Zoom Golden Rules

When you aren’t speaking, keep your mic muted

In the bottom, left-hand, corner, there is a silhouetted microphone. Under it, in the photo to the right, there is a red line over it and the word “unmute” beneath it. This is the button you can toggle your voice with.

When there is a red line, you can’t be heard. If you just see the silhouette, you - and everything around you - can be heard by others in the meeting.

It is courteous to keep yourself muted if you aren’t speaking to increase connectivity and allow for minimal distractions while someone else is talking.

If you place a mug down, cough, shuffle your feet, crack your neck, or anything else that makes sound, keep your mic muted unless you want to speak or interject a point.

Join a meeting five minutes before itbegins

We have busy lives. Even in these new times, there is yard work to be done, houses to clean, children to watch. Make sure that the time you take for meetings is as devoted to the meeting as if you had to drive there.

Remember, even though you’re behind a screen, that doesn’t mean you aren’t fully present.

Try implementing mindfulness exercises into your daily life to alleviate anxiety and be able to stay present. By staying present and practicing active listening, you can give and get the most out of the meeting.

Joining a meeting before it’s start time is acceptable and gives you an opportunity to touch base before you get down to business. Although, joining too late means you may miss important information and intrude on the flow of the meeting. Just like walking in too late.

When your camera is on, everyone can see you.

Even if you are not paying attention, other people can be paying attention to you. As long as your camera is on, the other people in the call can see your face, if you sip your coffee, or if you stand up to leave. If you don’t want someone to see you for a moment, cross out the camera in the bottom left corner of the desktop. This process is similar to how you turn off your mic.

Unlike keeping your mic off, keeping your video on is considered the more courteous thing.