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The 7 rules of virtual meeting etiquette every professional should know

As the Coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to spread, few industries remain unscathed – and virtual meetings have become an essential part of how modern businesses maintain productivity and continuity. They’re an easy, cost-effective way to align multiple offices, keep remote employees engaged and work with clients and vendors.

While virtual meetings  have likely been a part of your daily work routine for some time now, it’s still easy to fall victim to some major meeting faux pas. Virtual meeting etiquette is a whole new ball game compared to in-person meetings, as many folks are learning this week!

To help you keep your meetings productive and professional, follow these seven simple virtual meeting etiquette rules and tips.

1. Leave the keyboard alone

Whether you’re diligently taking notes like a model employee or sneakily chatting with your work bestie, the sound of your typing is distracting. It’s not only distracting everyone else in the meeting (because your laptop’s internal microphone is inches away from your keyboard), it’s also preventing you from devoting your full attention to the meeting. Opt for a quality headset or pick up your notebook and pen to take meeting notes  instead.

Product tip : Let GoTo Meeting  take notes for you! Our Smart Assistant automatically transcribes meetings so you can focus on what’s being said – not what to write. After your meeting, you can easily search for keywords in the text of your meeting transcription and share the content with a link.

2. Dress appropriately

One of the magical things about working remotely is the freedom to wear anything to work. It’s the dream, right? Still, there’s no reason to show your co-workers your PJs and bedhead. (Unless it’s a joke the whole team agrees on, in which case we approve).

Take a few minutes to throw on a clean shirt and brush your hair. The best part of actually getting ready while working remotely is that you’ll put yourself in the right headspace to be productive.

3. Be aware of your surroundings

Your coworkers won’t be able to hear your ideas or take you seriously when there is a pile of dirty clothes in the corner behind you. You also want to avoid looking like you work from the inside of a cave because of bad lighting.

Adjust your work setup so that you face a window or are exposed to plenty of light. And make sure your background is professional and work appropriate! This means:

• No beds (unmade or made) in the background
• No messy rooms or open closets where everyone can see your clutter
• No NSFW artwork

While kids and pets are adorable (and a much needed distraction when you’re feeling overwhelmed), your coworkers won’t love having to talk over a screaming child or barking dog. So, be mindful of noise and…

4. Mute your microphone when you’re not talking

There’s nothing more frustrating than hearing that alien echo noise from conflicting microphones. Save everyone from the ear-splitting madness by joining the meeting while on mute!

Unless you live alone, your house is probably pretty noisy these days. Muting your microphone when you’re not speaking gives other participants the ability to chime in and share their thoughts without distraction or frustration.

5. Speak up

When you enter a small meeting (around two to five people) announce yourself when you join. It can be awkward to hear the “someone-just-joined” ding followed by silence. When you hop on the meeting, introduce yourself and say hi – just make sure not to interrupt someone mid-sentence.

Don’t be afraid to project your voice, too! Your team will appreciate being able to hear you without having to strain their ears or turn their volume all the way up.

6. No food allowed

Try to eat a snack before your virtual meeting. No one wants to see you stuff your face with chips while discussing important business matters. Not only is it distracting to others, you won’t be able to focus on the task at hand because you’ll be worrying about dropping crumbs all over your keyboard.

7. Stay seated and stay present

It may be tempting to check your inbox or carry on a side conversation during a dull moment in a meeting, but don’t do it! You might miss out on key information or an opportunity to give input. If you’re using your webcam, use attentive body language: sit up straight, don’t make big extraneous movements, and don’t let your eyes wander too much.

Once you have mastered this meeting etiquette, make sure you are making the most of your virtual meetings with these 8 can't-miss tips .

Best Practices & Guides , Future of Work , Remote Working , Virtual Socialization

These ground rules make virtual meetings better for everyone.

It comes as no surprise that more companies are relying heavily on virtual meetings to conduct collaborative sessions. The rising popularity of the remote-work culture has fundamentally changed the way businesses operate their meetings and establish employee relationships. 

Yet, if handled poorly, virtual practices can create more problems than it solves. In this guide, we will lay out some helpful ground rules for virtual meetings you can use to carry out your online meetings and facilitate company productivity.

10 Ground Rules for Virtual Meetings

Whether you’re seeking ground rules for Zoom meetings or any other virtual platform, your goal is to host online sessions with clear guidelines that your participants can follow. Take a look at the following virtual meeting housekeeping rules. 

1. Have an agenda

Without a clear agenda, there is no framework for what a meeting is supposed to accomplish. Before an online conference, spend time creating a detailed outline that describes the objectives, who is responsible for what, and the critical takeaways from your meeting. 

If you are the organizer, ensure your team has access to the agenda via a shared document so they know what to expect. Cover the essentials and stay on-topic.

2. Select a suitable meeting platform

No platform is the same. Every virtual program is equipped with distinct features, compatibility systems, and basic functions. Your conference platform should allow you to conduct your meeting smoothly and facilitate audience participation.

Consider Scoot as your next virtual platform. Our platform is designed to help you foster authentic connections and increase company productivity and engagement. Attendees can move around the virtual space, from one conversation to the next, just like real life. It brings the fun back to virtual meetings.

3. Dress nicely

Even in online meetings, what you wear speaks volumes about your image. Strive to present a professional image by wearing clothes that cover your entire body from top to bottom. Virtual meetings are meant to represent formal sessions, so aim for something that communicates a sharp and serious attitude.

4. Have your camera on

Remote meetings can make employees feel disconnected, making collaboration difficult. To avoid this obstacle, ask your team to keep their cameras on throughout the conference. This way, you can facilitate conversations, increase engagement , and convey important topics more humanely. The key is to make your virtual gathering resemble an in-person session.

5. Limit distractions

Virtual meetings are not the time for multitasking or attending to personal matters. Your phone, kids, and pets can all be major distractions, causing you to lose concentration and miss vital information. Assess your surroundings and limit interruptions. Put your phone on silent and inform your family that they should not interrupt you.

6. Take breaks

Long meetings can cause fatigue and reduce concentration. No host should conduct a two-hour presentation without reasonable breaks. This allows participants to rest, recharge, and return with a clear mindset. If you’re hosting back-to-back meetings, leave 10 to 15 minutes between them. 

Not only will you increase productivity, but you will also help your employees reduce their stress levels.

