Even though a lot of remote work is being replaced with hybrid and fully work-from-office, some part of virtual meetings still remains.
Here are some reminders for virtual meetings, because a little bit of knowledge hindered no one:
- Do not eat food. Especially in a 1:1 conversation.
I am guilty of that too. Especially if my eating time is before the meeting and I haven’t fed myself. - Sit in an uninterrupted place.
Where the only disturbance that comes to you is from the meeting, not the surroundings.
So many of us are so used to the chaos around us that we do not even recognise how unassumingly we take it to every virtual conversation we are a part of, disturbing everyone else as well. - When bored, instead of scrolling, start doodling. They will feel you are taking notes from what you are saying. You will make them feel respected and heard, while taking care of your boredom and not being distracted, should they say something important for you to take care of.
- Do not convert an email into a meeting.
Some conversations could simply be a WhatsApp text or an email meeting. Let them be that way. Sometimes no conversation is the best conversation. - Have the wisdom when you do need a meeting, though.
This is not related to meeting etiquettes however when we are working remotely we lose touch with the human side of each other. And it is important to recognise how you must get into a meeting consistently, to interact and talk beyond to-dos.
That said, my new life is the one where I get to choose my meetings, and that too very little. On top of it, some are on phone and email as well.
And my friend, there is nothing better 🙂
