5 Tips Everyone Should Know For Every Zoom Meeting

Back in March, I had to do a presentation analyzing the stock price of a particular company for my Financial Analysis & Valuation class in my final semester of law school. Ironically, I chose Zoom as I presented via Zoom. At the time, the stock price hovered around $145, to which I completed a full analysis ultimately concluding that the stock price was extremely overvalued and would not be a good investment, as the pandemic would inevitably end and we would eventually go back to normal.

Well... I can admit when I am wrong and boy was I wrong! We are almost 5 months into quarantine/lockdown/work-from-home lifestyle and I not only use Zoom personally every day, but I watch as the stock price climbs higher and higher, now around $250. 

Since Zoom is seemingly here to stay, check out some of our most important tips:

1) Don’t be late.

You get the invite beforehand, it’s scheduled into your calendar, make sure you have that Zoom link up and ready to go at least 5 minutes before the scheduled meeting. Given the “new normal” of Zoom meetings, people are able to schedule meetings whenever and wherever throughout the day! This likely means that people have back-to-back meetings and are on tight schedules, looking forward to each particular meeting. If you are late, then you are causing the other person to wait in the room or wait as the host for you to join, losing precious time in the day!

2) Don’t type while unmuted.

If you’re wondering whether or not the other person can hear you type as they speak, the answer is “Yes, they absolutely can.” It can be distracting to avoid at all costs! If you are the notetaker in the meeting then try to mute yourself while you do not have to respond to the other person speaking.

3) Try to use a solid background.

When in a Zoom meeting, Zoom fatigue is real. Avoid allowing people to get distracted by what’s going on behind by you having a plain and simple background behind you. While many have joined Zoom meetings with bookshelves in the background, sometimes that might not be the best choice. (I, too, am guilty of trying to see what books my fellow Zoom meeting attendee has been reading)!

4) Wear pants.

It is generally best to wear what you would normally wear to the usual in-person meeting, though it is generally understood that no one wants to put on a pant suit in the comfort of their own homes. Depending on the meeting, adjust your outfit accordingly – though always wear pants. You never know when your dog, child, or someone might come knocking on your door and you have to do an emergency run out of the camera shot with the unavoidable full outfit shot!

5) Silence desktop notifications.

More often than not, we head to our Zoom meetings, yet all of our other apps are open as well. Nobody wants to hear the constant ding of your messages or the sound of an inbound email. Quit out of the apps beforehand or change your settings to turn on “Do Not Disturb” for the duration of your meeting. You can also make the “Do Not Disturb” setting at the same time each day, which could be useful for recurring meetings!