7. Avoid interrupting others

We’ve all heard the golden rule, “treat others the way you would like to be treated.” The same principle applies when discussing ground rules for virtual meetings. Speakers must be able to communicate key points and essential information without being interrupted by their colleagues.

Not only is interrupting disrespectful, but it also disrupts the flow of a presentation. Keep your microphone on mute, and limit any distractions around you that may interfere with your conference.

8. Do not leave unannounced

Never leave any virtual meeting unannounced. A sudden departure with no notice is rude and puts your team in an awkward position. Yes, it’s true, urgent matters may come up. If you must leave in the middle of a meeting, drop a message in the chat box to let your colleagues know.

If you can, inform others before the meeting that you will be departing. This way, they can prepare for your departure ahead of time.

9. Make time for questions

When you conduct meetings (online or in-person), you should expect questions at some point. These questions can pertain to the presentation, team objectives, employee tasks, etc. Reduce concerns and uncertainties by making time for questions at the end of a meeting.  

Additionally, spend some time beforehand coming up with a list of potential questions that might be brought up. This way, you’ll be prepared to address possible issues.

10. Stay on schedule

Online meetings should never go longer than expected. While delays are common, always try to stick to a scheduled time frame. If you scheduled a 30-minute conference call, you should cover your essentials within that period. Be mindful of other tasks or meetings your employees have to attend. Avoid delays by making your points clear, precise, and straight to the point.

Facilitate Engaging Virtual Meetings With Scoot

Virtual meeting housekeeping rules are designed to minimize online concerns and improve employee communication. 

Here at Scoot , we are dedicated to enhancing employee engagement and bringing the fun back to virtual meetings.

Learn more about our virtual meeting platform and contact us for more information.

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Unveiling the next-gen scootaverse: fall release highlights, how to keep your remote team engaged during all-hands meetings | webinar, the future of remote collaboration: what you need to know, 6 unique features of scoot that improve virtual collaboration, product overview.

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12 essential ground rules for online or hybrid meetings

Posted on October 24, 2022 by Louise Howland

Online meetings have been something we’ve all had to get used to over the past few years. Whether it’s staying on mute, knowing to blur your background, or how to exit a call, conducting a virtual meeting still presents challenges. And as virtual meetings certainly aren’t going anywhere, read on to discover our 12 essential ground rules for every virtual meeting!

1. Get your set-up right

The first step of any virtual meeting is ensuring you have the correct set-up. Whilst traditional in-person meetings may have required some set-up in the form of connecting your laptop to the conference monitor, online meetings have presented many more considerations and steps to take before you can get started.

2. Give plenty of notice

While a verbal confirmation may have done the job in the past, virtual meetings require much more organisation for the busy modern worker. Sending a calendar invite, via Outlook or similar, to all attendees is a must to allow your attendees to accept, reject or reschedule.

3. Make sure you have a strong internet connection

We all know that internet connectivity can present difficulties when it comes to online meetings, so it is important to make as many allowances as possible for this. It may be that your office internet connection is more reliable than at home, and so hosting your meeting from your office is a better option.

If you’re joining the meeting from home, you’ll want to ensure you’re in a room with the best signal or try a WiFi extender if you’re having trouble.

4. Troubleshoot before you join

A vital step in your virtual meeting set-up checklist is ensuring you’ve set up with plenty of time to allow for troubleshooting. Microsoft Teams allows you to run a test beforehand, where you can check your microphone, video and any other settings you wish! This will save valuable time when it comes to your meeting and give you peace of mind before presenting.

5. Know your role before the meeting starts

In virtual meetings, the communication signals you have in a physical room aren’t possible. You therefore need to know what you’re doing before you even join the call.

There are three key roles: organiser, host and contributor, as well as attendees.

The meeting organiser has more control than any other meeting role. They can limit other users, have greater control over the running of the meeting and they also control breakout rooms.

The host will also have access to many of the controls that the organiser does, and they should ensure that their roles are agreed upon before beginning the meeting.

It should also be noted that there may be slight administrative differences across platforms such as Microsoft Teams or Zoom , or that in many cases, the host and admin are the same person. This should all be taken into account before the meeting itself.

6. Check your microphone and video status

As many have discovered over lockdown, microphone and video settings are a hot topic of conversation in the working world. Should you blur your background or not? Mic on or off? It seems there are conflicting preferences everywhere you look.

Of course, as the host, ensuring your microphone and video is on and working properly is vital to conduct the meeting properly. But your mic and video etiquette are equally as important as an attendee!

7. Mute yourself

Keeping your microphone on may create a feedback loop, distracting the call, and if everyone has their sound on, there will be conflicting background noise which is helpful to no one. If, however, you’re attending a small video call of 10 people or less, then keeping your mic on can help communication.

8. Keep your video on if you feel comfortable

Whilst many may feel reluctant to having their video on, this gives online calls a personable feeling, allowing users to connect on a human level across technology. This is something we’ve all had to get used to over time and blurring your background may make you slightly more comfortable in doing so.

You can find your microphone and video settings at the top of your video call (as pictured in Microsoft Teams).

9. Keep your background professional

If you decide not to blur your background, then ensuring your backdrop is appropriate is vital. Whether you’re an attendee or the meeting organiser, calling from a messy room or busy coffee shop, for example, is inappropriate. Not only do these backgrounds lack professionalism, but they can also prove distracting to those attending the call. The best thing to do is find a blank wall, or space with minimal background distraction!

10. Remember chat etiquette

Whilst it may be tempting to message your co-worker whilst watching a presentation, be mindful of how this will come across. Whilst chats can prove a very useful function in online meetings, whether that is asking a quick question or used to send over notes, spending a large amount of time chatting away to your colleagues instead of watching the presentation is inappropriate. Be mindful!

11. Take time to familiarise yourself with software

Nobody wants to log onto a call on time to find the host is experiencing technical difficulties purely through lack of knowledge of the video calling platform. And on the other hand, the presenter does not want to be distracted by an attendee doing the same! No matter your role in the meeting, spend a little time to familiarise yourself with the software being used, whether that is simply knowing the difference between Microsoft Teams on desktop vs your web browser, for example.

