Can you imagine your life without virtual communication?
Nowadays, going a day without texting, making video calls, or attending virtual meetings is hard. As time goes on, the virtual environment is becoming our new reality. We are adapting our lives to this space, trying to make the most of its benefits. Zoom and other platforms make conducting both professional and personal communications easy. However, adopting proper Zoom etiquette is essential to appear more professional and convincing. To make your Zoom experience smoother, you can use tools like Krisp to ensure that no background noise disrupts your meetings. Keep reading this article to learn all the do’s and don’ts so you can become the ultimate virtual meeting expert.
Do’s of Zoom Etiquette
#1 Do Test Your Technology
To avoid awkward situations—whether you’re the host or an attendee—always check your technology before joining a Zoom call. Ensure you have a stable internet connection with adequate speed. There are many online tools to test your microphone and camera, so use them to make sure everything is working properly. When testing your camera, also check how you and your background appear on screen. If you don’t like your background, you can either change it or blur it. Mastering Zoom meeting etiquette for attendees is a must nowadays.
When giving a presentation or discussing something important, you may need to share your screen. In this case, check your tabs and make sure your presentation is ready and that no personal data is visible. Taking care of these details beforehand will boost your confidence, allowing you to focus more on the meeting and less on potential technical issues. Being prepared also shows responsibility, which is highly valued in professional communication.
#2 Do Dress Properly
Virtual meetings are often held from home, where you might be used to wearing casual clothes, pajamas, or anything comfortable. However, it’s important to remember that you’re attending a professional meeting. Professional meetings should remain professional—no casual clothes, no overly friendly tone, and no awkward appearance. Your client doesn’t know you personally, so you need to make a good impression by looking and speaking appropriately.
While the saying “don’t judge a book by its cover” is true, in the business world, people do judge you by your appearance and manners. Simply put, dress neatly and wear something like business casual—it works perfectly for Zoom meetings. It’s that simple.
#3 Do Mute Yourself When Not Speaking
Muting yourself when not speaking is a small yet crucial part of Zoom meeting etiquette. It’s very frustrating when you’re speaking and someone’s background noise is so loud that it drowns out your voice. While tools like Krisp can block out unwanted sounds, it’s still better to mute yourself out of respect for other attendees and the speaker. This ensures that the speaker can communicate without interruptions or distractions from sudden and unwanted noise. It shows consideration and allows for a smoother, more professional meeting experience.
#4 Do Maintain Eye Contact
In both real and virtual life, eye contact works differently. When you’re looking at your coworker or client on the screen, you need to look into the camera to maintain eye contact. If you only look at the screen, unfortunately, you won’t create the same connection. While it may feel awkward and unnatural at first, after two or three times it will become a habit and start to feel more natural.
#5 Do Engage Actively
Engagement is one of the most important aspects of an effective Zoom meeting. Even though it’s virtual, you can still show engagement by maintaining eye contact, asking questions, participating in the conversation, and even laughing at jokes or making your own. Virtual meetings don’t mean you have to act like a robot; it’s about being human while adapting to new technology. Active listening is just as important as speaking. By staying engaged, you can make your Zoom meetings more dynamic and effective.
Don’ts of Zoom Etiquette
#1 Don’t Multitask During Meetings
In in-person meetings, you wouldn’t multitask, would you? The same applies to virtual meetings. You may think the other attendees won’t notice, but they will. Avoid opening social media, working on another task, watching a show or movie, or reading a book during the meeting. Give your full attention to the discussion. If you miss something, just ask and re-engage. Being disengaged comes across as unprofessional.
#2 Don’t Eat or Drink On Camera
It’s considered impolite to sit in front of the camera eating or sipping coffee while someone is giving a speech. During long meetings, it’s natural to get tired, but the best approach is to treat everyone with respect. If you need a break, either ask for one or turn off your camera before having a snack or coffee. In most long meetings, breaks are scheduled, so make sure to enjoy your snack during that time.
