The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many REALTORS® to quickly transition to the digital age and a new era of video conferencing and online meetings using tools like Zoom, Skype, Facetime Live, Microsoft Teams and many others.

It is important to remember even as we all work from home, the video conference meetings we attend are professional meetings, and participants should practice good video meeting etiquette.

Here are some best practices for online video conference meetings from Zoom and other resources:
1. Save your invitation confirmation, which provides the meeting ID number, password, and a link to the meeting that is unique to you. It cannot be replaced. Do not share invitation links with others.

2. Download the Zoom or whatever conference app you plan to use. Sign in and familiarize yourself with the audio and video settings. You can do a test to see how you look in the camera and test the audio.

3. Find a quiet place without background noise, where you won’t be distracted or interrupted by a television, phone calls, barking dogs, etc.

4. When you are let in by the host, click “Join Audio” so you can hear speaker. Do not interrupt the meeting to let the whole group know that you can’t hear, or can’t see the person on the screen.

5. Make sure you have a work-appropriate background. Nobody wants to see your bedroom or personal collections! You want participants to focus on the meeting and not on your background. Better yet, use Zoom’s virtual background feature to eliminate background distractions. Avoid backlight from bright windows.

6. Use the video option when possible as it gives you a greater presence at the meeting. If you are using you mobile phone, for security reasons add your name instead of your phone number, so the host and other participants can identify you.

7. Don’t look sloppy. Dress for your audience. Your outfit should match the expectations of your audience. Be professional-looking. Use a professional photo in place of video if you are not appropriately dressed.

8. Join the meeting early, at least 3-5 minutes before the start of the meeting. Be patient and wait until the host lets you in.

9. Mute your microphone when you’re not called on to speak.

10. Do not interrupt the speaker. Use the chat function to ask questions. And don’t be rude in the chat. Everyone can see the chat box, even the speaker!

11. Be aware that you are on camera. Stop looking at yourself, avoid doing other tasks like checking emails, looking at your phone, or worse yet, snoozing. Look into the camera when talking instead of looking at yourself.

12. If you need to go the bathroom while on a Zoom call, do not forget to turn off your video and audio. You don’t want everyone to remember you brushing your teeth and gargling, or flushing the toilet, because they will!

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