12. Act as you would in person

Last but certainly not least is simple – act as you would in person. If you wouldn’t do it in the office, don’t do it on the call! Refrain from eating, make sure to introduce yourself and say goodbye as you log-off, and don’t be late. Whether you’re the host or attendee, nobody wants to hold up a meeting. If you’re conducting a hybrid meeting, make sure to be mindful of those connecting remotely – don’t begin a side conversation that those attendees can’t hear or contribute to!

Looking to strengthen your virtual meetings?

If you’re looking for productive, effective communication via online meetings, speak to the experts at ramsac today. We provide jargon-free, proactive IT support to help you make the most out of your facilities.

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Virtual Meeting Etiquette: 22 Must-Follow Guidelines

Written by Molly Hocutt

Download the virtual meeting kit to get templates to help you prepare productive meetings.

Remember when co-workers had no way of knowing if you were still in your pajamas or what was written on your favorite novelty mug?

Well, things have moved on since 2019. This is now a world of virtual teams, virtual meetings, and virtual etiquette.

But virtual meeting etiquette and ground rules aren’t just about ruining your workday lie-ins – they show you’re considerate of others, help teams be productive, and contribute to better online experiences for everyone.

So no more crunching and rustling into other people’s headsets – check out our dos and don’ts of virtual team meetings.

Livestorm's Virtual Meeting Kit

Download Livestorm's virtual meeting kit to host efficient virtual meetings using our meeting preparation checklist, agenda and minutes templates.

Why is virtual meeting etiquette important

Virtual meeting etiquette helps create a positive environment where people can collaborate online.

By being aware of the unwritten ground rules of virtual meetings, you can get more out of your video conferences and make a solid impression on other meeting participants (and, you know, generally stop embarrassing yourself).

What Virtual Meeting Ground Rules & Etiquette are Best?

Make your online meetings more enjoyable for everyone by following a few simple ground rules. Here are some virtual meeting best practices we discuss below:

Prepare a clear agenda

Begin with a round of introductions, minimize distractions, take breaks, be responsive, limit your keyboard use, record and share the meeting, close with what’s actionable, virtual meetings etiquette and ground rules for hosts, make sure you understand the software.

Knowing the ins-and-outs of your online meeting software isn’t just a matter of looking like a pro, it’s also practical.

Just as it’s useful to check in with a “Can everyone see my screen?” when you share a graph or document, you should be confident everything’s in place on your side for the collective response to be “Yes!”

If you invite your team to brainstorm on a whiteboard, what should be a fun, productive activity will go flat if you’re scrambling around trying to get things going.

So be sure you’re comfortable with event creation, inviting guests, and sharing media, and familiarize yourself with your platform’s technical requirements and engagement features.

The all-in-one solution for meeting software etiquette? Choose a video engagement platform that’s super easy for everyone to use.

Reduce employee churn

Connect your employees, train them and reduce churn with Livestorm

Outside of birthdays, people don’t like surprises, so have a clearly structured agenda for your virtual meetings to be shared with attendees before they start. \

A clear meeting agenda helps you stay on track and cover all the key areas of discussion. It should also give people the chance to think about how they can make a meaningful contribution to the proceedings.

Dress appropriately

Note that dressing appropriately isn’t the same as dressing formally. In fact, natural and casual is absolutely fine.

People like to see the real you, so if your four-legged friend video-bombs, no worries. Family pics in the background? Great. PJ’s and a bathrobe? Not so much.

Be punctual

A sure-fire way to get off to a bad start is to have people waiting for you – but sticking to the time isn’t only about when you arrive, so don’t let things run late, either.

Itemizing your meeting agenda will help with this, but also try to avoid too many talking points in a single meeting.

Remember to allow for some light chat at the start of your meetings and once things are underway, complete each topic with what’s actionable – then swiftly move on.

Speak to the camera

It’s said that you should speak to the camera at all times. In reality, that’s not very practical for virtual meetings, but if you’re presenting a topic, try to avoid speaking to one person at the bottom of your screen the whole time.

That said, especially in virtual sales meetings or webinars, speaking to the camera can help engender trust and engage your audience. But most of all just be friendly (be you!) – which will encourage attendees to be responsive when you ask them questions, engage them in the chat and launch polls.

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Analyze all of your data with Livestorm's powerful reporting features.

For a more formal virtual gathering, a friendly opening to introduce yourself, a panel, or attendees, can help settle everybody down. It also gives late arrivals the chance to creep in without missing anything, and sets a collaborative tone for positive, engaging meetings .

Your virtual meeting platform should provide a safe environment for your data, but encryption protocols can’t help attendees unsee your accidental screen share!

So observe online meeting etiquette and deactivate notifications, turn off social media and chat apps, and only keep open the tabs and windows you need.

Avoid distracting gestures

When participating in a virtual meeting, it's important to maintain a professional demeanor. Steer clear of fidgeting or excessive hand movements, as they can be visually distracting and may hinder effective communication.

Find a comfortable sitting position, keep your hands relaxed, and maintain good posture throughout the meeting.

Use non-verbal cues to show engagement

While virtual meetings lack the physical presence of face-to-face interactions, it's still important to show engagement and active participation.

Utilize non-verbal cues to let others know you are actively listening and engaged.

A simple nod or smile can convey your agreement or understanding. These non-verbal cues foster a sense of involvement and encourage open communication among participants.

Be respectful while others are speaking

In any conversation, whether virtual or in-person, it's crucial to show respect and attentiveness when others are speaking.

Allow each participant to express their thoughts and ideas without interruption, ensuring a harmonious and respectful environment.

By actively listening and patiently waiting for your turn to speak, you contribute to a more productive and inclusive meeting experience.

A good ground rule for virtual meetings is that any meeting longer than an hour should include a break – but a break doesn’t have to be a full-on intermission, just look to change things up for five or six minutes.

Share a short video, create an in-meeting poll, or take some time to answer questions – any of these will give people the chance to relax and reset.

There’s no need for laborious note-taking if there’s a meeting recording, so choose a platform that has automated replays and let participants know they’ll be sent the recording by email immediately after the meeting ends.

With the best video engagement platforms, automated email and recording is easy to set up when you create your event, all hosts have unlimited storage for meeting replays, and you can see who watched the recordings in your analytics dashboard.

And if someone you invited misses the all-hands ? Well, they get a recording, too – so it’s easy to catch up.

One of the most important tips for virtual meetings is to wrap things up professionally and positively.

How you go about this will depend on your event, but in closing, there should be a summary of key ideas, along with the actionable points and any related information.

