Video Conferencing Software

What To Do… And Not To Do On A Web Conference

Written by Peter Werth on August 30, 2009

Web conferencing is very advantageous. But beware, just like attending meetings and presentations in a round table or in a conference room, there are certain things you need to do, particular etiquettes you need to practice and habits you have to avoid.

Do’s

Web Conference Planning

Prepare you presentation beforehand. Send the necessary materials through email or put them live online so that the attendees will be able to read them before the scheduled meeting and presentation.

Be On Time

Common sense will tell you that since you don’t have to travel to go to the location of the meeting, there is no excuse for being late. You actually have no reason or excuse to be late to a web conference as there is no travel involved. It is also impolite to let others wait especially if you are the one who will give the presentation.

Have a Good Location

A boardroom is usually the place for a “real” meeting because of the privacy they provide for you and the attendees… there is no exception for your web conference. Be in your office where there will be no distractions, and the image and sound quality will be the absolute best. Quality is key when running your web conference.

Be respectful

All rules and etiquettes of ordinary meetings still apply. In a web conference where you are not actually inside on room, speaking and gestures may be subjected to misinterpretations; so be careful.

Don’ts

Other attendees might be using a low bandwidth connection so try to hold still. Avoid too much movement You are on TV (sort of) and too much movement is very distracting for others.

You don’t go into a “real” meeting with a hamburger, fries, and coke just yapping away. So don’t be sitting there in front of your screen eating a bowl of ice-cream or something… the same applies for cellphones, printers, music, and anything else that distracts from the meeting. Rules and etiquette STILL apply!

Background noise can be heard on other lines, so be in a quiet space with no distractions.

Avoid using wifi signal Wifi is good if you are out and you need emergency internet signal. But during a web conference meeting, try to steer away from it. Wifi can be very unstable that can disrupt the meeting. Avoid wifi signals at the airport, restaurant, park and even in coffee shops.

You can’t put anyone on hold in a “real” meeting, so don’t fall for that trap just because you have the technology to do so… it’s rude and uncalled for. You want your meeting to flow from point to point, so make it so! If you really need to get out of it, then re-schedule before the start of the meeting as a point of courtesy.

Web conferencing is great, especially for long distance communication. However, you must remember that face to face communication at times is best. In either case, use your best judgement to make the right choice… whether digital or traditional.