Do the Right Thing
Video conferencing technology, available from vendors such as Cisco, Polycom and LifeSize, offers the promise of revolutionizing how business is conducted. But to realize that promise, meeting participants must abide by certain etiquette rules. Here’s the list of “don’ts”
Whispering Sweet Nothings
It might be tempting to make quiet aside to an in-room colleague during a conference call, but the unintelligible whispers are bound to make others across the wire feel a bit cagey—it’s the top gripe among those polled by PGi.
SportsCenter-itis
Checking up on your home team during a boring video or teleconference may seem gratifying, but if it costs you a deal we doubt you’ll remember who won or lost that day anyway.
E-mail Interruptus
Frequent checking of personal e-mail is a common complaint among those running virtual meetings.
Tele-absence
There’s nothing ruder than posing a question to a meeting participant only to find that they’ve physically left their computer mid-meeting.
Zombie Zone Out
Whether you’re sitting at a boardroom table or in front of the web cam, letting your eyes glaze over is just plain bad manners during any meeting
Meet Mr. Chompers
Your ‘quiet’ chewing may not be as unobtrusive as you think. Eating during a meeting is a big pet peeve among meeting leaders.
Yankee Doodle Dandy
Save your homegrown comic book adventures for some other time—when you’re on a video conference your doodles are bound to be found out by those with whom you’re trying to dialogue.