One way to do this is to invite final comments from each speaker or attendee and share relevant links in the group chat for reference.

Also, you could create a poll (you can do this before or during the meeting) to see what the team thought went well during the meeting and what could be improved. This is a great way to show you value what the team has to say and help your meetings get better and better!

Virtual meeting etiquette for attendees

Start on mute by default.

Background noise can come through very loud on other people’s devices, so stick to virtual meeting best practices and keep your mic on mute, only activating it when you’re about to speak up. You might want to mute Netflix, too.

Note: Livestorm has handy shortcuts – to mute, just press “M”, and if you’re on mute by default, hold down “M” to speak.

Minimize movement

It’s not just your audio that can be a distraction, so keep movement to a minimum.

Have your glass of water within easy reach before you join the meeting, and check that your device is on a solid surface – if your computer is on your lap, your whole screen will move around any time you adjust your seating.

Your body language makes all the difference to how you’re received and also to an event in general.

A small nod or smile shows you’re engaged in what others are saying, and reaction emojis can be a fun way to show you like something – or disagree.

Go into your session with some questions prepared so that, when asked, you’re ready to contribute. Your willingness to engage and interact will encourage others to do the same, which makes for a positive and informative virtual meeting. Our post on [7 ways to make your online meetings more engaging] (https://livestorm.co/blog/engaging-online-meetings) covers more ways to do this in detail.

Have a clear background

Don’t feel the need to attend your meeting in front of a blank wall, but find a tidy location free of background activity.

Video conferencing etiquette also covers keyboard use. Other participants will notice if you’re busy typing instead of paying attention. Plus, if your mic isn’t on mute it’ll come through loud and clear on other people’s devices.

Use chat or raise your hand feature to contribute

Virtual meetings often involve a large number of participants, making it challenging for everyone to speak at once.

To contribute or ask questions without interrupting the flow of the meeting, make use of available features like chat or the virtual hand-raising option.

Utilize the chat function to type your questions or comments, which can be addressed by the speaker or moderator at an appropriate time.

Alternatively, use the raise your hand feature to indicate your desire to speak, ensuring that the meeting proceeds smoothly and all voices are heard.

Avoid eating

Eating during any meeting other than a business lunch is a big no-no, and virtual meetings are no different.

You’re likely no more than a few inches from your webcam and coming through in glorious HD, so limit intake to a few discreet sips of water or coffee.

Don’t interrupt, use the question tab

Instead of trying to squeeze your point in before others have finished speaking, simply add your question to the designated question section of the meeting room, and the group can address it once the main point’s been discussed – a great way to finish up each section as the team goes through the meeting agenda.

If it’s the end of the meeting, a short and sweet thank you and goodbye is perfect. But if you’re leaving early and don’t wish to interrupt, just add your goodbye with a brief explanation in the chat before making a discreet exit. It shows consideration for your team, and no interruptions required.

Make virtual meetings simple and fun

Virtual meetings don’t need to be online replicas of the boring office meetings of yesteryear – with video engagement features , like whiteboards, emoji reactions, video sharing, and private chats, your virtual meetings can be fun, collaborative, and productive.

Also, the best virtual meeting platforms are incredibly simple to use – everything’s in your browser , so participants just click the link and they’re ready to go!

And now that you have a wealth of virtual meeting etiquette in your armory, there’s nothing to stop you from having the best online meetings .

Frequently asked questions about virtual meeting etiquette and ground rules

What should you do if you need to leave a meeting.

When leaving a virtual meeting early, use your best judgment, but a discreet way to leave without interrupting anyone is to drop a quick goodbye and explanation in the chat before you go.

What are the benefits of virtual meetings?

The best virtual meetings bring remote teams together, allowing them to present and share ideas, collaborate, and bond.

Host productive meetings

Use these templates to get more out of your virtual meetings.

About the author

Molly Hocutt - Content Manager

Molly joined Livestorm in 2019 as a Content Manager and manages written content production. Her work focuses on lead generation and organic website traffic.

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Virtual Meeting Etiquette: The 20 Ground Rules For Virtual Meetings

If you've been enjoying working remotely since the pandemic, you're in luck – remote work is here and it's here to stay. You might think that it's temporary, but rest assured it will continue to be the norm in one form or another – companies can go 100% remote (like Twitter ) or they can operate a hybrid model (like Microsoft But even if you find yourself working from an office again in the future, you can't avoid the remote revolution altogether because there will always be individuals or teams that are working remotely and you'll need to collaborate with them.

Online meetings were around before COVID-19 took the world by surprise, but our use of them skyrocketed over the two years. What's interesting here is that, with the onset of the global pandemic in March 2020, Cisco reported that their employees have spent over 5.5 billion minutes attending virtual meetings in just the first 11 days of lockdown. It's true – the pandemic has forever changed the landscape of meetings!

One thing's for sure – it's time for us to get our act together and brush up on your meeting etiquette.

While companies worldwide have experienced a massive influx of online meetings, most of us are still guilty of falling victim to meeting faux pax. We'll get to how you can get this right shortly, but first, why is virtual meeting etiquette even important?

• Why virtual meeting etiquette can no longer be ignored

Just like any other social situation, virtual meetings also come with their form of etiquette.

Navigating from in-person meetings to virtual ones may have relaxed the norms from dressing casually to even grabbing a quick snack in between (when you’re not on a call, of course).

Reports show that over 17% of people have witnessed their colleagues engage in bad behavior while on a remote meeting, in the UK.

Besides that, “at home” behaviors like family interruptions are still considered acceptable. However, being a little too ‘at home’ by turning up for meetings in your PJs or worse, boxers, saying inappropriate things, or arguing with a family member is unacceptable.

Let’s not forget that just as we are expected to maintain a level of professionalism in an office setup, the same is expected from us while working from home.

This might seem overwhelming at first but fret not – we’ve got you covered. You can simply follow a few rules that will enable you to ace every virtual meeting from here on out. Keep reading!

20 golden rules of virtual meeting etiquette

Rule #1: turn up early.

“Right on time is 5 minutes late.”

This one still holds true, even in a remote setup. Remember how we used to time our coffee breaks in the office to make it to a meeting on time? Great, now keep that up for your virtual meetings.

