Audio, Web and Video Conferencing Etiquette for Your Next Conference

Audio conferencing, web conferencing and video conferencing services are a powerful and cost-efficient alternative to in-person meetings. All conferencing services offer a vast array of benefits, ranging from significant cost savings to a smaller carbon footprint for your business. That being said, in order to ensure you get the best return on your conferencing investment, it is imperative that you and your team practice good conferencing etiquette.

• Prepare – As the saying goes, failing to prepare is preparing to fail. Ample preparation is essential to holding an effective meeting. Create an outline you can share with participants either prior to, or at the start of your meeting that lists the topics you will cover as well as your objective(s)
• Practice – Whether you're new to conferencing or a veteran, performing a few dry-runs before the actual meeting is a smart move, as you don't want to risk losing your participant's interest by shuffling through paperwork while on the call. Moreover, if you're dealing with a new or unfamiliar service, dry-runs will allow you to test all of the available features that aid in conducting a more engaging and collaborative web, video and audio conferencing services experience
• Start on time – Respect your participants that arrive early or on time and begin the conference at the appointed time noted on the invite
• Don't eat anything – Aside from a glass of water, avoid snaking or drinking during your meeting. This might seem like an obvious one, but you'd be amazed at the things some participants will do while on a conference call. One of the many ways to ensure your participants stay on their best behavior is to add real-time video to your conference. Many of today's providers offer video via web conferencing (for more information on this service, contact one of our professional account managers)
• Avoid primping – Following up on our last point, in addition to no eating or drinking, participants and hosts should refrain from adjusting their hair, makeup, clothing or anything else that could be distracting to others. Your hosts and the other participants deserve the same respect that you would show them in an in-person meeting
• When it doubt, mute it out – A good rule of thumb is to put your line on mute while a presenter is speaking. This eliminates the chance something you do (such as cough or adjust your seat) will disrupt the call

For a few more tips on what to avoid during your next conference, check out this video from Step Ahead: