Because most of us now do our work online, whether, through Zoom or another similar medium, we must follow certain rules to make everyone in the community feel comfortable and respected. Let's look at some zoom call etiquette rules.

1. Be on time 

Just like in any other face-to-face meeting, I always encourage my students to arrive 5 minutes early but not before the meeting begins. Make the same preparations for your zoom calls checking for the:

• Microphone

• Camera

• Lighting, and

• Location where you'll be stationed

Make sure you have everything you need right before the meeting starts because just because this meeting isn't face-to-face doesn't mean that arriving late is acceptable.

The rules apply just as well to online meetings as they do to face-to-face meetings. And, once again, if someone has allotted an hour for your upcoming meeting, arriving late for 10-15 minutes not only takes that time away from you but also shows that you have no respect for the person who has allotted that time for you in their schedule. So, be mindful of that and make sure you check everything beforehand and arrive on time.

It is understandable that we may all experience internet or connection issues that are beyond our control, and we must be understanding and accommodating; however, if you are running late, apologize and explain why you are running late. If it's an emergency and you know the meeting is about to begin and you can't connect, call or WhatsApp the person if you have their phone number.

If you don't have their phone number, you can reach them through their email address. If you have 5-6 hours until the meeting and you already know you're going to be late, you can email the participants. Either way, just let them know you're going to be late and explain why.

2. Mute yourself when you’re not talking

This applies to meetings with a large number of people; by large, I mean more than 5 people; if you are otherwise requested to leave your microphone unmuted, you should mute it when you are not speaking. Because the background noise created by dropping something or taking a sip of water can distract the rest of the participants and those who are speaking.

I don't allow students to mute their microphones in my classes because I don't want them to be distracted by anything else online. I know they can listen to music or watch another video, so I encourage them to keep their microphones unmuted, but this is only in a classroom where I want to make sure they aren't distracted by anything else.

When not speaking in a business context or any type of meeting for business or work-related purposes, make sure to mute your microphone.

3. Turn your camera on unless otherwise agreed prior to the meeting

So, let's say you've told someone via email that you'd like to have a zoom call, and you've specified that you'd prefer an audio call only. If you both agreed on that, that's great, but if it wasn't stated beforehand, assume your zoom call will be a video call.

Make sure you prepare ahead of time, and if you don't turn on your camera when you arrive, it's very disrespectful to the other participants. Because imagine a situation in which someone has taken the time and effort to dress up, put on makeup, set up good lighting, and prepare for the meeting, and then you go online and tell the person, "I don't want to put my camera on," implying that the other person will not put their camera on either. Why should they if you're not putting your camera on?

However, they spent so much time preparing and then wasting that time that it is simply disrespectful to the other participants' time. But it's generally not a good idea to turn off your camera because if a person can't see your body language in your eyes, it's very difficult to establish a rapport online, let alone when the video is turned off.

4. Dress up

This applies not only to face-to-face meetings but also to zoom calls; it is important to demonstrate that you are prepared for a meeting and that you look presentable. Many people have mentioned how they only wear shirts and sweatpants.

I don't think that's a good idea because sometimes something unexpected happens, such as your child going for a walk or your dog storming into the room, and you need to get up quickly or do something abruptly abrupt movement, and you'd be exposing your legs as well.

So make sure you wear something decent, not the best pants you have, but something decent on your bottom as well as on your top. Personally, I prefer to wear a dress because if I must stand up and show something, I look proper and adequate for my class. I have a personal tip for the ladies out there: you can wear whatever kind of dress you want.

5. Turn your camera off if you have to relocate 

If you need to relocate or move from one location to another, make sure to turn off your camera first so the person watching you doesn't see how you're dragging yourself from one location to another with your camera.

However, keep in mind that if this is a meeting of only five people, turning off your camera may appear disrespectful. So, you'd have to make sure you notify the person or host that you're going to do that. Excuse yourself and say, "I'll turn off my camera for a minute because I need to relocate," and then do so.

If it's a large meeting, say 50 people, there's no need to announce anything; simply turn your camera off; you won't be noticed as much as you would in a small group of people.