No one likes to be kept waiting on calls. So if those calendar notifications aren’t getting the job done to keep you showing up on time, set up a reminder on your phone or another device to help yourself show up 5 minutes early. This gives you enough time to set up your equipment, make yourself comfortable, and be well prepared with the agenda to dive right into the call.

Rule #2: Test your tech before the meeting starts

“You’re on mute”, “We can’t see your screen”, “We lost you there for a minute” – these online meeting tropes happen more often than we’d like to admit.

Testing your tech and ensuring that you have a strong internet connection, is great for starters.

The entire purpose of online meetings is being able to listen, speak to, and see each other just like you would during in-person meetings. So take time out to ensure your webcam is working fine, test your audio, and when you need to speak up – please ensure that you’re not on mute.

Rule #3: Mute & start with video off by default

Before you hit the button to ‘join’ the meeting, ensure that you’re on mute and that your video is off by default. This helps you take stock of the situation, know who the call attendees are, and check your surroundings for possible sounds that could seem distracting.

The last thing you want to do when you enter a virtual meeting room is to make a ruckus that derails the flow of everything. If the dog starts barking and chaos ensues in the background right when you join, you’ll be the source of a huge disruption. Once you’ve entered the meeting room and taken a moment to see what’s happening, then you can safely unmute and switch your webcam on.

Rule #4: Choose the right online meeting software

Calendar scheduling & video conferencing software have taken over our everyday lives – we see the likes of Zoom and SavvyCal helping teams collaborate and thrive in the new normal.

Although Zoom is brilliant, you still need to install the software on your phone or desktop and familiarize yourself with specific Zoom etiquette in additional to general meeting best practices . So, if you or your counterpart is looking for a browser-based conferencing solution, check out Whereby (I love it) and the good ol' Google Meet Before you set up that virtual call, ensure that you go for an online meeting tool that is widely used and is simple to set up. Your coworkers should be able to get on the call easily without any confusion or back-and-forth.

Rule #5: Take the call in a quiet environment

When you have an important call that you need to take, ensure that your background is not distracting and is work-appropriate (bookshelves are always a safe bet).

You also need to drown out any background noise – make sure that you’re seated in a quiet place free from any clutter or sounds that could be disturbing to you and your teammates during the call.

You might be tempted to take a call at a bustling coffee shop or airport terminal, but ultimately you might be better off rescheduling or skipping if you won’t be able to properly take part in the meeting.

Rule #6: Begin with a round of introductions

If you’re the host and some attendees may not know each other, it’s always polite to introduce yourself and get started with a quick round of hellos before digging into the agenda.

This is important to follow especially when you have new teammates on board or when you’re making a call with clients or external folks. Take a minute or two out to introduce everyone by their names and the roles or companies they work for.

Related Reading: How to introduce 2 people over email

Rule #7: Always add the meeting to the calendars of all attendees

In the office, you might be able to rely on co-workers to give you the cue about a meeting starting. But when doing remote work , you have no other choice but to “live and die by the calendar.” If a meeting isn’t on the calendar, it might as well not even exist.

Don’t expect anyone to create a reminder or calendar event for themselves. When you send out an invite, make it a point to add the meeting to the calendars of all those who have been invited to the meeting. Syncing up these online meetings with everyone’s calendars is a great way to notify them in advance about an upcoming call.

Also, rely on RSVPs. In advance of the meeting, check who has YESed or NOed. If a key stakeholder hasn’t responded or has responded “NO” to your meeting request, you might want to consider rescheduling the meeting altogether. And when you do this, don’t forget to let everyone know the same with the updated date and time.

Related Reading: How to send a Google Calendar invite

Rule #8: All hail the Agenda

As per a recent survey , it was reported that 95% of attendees in a meeting said that they lose focus and drift off! Having a meeting agenda is the single best way to combat this.

Without an agenda, it’s too easy to go off-topic, ramble about meaningless details, or cover things that aren’t relevant to everyone attending.

With a clear agenda for the meeting, the attendees will be more engaged, focused, and may even want to chime in with their thoughts since the agenda keeps everyone on the same page. Agendas are forcing functions to only talk about the most important, relevant topics needing discussion. You can use tools like Hypercontext to seamlessly set meeting agendas directly within the calendars.

Rule #9: Do your homework before the meeting

Turning up for meetings unprepared is a surefire way to waste yours and others in the meeting’s time.

When you know that a meeting has been scheduled, take time out to go over the agenda, prepare notes and comments that you’d like to make during the call, and complete tasks that you need to report on beforehand.

Alternatively, if you’re setting the agenda for the meeting, make sure to provide as much detail as possible to allow everyone attending to adequately prepare ahead of time. Include bullet points to be discussed in the meeting, supporting documents that others should review, and links to anything that will be referenced.

Not only will this impress others in the meeting, it will also help you stay focused and result in a more effective meeting overall.

Rule #10: Take detailed notes throughout

At least one attendee should jot down the important points being discussed during the meeting. If there was an agenda set ahead of time, it can act as an outline for note taking. Whether notes are being written by one person or by everyone attending collectively, notes help ensure the meeting results in decisions, next steps, future discussion points.

Tools like Fireflies , Grain , or Hugo make note taking a breeze. But ultimately you should decide which note taking method or tools works best for you and the rest of the attendees.

Rule #11: Let your family and friends know that you’re in a meeting

Whether you have a dedicated workspace or not, it’s considerate to let everyone you live with know that you’re on call so they don’t accidentally disturb you. If you have an office or dedicated room for working, you might develop signals like closing the door or hanging up a small sign when you’re in meetings. Or if you’re in a common space, you might share your schedule with everyone who uses that space in advance so they don’t disrupt the meeting.

If you have kids or pets, ensure that they are kept occupied with activities or games during your virtual meetings. The idea is to minimize commotions and any form of distractions that could hamper the meeting. Life happens — there are always going to be minor disruptions and things that happen outside of your control — but communicating your meeting schedule can help minimize the times you have to step away from the meeting.

Rule #12: Turning your webcam on? Look directly into the camera

If you’re not a fan of video calls, you’re not alone. But using your webcam is a great way to help meetings feel more personal, engaging, and lively. So if you do happen to be in a meeting where webcams are on, you might as well learn how to make the most of it.

