Video Call Etiquette: How to Not Look Like a Complete Donkey in Virtual Meetings

Hello, Internet friend! 

The pandemic ushered in a new era of remote work, requiring those who could to work from home and interact with their colleagues and customers via video calls using Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams. 

I started working remotely in 2015, which means I got used to having video calls since the time when we used to call it “skyping” because the few of us who did them all used Skype. 

Today, I handle essentially all client calls with Google Meet, which I find a lot more user-friendly than the other options and a big step up from the early days of using Skype. 

But when it comes to video calls, there are a few do’s and don’ts, most of which made the rounds during the pandemic when video call blunders became viral sensations. 

So, if you’re running a content marketing agency or are planning to start one, here are the video call do’s and don’t you should (probably) follow.

Here Are 10 Do’s and Don’ts ✅ ❌

Let’s dive in!

1. Find a suitable spot to take your call 🖥️

If you’re working from home, make sure your video call setup has good lighting, a professional-looking background and remains quiet throughout the duration of your call. 

If you’re working remotely, say out of a cafe, make sure you can find a quiet spot or take the call in a different location where the background noise won’t affect the quality of your call. 

Loud background noises will annoy the person you’re on a call with, so get yourself high-quality, noise-canceling headphones just to be safe.  

2. Make sure you’re sh*t works 💩

If you are about to have a call with a prospect or a client, settle in for your video call five minutes early to make sure your tech works. Check your camera, sound, lighting, and background. 

If you’re working remotely out of a cafe on an exotic beach somewhere in Southeast Asia (or elsewhere), you may also want to keep your phone at hand so you can hotspot in case the power or WiFi cuts out. 

3. Don’t forget to wear pants 👖

If you’re working in marketing, there’s no need to wear a suit and tie or a blouse and blazer on video calls. But you should dress well enough to ensure that your prospective (or existing) clients take you seriously. 

Don’t get me wrong. I once wore an Ozzy Osbourne t-shirt and gym shorts on a prospecting call with a company that became a six-figure per year client. However, my agency was hired because I came via a recommendation, and my professional experience combined with my offer was very much what the client was looking for.

So keep it sharp (even if casual is appropriate) because your appearance will inevitably form part of the impression you leave with your (prospective) customers. 

4. Switch on the camera 🎥

Even if you feel like you have a face that only a mother can love, put on your camera during video calls. 

I get it. 

If your connection is wonky, it’s best to switch off the camera, but people want to talk to people and not a black screen with an avatar on it. 

I understand that video calls can be daunting, especially if you are on the introverted side, but people want to do business with people, and seeing each other face-to-face (even if just virtually) remains a big part of that. 

5. Mute yourself when you aren’t talking 🔇

To avoid interrupting the person you are on the call with your background noise (or heavy breathing), mute yourself when they are speaking. 

If you are not in an active back-and-forth, there’s really no reason not to mute yourself. 

6. Ask questions, listen, and take notes 📝

You are here to add value and to serve. 

To do that, you will need to understand your (potential) customer’s needs. 

Find out what they are by asking questions and noting down their answers to make sure you still remember everything they said on the call the next day. That will help you formulate your solutions to their problems.

7. Don’t look at your phone while on a call📱

Even if that baddie you’ve met on Instagram is sending you a message on WhatsApp while you’re on a call, don’t pick up your phone. 

Unless you receive what could be an emergency call (like from your kid’s school, for example), there’s really no reason to pick up your phone or any other device during a video call. 

It’s just unprofessional. 

8. Maintain eye contact 👀

While it’s difficult to stare into the camera the whole time you’re on a call, you can adjust the video call window so that it’s as close to the camera as possible to give the person you are in a virtual meeting the impression you’re looking at them. 

Ideally, you do want to look at the camera as often as possible, though, especially when you’re speaking. 

9. Don’t eat a snack, be the snack 🥪

Unless your customer is also a close friend of yours, don’t eat when you’re on a video call. 

Yes, we are all crazy busy, but the sandwich can wait until after the call. It’s unprofessional if you can’t manage your time well enough to have to eat on calls. 

10. Follow up with an email 📧

Once you’re done with the call, follow up with the most important points that were discussed on the call and the next action steps to take. That way all involved parties have a record of what was discussed on the call, and no potentially valuable information gets lost. 

Interesting stuff happening in AI 🤖 

AI is becoming part of our daily lives, and that definitely holds true when you’re running a marketing agency. Here are the most interesting AI stories I have come across recently.

Meta Plans on Labelling AI 👮‍♂️

AI-generated images have become commonplace in the marketing world and in ‘real life,’ and sometimes, it is difficult to tell what’s real and what’s fake. To help address this, Meta plans on labeling all AI-generated images to help reduce misleading information on its platforms. 

Elon Musk’s Neuralink Gets Its First Human Trial 🧠

Neuralink has started its first brain chip trial that seeks to merge technology and the human brain. According to the Neuralink team, this technology will come in handy when treating issues like paralysis or even doing simple tasks like connecting to our phones. I’m not going to have a chip in my brain, but I’m sure plenty of people will give it a go. 

AI Unlocks Ancient Roman Texts 📜

Two students used AI to read a burnt ancient scroll found at the site of Mount Vesuvius’s eruption, which occurred in 79AD. This feat brings possibilities of deciphering more ancient texts that were initially found impossible to read by human capabilities and also earned the students $20,000. The scroll belonged to Julius Caesar's father-in-law and spoke of the great pleasures of human existence, food, and music. He sounds like my kind of guy! 

Hit me up! 👋 

When I am not writing the 26,103th best newsletter in the world, I run a content marketing agency, Rise Up Media, where I help innovative financial technology companies reach their growth targets. 

Contact me at [email protected] or reply to this email if you’d like to work with me.