Professional etiquette for video calls and meetings during COVID 19 (Part-2)

PROFESSIONAL ETIQUETTE FOR VIDEO CALLS AND MEETINGS DURING COVID 19 (Part-2)

22 May 2020

DRESS ETIQUETTE FOR ONLINE MEETINGS: It's only the top half what we see in the frame so make sure you are dressed and groomed in a proper way. What you wear should be apt for such a setting. Here's a set of dos and don'ts for the same

1. Wear a collar to look professional. No round necks for official meetings. It should be neat and well ironed shirt for both men and women.
2. Avoid V-necks, plunging necklines, strappy tops. What you wear has an impact how you feel and how you behave.
3. Avoid graphic T-shirts for meetings. Also if you really want to wear T-shirts, add a simple layer of Linen Blazer to add some edge to your look.
4. Avoid bold colors and textures.
5. Add minimal jewelry, a pair of studs, small hoops to add some aesthetic for women
6. Add elegant watch to add an interesting element for men

PERSONAL GROOMING : Another important thing to focus on, hair and makeup can make or break the look so here's few points you can follow for your ease.

FOR WOMEN

1. MAKE-UP: Define your brows, use neutral eyeshadows to add a bit of texture to your eyes, add mascara or a liner since you want your eyes to open up a bit, add some bronzer for highlighting your cheekbone adding some glow to your face, always opt of nude shades for lipsticks.
2. Avoid bold lips, too much of highlighter on your cheeks or eyeshadow, it lands you up getting extra attention you might not like.
3. HAIR: Sleek ponytails, high buns or top knots, setting your front hair with clips makes it cleaner. Avoid open hair or waves, since you don't want to look messy in your meetings right?

FOR MEN

1. Clean shaved, nicely groomed is appreciated
2. If you hair have over grown in this lockdown then try to make them look neat by applying hair gel or hair spray
3. Ensure that the hair doesn't come on the face
4. At all times you must look neat and tidy in your appearance

A pleasant-smelling perfume will help you feel fresh and attentive throughout the day so keep that handy

CAMERA SETTINGS: It's important, not only the way you look but how you've set your camera, it's not an Instagram selfie after all!

1. What we see is the front profile, make sure wherever you set you system or laptop, your silhouette should place right in the center
2. Adjust your camera and headset. Only your barber wants to stare at the top of your head. Your camera should be at eye level
3. Position yourself so that the camera is seeing you from the chest or waist up instead of just seeing your face
4. Keep a dull background, your outfit should pop up and keep as minimal as it can be, we don't want to draw attention to the things in the background
5. Try to get natural light, maybe a window or near lamp that resembles daylight
6. If the light is too harsh, keep a subtle curtain to soften the rays to make it pleasant for you
7. What you should avoid is:
1. Source of light which is behind your face, it makes your face dull
2. The direct light source above your head, it makes unpleasant shadows under your face
3. The distance you and the camera should also be taken into focus, not too far or too close is ideal
4. Mute the voice recorder while you're speaking to someone else at your home which is not a part of the meeting, similarly pause the video while you're doing something not related to work

BODY LANGUAGE: It's one of the major aspects anyone should focus while in a zoom meeting or a video conferencing. Keep your body posture right, your back should be a but straight, you should avoid leaning towards the camera, it doesn't give formal impressions.

1. Moreover leaning too back is not preferable either
2. Try to keep it comfortable and yet straight since you would sit for a long period of time, you don't want your back to hurt
3. Your Body Language should be alert at all times. If you are feeling tired just take a break and freshen up yourself. Energy is contagious and if one person feels lazy or sleepy then it affects everyone else
4. We all feel thirsty or hungry while zoom meetings, make sure you mute the voice and pause the video while you're doing anything out of context since it looks unprofessional and we don't want that for sure
5. Refrain from private behavior i.e. scratching your armpits, picking your nose. We can see you!
6. Making an eye contact makes an impression of being attentive and is highly appreciable. This shows you are interested so try to look into the camera at all times.

BACKGROUND AND AMBIENCE: Where and in which setting you work is an important factor to focus as well, you should feel energetic and productive while you're in a call or not because that directly affects the quality and quantity of work

1. Dirty clothes in a pile, an unmade bed, and so forth give the impression that you are not a professional to be trusted with serious work. Clean up and have a simple background (a plain wall, a potted plant or a bookshelf works perfectly)
2. Choose a place like living or reading area, where you tend to get a desk and chair situation
3. Avoid using a bedroom or lounge area, it makes you feel lazy and distracted
4. Make sure you're away from other family members since interruptions during official calls is not appreciated.
5. Stay away from any sort of music that distracts you, if you're a person you likes soft music as motivation while working, keep the volume as pleasant and low, you don't want to disturb our family members while working

Finally before you actually start with the meeting, try to get a technical assistance before hand to avoid any sort of disturbance during the conference meetings, It helps you making an impact of being serious and attentive towards you work, important isn't it?

Be always punctual for your meetings and pave way for successful online work meetings! Practicing good video meeting etiquette is critical to ensuring that your meetings are professional, efficient and valuable.