As much as you can help it, try to build a habit to look right into the camera. We often look at ourselves or the other attendees on the screen. But from the perspective of someone you’re talking to, it might not look like you’re talking to them at all, which can create an unnatural dynamic. Staring right into the camera may seem awkward at first, but it makes the conversation flow more naturally and helps attendees feel like you’re talking directly to them, mimicking the face-to-face experience…

Rule #13: Fix the lighting

If you’ve decided to keep your webcams on, you need to ensure that you’re seated in a well-lit place. Proper lighting is the biggest factor to your appearance on video.

You don’t want to look like a mysterious figure about to demand a ransom from the shadows of a dark room.

Sit facing a light source or a window with ample natural light pouring in to achieve the best lighting for your video calls. Or better yet, get your hands on a ring light that has been built specifically for this purpose. Ring lights can be outfitted directly to the back of your monitor or on a stand behind your computer.

Rule #14: Stay focused – avoid any form of distractions

With no one looking over your shoulder or around to see you occupied with something else, it’s tempting to go check Twitter or Amazon in the middle of a meeting. Access to other sites is wreaking havoc on our ability to focus.

Devoting your undivided attention during meetings is no easy feat, but it’s important to be present for everyone attending. Out of respect, pay attention and keep away anything that could distract you from what’s going on in the meeting.

Rule #15: Don’t rush – speak slow and clear

Public speaking is the world’s number one cited fear, and virtual meetings are no exception. A time crunch, unfamiliar technology, and nervousness can result in speaking too fast, jumbling words, or forgetting important details.

Even with how far technology has come the past decades, we’re still not immune to poor bandwidth and audio quality issues. Remember to speak clearly and slightly slower than you might in person so that everyone in the meeting can understand you. Without the same nonverbal cues to go off of, it’s important to allow attendees moments to interject with a comment or question. Take your time and allow the meeting to run its course with the time you have — you can always schedule another for anything you don’t cover.

Rule #16: Do your best not to interrupt others

While we’re on the subject, another point to keep in mind is to avoid interrupting others while speaking.

In person, you may be able to quickly interject or slide in a comment that doesn’t disrupt conversation. But due to internet lag and the difficulty of mixed audio sources, it’s nearly impossible to understand people talking over each other in a virtual meeting.

Sure, you’ve just thought of a big idea or you beg to differ, but wait for the other person to finish before you jump right in. Some consider virtual meeting etiquette to include unmuting yourself as a signal that you want to jump in with a question or comment. You might also consider a quick hand signal to the webcam or a quick “If I can add a comment…” before you begin talking.

Rule #17: Need to leave the room? Be sure to excuse yourself

During an online meeting, you may need to get up and leave the room because there is someone at your door or you need to attend to a family member – be sure to inform other participants on the call and excuse yourself before you leave the room.

Explaining the reason you’re leaving temporarily is optional, but inform them for how long you would be away and try to return as soon as possible. Leaving abruptly without reason can actually be more disrupting because attendees will be confused why you’ve left and wonder if they should continue or not.

Rule #18: Dress appropriately – opt for business casual

While you might not have to dress as formally as you did going into the office, sitting in your PJs is never a good idea.

The way you dress will always leave an impression, positive or negative. Business casual is a safe bet for 90% of meetings. At the very least, make sure you’re not wearing anything you’d be embarrassed of if your full body was in view. Avoid inappropriate graphic tee shirts and anything that looks like you could wear it to bed.

Rule #19: Keep those snacks away

When you’re working from home, it’s all too easy to snack throughout the day with the pantry and fridge just a short walk away. In general, consider avoiding snacks during a call. While it may not hamper your ability to engage in a meeting, it might be distracting to others attending.

Fuel up before you head into the call or, if you must, choose snacks that are inconspicuous and don’t make a lot of noise.

Rule #20: Sharing your screen? Always ask “can you see my screen?”

One of the most commonly used features of video conferencing tools is the ability to share your screen. Be it a presentation, product demo, troubleshooting, or working document, make sure to check with the attendees if your screen is visible to all of them before you begin discussing what’s on your screen.

While you’re working, you might have multiple windows layered on top of each other with apps, browser, and documents open. That’s totally fine — we all have a bit of “mad scientist” in us that reflects on our workstation. But when you’re sharing your screen, it’s best to tidy it up and make sure that you’re only showing what’s needed. Close tabs that may contain sensitive information and make what you’re focusing on full screen so everyone can see it clearly.

• Time to step up your game for virtual meetings

There you have it – it’s time to quit winging those virtual meetings and do things the right way. Virtual meeting etiquette will help you come off more professional, respectful, and productive.

Getting used to this new norm of virtual meetings may take time, so it is important to have clear guidelines and preferred practices in place. Sticking to these basic etiquettes is important to thrive in today’s remote work culture.

Table of Contents

• Rule1: Turn up early
• Rule2: Test your tech before the meeting starts
• Rule3: Mute & start with video off by default
• Rule4: Choose the right online meeting software
• Rule5: Take the call in a quiet environment
• Rule6: Begin with a round of introductions
• Rule7: Always add the meeting to the calendars of all attendees
• Rule8: All hail the Agenda
• Rule9: Do your homework before the meeting
• Rule10: Take detailed notes throughout
• Rule11: Let your family and friends know that you’re in a meeting
• Rule12: Turning your webcam on? Look directly into the camera
• Rule13: Fix the lighting
• Rule14: Stay focused – avoid any form of distractions
• Rule15: Don’t rush – speak slow and clear
• Rule16: Do your best not to interrupt others
• Rule17: Need to leave the room? Be sure to excuse yourself
• Rule18: Dress appropriately – opt for business casual
• Rule19: Keep those snacks away
• Rule20: Sharing your screen? Always ask “can you see my screen?”

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Online meeting etiquette for attendees – A 2022 update

19 jan 2022   |   digital meetings.

Neil Miller

Host, the digital workplace.

Ask for an agenda

If you get invited to a meeting without an agenda, it is good virtual meeting etiquette to push back and ask for one. Being forced to go to meetings without a plan is like someone stealing your chair . Time is the most precious resource in a digital workplace. If you let people steal it from you, then you are as much to blame as they are. Ask for an agenda and any pre-reading or pre-work you can do to be ready.

Check out our virtual meeting agenda template here.

Come prepared

Make time in your day to be ready for the meeting. Do your pre-reading. Leave comments on the agenda. Send notes if you want to add things to talk about. You can do your part to make the meeting great if you can jump into the discussion time as soon as possible.