6. Look for good light and background

In this way, your lighting and background matter a lot because they are a part of who you are and serve as a sort of window through which people see you. It’s important to consider not only how you're dressed, but also the light and background.

Lighting is even more important, so make sure you're facing a window, preferably a couple of windows, and that there's no light or window behind you because it'll make you look darker, and your face won't be visible.

·  Make sure to use a good background that is neutral, light, and not distracting.

·  Make sure that there are no piles of clothes behind you, and that everything is clean and neat.

·  Designate a specific location for all your zoom calls so that it is always ready, and you don't have to worry about it too much.

·  Staging is also very important. You may have a small stack of books in front of you and put the laptop on top,

·  Face the window and have a good background.

·  Do not use any readily available filtered background on Zoom or Microsoft teams.

Personally, I frequently find it to be very childish and unprofessional to have these very blurry backgrounds and get mixed with your body lines and face, it looks like you're in a tunnel.

I think if there are extreme cases where you can't find a good background or you're somewhere out and there's no place that will look professional for you, then, of course, you can opt However, if you're at home and have a wall, go for it.

7. Do not eat or chew

Even if you're muted, that movement of your lips isn't going to be appealing, and the sound, if you forgot to mute your microphone, isn't going to be pleasant for others to hear. So, make sure you eat and drink whatever you need to before you start.

The only thing that is acceptable during a zoom call is a glass of water or a cup of tea that you can keep by your side, especially if you have a couple of meetings back-to-back or if you have a meeting for a couple of hours. This will ensure that your vocal cords are hydrated and that you can speak for a long time.

8. Maintain eye contact

It is critical to maintain eye contact. Even if this is an online meeting, you must look into the person's eyes, which means you must look into the camera to ensure that the participant you're speaking with feels as if you're looking into their eyes.

I've had cases where students will look to one side of the computer, another screen, or another browser they've opened rather than into my eyes. It's very disrespectful to the person with whom you're meeting, so make sure you look into their eyes, and by that, I mean look at your camera.

9. Take advantage of small pauses

Even though this is an online meeting, you do not have to rush through the points and ensure that you finish everything on time. Make sure to take small breaks here and there, especially if you're meeting with a couple of people.

When you pause, the person who wants to answer a question or provide feedback or a reaction to your statement can simply raise their hand to unmute themselves and contribute to the discussion. Even if it's just you are sharing with others, you'll want to get feedback from the participants to make it as engaging as possible.

10. Use your actual name to sign in

Make sure you're logging in with your own account. Or, at the very least, you ensure that the name is changed to your own. Because it could be a meeting where people don't know you personally or don't recognize your name, and you signed in using your brother's or sister's account, and they're addressing you using their name.

If you're attending an official meeting, change the username to your full name, or simply your first name, so that the person speaking to you can address you by name.

11. Do not overlook the small talk

Do not jump straight into the talk. Whatever the matter is, even if you only have an hour to talk about the issue at hand make sure that you dedicate a couple of minutes to small talk.

It's important and it helps you establish rapport with the person you're meeting for the first time online. Spend a couple of sentences here and there exchanging about the weather or your feelings something that you have in common or maybe how you met. Then, you can continue talking about the issue at hand. 

12. Be understanding and kind

Be patient, tolerant, and accommodating to one another. In these difficult times, when we must work from home and handle kids or pets, it can be very exhausting.

We have to understand that everyone can have issues with their computer, internet, or connection, and if someone does happen to arrive late at meetings, you have to give them the benefit of the doubt. They may have legitimate issues at home, and not being able to connect on time does not imply that they are disrespectful to you in any way.

However, if they did not apologize, if they did not explain why they were late, if they arrived late, chewed, ate something, or did not dress appropriately for the meeting, you can draw the conclusion that this person was probably not very respectful.

Otherwise, try to understand and put yourself in the shoes of the other person. Unexpected things happen, and we must understand and be kind to one another.

Source: Zoom Etiquette: How To Prepare For a Zoom Meeting