Stop Eating on Zoom Calls

Okay, there is no easy way of telling you this so I will just be honest. Stop eating your breakfast, snacks, or lunch on zoom calls. It is disgusting! More importantly, it is very unprofessional. After watching a woman swallow a bag of potato chips on a zoom call recently, I thought it would be important to talk about professional etiquette. It was like watching a character from 'The Walking Dead' who just found food for the first time in days. Are you with me on this?

I am sure I am not the only one that is completely grossed out watching someone slurp their soup while forgetting to hit the mute button or turn off your camera first or take a bite of a huge hamburger with sauce running down their face. Unfortunately, since the business climate has changed over the last several months, zoom conferencing has been the #1 alternative to group meetings and roundtable discussions. So here are some MUST-DO's while you are presenting or are a guest on a zoom call.

PRESENTERS

1. While eloquently introducing your call, your guests speakers and your guests, it is your responsibility to lay down some ground rules for the call

• #1 RULE - Tell your guests, there is no eating on the call and if they must eat, then please select "mute" and "turn off your camera please"

Trust me, it is okay for you to call their name out during the meeting and ask them to turn off their camera if they decide to down a bag of potato chips in front of 40 people. Seriously y'all, if you haven't been able to get those last crumbs out from tapping the bottom of the bag after the 6th time, you are probably not going to get them. Let's safely assume those crumbs were not meant for you. LOL!

2. I know it can be painful to be on a call and listen to the ambient noises of children screaming or the pet dog barking in the background. Presenters, please do your guests a favor and request that the "mute button" be placed on. What I love now is presenters can actually turn off everyone's microphone until they want them to actually speak.

GUESTS

1. Stop Lurking! It is so common these days that people who work from are not always putting on their best clothes. I imagine the hair bun, no makeup, and some people who may even still be in their P.J.s but the idea behind a zoom call is an alternative to an actual in-person meeting, so turn get out of bed and turn on your camera so people can talk to you, not an empty screen.

2. Get Dressed

March is when the reality set in that industry professionals were now hosting meetings online instead of in person. With all the offices and businesses closing down, it definitely changed the way people were accustomed to having meetings. "ZOOM" might be '2020 Word of the Year'. It was not until I watched the now infamous Zoom call that started the trends on what NOT TO DO on a Zoom call. Do not forget to end the call before you stand up...... With over 2.5 million views, check out this hilarious video of radio station, 98.7 The Bull now know as the "Awkward Team Meeting." ..... Just wait for it!

I believe their Facebook following doubled overnight after that incident. In short, get dressed, brush your hair and look halfway presentable as you would in a normal business meeting.

Background Backdrop

Most people know that you are working from home so it would be expected that you have a background of your room, living room, kitchen, etc. The features do allow you to change the backdrop image while you are on the call but please do not get crazy with your backdrops. They are really not as cool as you think! In fact, it is actually more distracting than likeable because every time you move out of the camera recognition, your body becomes more of a glowing image from a paranormal show than of a business meeting.

Camera Angle

The most common mistake by presenters and guests are how their laptops are positioned during the call. Have you ever seen people take a selfie at a low angle in their car because they don't want people to know they are taking photos of themselves at a stop light? Yes, you know exactly what those pictures look like... haha. The same applies to zoom or any other video conferencing calls. If you are looking down at your camera, then be sure to get something to bring the camera up to eye level. (no one wants to look up your nose - this is just as bad as watching someone eat on camera) Perhaps you have some books you can stack or find a shorter chair. Lighting plays just as an important role as the angle does. With over 16k subscribers on YouTube, Gia Goodrich explains.........

HOW TO LOOK BETTER ON ZOOM [ How to Light & Angle Your Screen to Look Your Best] Watch here

I believe that we can all agree that we have all witnessed and partaken in some uncomfortable zoom calls, but with your effort, you now know what NOT to do on a zoom call! I just want to add, if you are on a zoom call, you can privately message the presenters in the chat box to have them reach out to the guest privately and have them turn off their camera. There are always options to improve the call, during the call.

In short..... STOP EATING ON ZOOM CALLS! ?