Tell your brain it’s time for the meeting

Think about how you went to meetings when you were in the office. You stopped working, stood up, and stretched. You grabbed a notebook, and walked by the desk of coworkers to see if they were ready. You grabbed a quick cup of coffee and had a seat in a totally different room from where you were before.

What happens when you attend a virtual meeting from home? You work right up until 9:59am, click a link, and BOOM, you are in the meeting.

Good virtual meeting etiquette means not bringing all your baggage from the day.

How can you recreate this when working from home or a co-working space? Five minutes before the meeting, stand up, stretch, and go get something to drink. Consider logging in from a different room, or at least a different part of the room. If you don’t need to share visuals, take a walk. Or at least go put on some pants, just in case .

You are trying to make a shift from Focus work mode to Engaged . Otherwise, you’ll immediately start thinking about the other work you could be doing instead of being in the meeting. Changing your environment will help you stay engaged with the conversation instead of doing email.

Signal to others you are in a meeting

If you share space with others, let them know you are getting on a meeting. Everyone in a 20 foot radius should be fully clothed :-). Make it clear if it’s ok to interrupt you if they can’t find the scissors to cut off the top of the popsicle.

Prevent your distractions

Turn off all chat applications and notifications. Silence your phone. Close out any tabs that aren’t essential to the meeting. If you are a fidgeter, have something in your hand.

Log in early

Don’t wait until the last minute to log in. You will start off distracted, and you may forget to log in on time. Logging in five minutes ahead of time is good online meeting etiquette for attendees. Start some light conversation with others.

If you are going to be late, send a message to the meeting organizer so they know if they should wait for you.

The exception to showing up early is if you are joining as a guest on someone else’s platform. In such cases, you want to show up right on time. Start logging in 1-2 minutes early in case you run into issues with a new platform or installing software.

Start with video on

Video is a powerful way to maintain a human connection in a virtual meeting. Starting a call with a bunch of blank screens is pretty cold and impersonal.

If you are uncomfortable sharing your background, apply a filter or a blur. “I didn’t brush my hair” is not a valid excuse to keep your video off during a planned business meeting.

If connectivity or bandwidth is a problem, let everyone know you are going to turn your video off after saying hello.

Staying on mute unless you have something to say lowers the fidelity of the conversation. It gives others fewer signals to interpret. Even picking up on a quick laugh or “mmhmm” is helpful to whoever is talking.

Mute yourself when not speaking if:

• It is a large call of ten or more people
• You hear a feedback echo
• You have noise in your background

Otherwise, don’t mute.

Speak slowly

Be aware of non-native speakers on the call. Many rely on watching your face or reading lips to get the full context. Without those signals, they need you to slow down to make sure they catch what you say.

Don’t leave the room

You wouldn’t quietly sneak out the back door of an in-person meeting, would you? Online meeting etiquette for attendees is the same. If something urgent comes up, such as signing for a delivery at the door, leave a chat message to say you will be right back. If you have your video off, send another message when you return. This also prevents the awkwardness of being called on during the meeting and not answering.

Dealing with interruptions

If your cat, child, grandmother, or spouse walks into the screen, don’t freak out. By this point, everyone’s had this experience. It’s just another reminder that we are all humans trying to figure this out.

Chat side conversations

Is it bad virtual meeting etiquette to send chat messages? Not necessarily.

Chat during meetings can actually be a fun way to augment the experience and make it more fun for everyone.

But it can feel disrespectful to the person leading. If you’ve ever been the leader, you know how hard it is to stay focused and keep folks engaged.

Decide as a team on your ground rules for virtual meetings if it’s ok to use chat, but here are a few guidelines:

• The chat should be available to everyone. Quick, private side conversations are bad online meeting etiquette.
• Don’t make a comment that degrades someone.
• Be respectful of the meeting host.

Don’t talk over people

In a virtual meeting, it’s hard to know exactly who spoke first. Be ready to let the other person speak ahead of you. If you need to complete a statement, say something like, “Ramon, I just want to finish this thought, and then I want to hear what you have to say.”

Resist the urge to do other work

At some point you’ll get the urge to check your messages, research a catch phrase, or get lost finding the perfect GIF response. Doing work while on a meeting means you won’t be focused on either and both will suffer.

If you find yourself consistently distracted, here are a few things to try:

• Keep your hands in the video feed
• Take the call on a mobile device and shut down your laptop
• Always volunteer to share your screen for the group when required
• Change your atmosphere (see above)

Hybrid meeting etiquette

If you are at the office while others log in remotely, there is some extra virtual etiquette to follow for hybrid meetings .

Make sure you can be seen

Unless the room has a high quality telepresence video, log in with your video on just like everyone else. You may need to mute your microphone and turn your volume down to eliminate feedback.

If there is only one camera, don’t lean out of the picture. The video is there to give remote employees the best chance to simulate being together. If you can’t be seen, move yourself or suggest setting up another camera.

Be inclusive

Include remote callers in pre-metting chitchat. Direct questions specifically to remote attendees if you haven’t heard much from them.

No whispers

Don’t start a side conversation with someone else in the room where no remote team members can hear it. This is bad online meeting etiquette in any situation.

Defer to remote speakers instead of interrupting

If you and a remote attendee spoke at the same time, always allow the other person to go first.

Stick around afterwards

Some of the best conversations happen after the meeting is over. Instead of chatting with people in the office, give a remote team member a call right afterwards. Debrief the call and catch up for a few minutes.

The rules have changed

As with most things, digital has changed the face of meetings . Proper online meeting etiquette for attendees is new and changing every day. Virtual meeting etiquette exists to smooth out the digital experience so that everyone gets the most out of the meeting.

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Author: DiploFoundation

[HOW-TO] The 8 rules of conduct for online meetings

The online world has some unwritten but recommended rules of (good) behaviour. Keep them in mind when you’re attending an online meeting or event. 

1. Become familiar with the platform

You’re well-prepared for your meeting when you’re also familiar with the meeting platform. Do you need to install any software? Does your camera and microphone work? Do you need headphones? How do you mute and unmute yourself? Get familiar with the platform in advance, and ask your host if something is unclear. 

