourself, "This is Penelope, and I have a question," or "Hi, it's Jamison, I'd like to add to that point." FlexJobs said, "That way, your contributions to the conversation is noted, and no one is left wondering who the genius with the awesome comments is." 12. Use the mute button Again, inevitably, especially those who are wiggly/can't sit still for long, you don't want any scratching or odd sounds coming from you. Even if you're in a quiet location, mute yourself when you know you won't be called on. It's a lot easier to hit "unmute" than be known as the staffer who makes weird noises. An important element of conference call etiquette is not to let subtle distractions derail the person speaking or disrupt the conversation. Definitely turn off notification sounds--there's little more irritating than a constant dinging every time someone from your fantasy football league wants to weigh in on their picks or your worldwide family makes sure you are sheltering well.
Article 14 – Video Conferencing Etiquette
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