#3 Don’t Interrupt Others
Sometimes you have a great idea that you want to share immediately, but it’s important to be careful not to interrupt anyone. Audio delays can make it difficult to avoid talking over others, which is why it’s better to use the “raise hand” button to ensure you’re not interrupting anyone. Always be respectful of others when they are speaking, and everything will go more smoothly.
#4 Don’t Forget to Turn Off the Notifications
Notifications can be distracting—not only for you but also for other attendees. To avoid interruptions, make sure to turn off all notifications so you can stay focused on the meeting and prevent distractions for others. Additionally, turning off notifications ensures that your private information stays private, especially during screen sharing. Your colleagues don’t need to see your social media alerts or other personal data.
#5 Don’t Leave Your Camera Off
From Zoom call etiquette, you learn that it’s better to keep your camera on. This shows that you’re present, engaged, and paying attention. However, if you need a short break to handle something important and don’t want to interrupt the meeting by asking to step away, it’s best to turn off your camera, take care of what you need to do, and then return. If you’re facing technical issues, let the group know in advance. If it’s something personal, leave a note indicating that you’ll be back soon. Keeping your camera on demonstrates active participation and professionalism.
How Krisp Enhances Your Zoom Experience
Virtual meetings on Zoom have become as common and normal as in-person meetings. However, virtual meetings come with their own set of challenges, which can quickly become frustrating when encountered frequently. The most common issue is noise—unwanted sounds that, whether you like it or not, are hard to escape. After all, attendees don’t live in noise-free environments. This is where Krisp comes in, enhancing your Zoom experience by offering advanced noise-canceling technology that ensures clear, professional, and uninterrupted conversations.
AI-powered Noise Cancellation
Krisp offers an unbeatable tool you can’t say “no” to. It blocks all unwanted noises—barking dogs, traffic sounds, children playing, even family conversations—anything that could disrupt your meeting. This tool gives you the freedom to choose any location for your meetings. You’ll hear your Zoom conversations clearly, and they’ll hear you without any interference from background noise.
Easy Integration With Zoom
You don’t need to read a whole instruction list to integrate Krisp with Zoom. It is the easiest. You have to download Krisp and do a simple setup which will be guided by the program itself. One easy step to integrate and forever enjoy your Zoom meetings with Krisp.
Free Unlimited Zoom Transcriptions with Krisp
Noise cancellation is not the only powerful feature Krisp offers. Free unlimited Zoom transcriptions are like a dream come true. With Krisp, there’s no need to take notes or worry about missing important details during your meetings. Krisp handles it for you, allowing you to fully engage and enjoy every moment while the transcriptions are done automatically.
The best part? This feature is unlimited. Simply set up Krisp, and you’ll have access to Zoom transcriptions for all your meetings, forever—no limits, no hassle.
AI Meeting Notes for Zoom Meetings
Another excellent tool from Krisp for Zoom meetings is its AI-powered meeting notes, which automatically summarize your Zoom discussions. This tool highlights the most important points, so instead of reading through the entire transcription, you can quickly review the key takeaways and refresh your memory about the conversation.
It’s also incredibly helpful for those who were absent from the meeting. They can easily catch up by reading the summarized notes and feel like they haven’t missed anything significant. Krisp’s AI meeting notes make post-meeting reviews faster and more efficient for everyone.
By combining Zoom and Krisp, you can elevate your virtual meetings to the next level, ensuring clearer, more professional communication every time.
Conclusion
In addition to etiquette for meetings, phone calls, dining, and social interactions, we now need to add and master Zoom etiquette. Mastering it is essential today, as nearly half of all meetings are virtual, with many conducted on Zoom. Simply follow the do’s and don’ts, and you’ll become a virtual meeting pro.
From testing your technology and maintaining eye contact to avoiding multitasking and unnecessary interruptions, these small but impactful actions lead to smoother, more effective meetings.
Remember, Zoom works even better with Krisp. This powerful combination ensures worry-free communication by eliminating background noise, allowing you to fully focus on your meeting. As the virtual environment becomes part of our daily lives, being professional in these settings will set you up for success, help you build strong networks, and boost your career growth.