2. Don’t be late for your meeting 

The noise of the door opening and closing, the moving of chairs, the start-up noise of a laptop… we are all too familiar with latecomers entering a meeting room. Not only is it distracting, but it’s also plain rude towards event organisers and fellow attendees. Make no mistake: in the online world, being late is just as rude, especially if you’re a speaker, or an attendee whose participation is required.  

3. Switch on your camera

If the host or organiser encourages the use of cameras, turn it on. In the real world, the visual element is extremely important; it is no different in the online world, even though we may feel sometimes feel uncomfortable showing our backgrounds. If that’s the case, you can use a virtual or blurred background.

4. Mute your microphone when you’re not speaking

The golden rule of online meetings is that everyone mutes their microphone whenever they are not speaking. Turn it on only when you need to talk. When you turn the microphone on, wait for a second or two before you start (remember that the Internet also carries a slight delay in traffic). Also, be tolerant to pauses when engaging others.

5. Raise your hand

In a face-to-face environment, it is easy to notice when a participant would like to speak - from a raised hand, to facial expressions, and murmurings. In the online room, it’s sometimes difficult to get noticed. Talking over someone leads to chaos in a virtual room. Instead, most platforms have a ‘raise hand’ option. Alternatively, use the chat window if this is enabled.

6. Keep track of the chat window

Online meetings often use multiple channels of communication. In addition to the main video, the event may have a text-based chat. Keep an eye on these other channels of communication.

7. Respect the host

In a hierarchical organisation, superiors are often given priority in communications. In diplomacy, protocol rules specify the level of precedence. In an online meeting, while protocol and other societal rules need to be observed, the role of the host or moderator needs to be respected too. In practice, in most cases it’s the host who has the last word, as the ‘conductor’ of the meeting.

8. Know when to leave

If you’re one of the main participants and you need to leave early, avoid leaving right after your intervention. Instead, make sure the host and organiser know you need to leave early. Then, try to slip away unnoticed, so that the flow of the meeting is not disrupted by your departure.

Any more tips? Write to us at [email protected]  

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The COVID Remote Working Series: 15 Virtual Meeting Etiquettes For Effective Online Presentation

Making live presentations gives a familiar and dreaded feeling of butterflies in the stomach. Online presentations are a step above; they pose more challenges and of a different nature.

Consider this: You can’t read people’s body language, you can’t know if people are even listening to you. Your effectiveness goes for a toss since virtual presence is a great equalizer. And then there is a risk of home stuff creeping in official business.

All this while you are trying to influence that big sales or swing that executive decision in your favor! That’s why virtual meeting etiquettes are quite important.

In the wake of Coronavirus, people are forced to work remotely and make online presentations. They find themselves seriously under-equipped with the tools and ways of thinking about remote presentations. On the other hand, people who have these skills will rise and shine: They will be the masters of the Virtual Domain.

Here are our 15 Virtual Presentation Tips:

• Watch your back
• Leave the keyboard alone
• Mute your microphone
• Send pre-reads
• Lower Your Voice
• Don’t eat during the conference
• Stick to the time frames
• Mind your body language
• Protect Sensitive Information

1) Dress up: As you usually would if you were presenting in person, even if it is an audio-only discussion. While it is undoubtedly comfy in your pajamas, you run a psychological risk of slipping into a comfort zone, which can take the edge off your online presentations. Be fully groomed, look sharp so that you can be sharp.

2) Gear up: How many “can you hear me now moments have you had”? How about apologizing for the call dropping? Take our advice and do the following:

a) Invest in good equipment

Here are our picks:

• Jabra Speak 510: Improves quality of the audio connection from your laptop; has a variety of connectivity options;
• Makes connecting with Skype of MS Teams a breeze
• Sennheiser Double-Sided Business Headset: SC 660 USB CTRL (504555): The best headset I have come across. This is the only one with a physical mute button- yes, you read that right- a rare physical mute button that lights up when you press it.

Disclaimer: We earn no commission or have any commercial interests in the recommended products

b) Dial-in two lines simultaneously: Here are the advantages of doing that – You can hear your voice on the other line: that way you will not have to ask if you are audible. If one disconnects, you can pick the other.

3) Warm-up: You do not have the human touchy-feely warmth when on a cold, dry phone call. Believe it or not, we are all humans and need a bit of small talk. Going straight to the point can make you appear very transactional and not interested in the other person. A little bit of warm-up can go a long way. While most discussions these days start with virus talk, weather, sports continue to be safe all-time favorites. One caveat is to find an opening to move quickly to the point and not make the starter encroach your main course.

4) Watch your back: If on Video, a cluttered background can ruin everything for which you should try to use MS Teams if possible and blur the background or use a white background.

5) Read cues: This one needs a bit of practice and is a pro technique. But you will do it if you are willing to listen carefully: The signs are all over the place:

A breath inward: Someone wants to speak.

Sigh: Didn’t fully agree with part of what you said

Total silence: Usually means no engagement

Sounds of typing: Same as above and many others.

6) Leave the keyboard alone: Whether you are taking notes during the meeting or chatting with your friend, the sound of your typing is really distracting. It’s not only preventing you from focusing on the meeting but also distracting everyone else in the meeting.

7) Mute your microphone when you’re not talking: There’s nothing more frustrating than hearing that aching noise from conflicting microphones. It also prevents any unwanted audio from entering your mic. 

8) Send pre-reads: Send pre-reads, if possible, a day in advance for dense topics. It will give you a lot of invisible power and provide a solid impression that you are in command. Then restrict your presentation to topics that require discussions rather than pour over the material. I would recommend you send pdfs to avoid cluttering your audience’s mailboxes. The audience will notice this and thank you in their hearts.

9) Jazz up: The audience will not get the benefit of your charming physical presence. Make up for that by using good quality slides. A thumb rule is that slides have to speak for themselves since, like it or not, many will scroll ahead and read through everything while you are talking and make their impressions, which can often be hard to change. Use SlideUpLift to take advantage of the online library of great-looking Powerpoint templates that use principles of vision science to create an impact.

10) Be Early: always! It creates a solid impression that you are on top of your game.

11) Lower Your Voice: Speak at a slower cadence than that of your everyday conversational speech. This is because most people use earphones during meetings and you will be speaking directly in their ears through the earphones.

12) Don’t eat during the conference: Would you ever bring anything to eat in a meeting? Then don’t bring it into your virtual meeting either. This is especially important if others can hear you chewing, it can cause a distraction for everyone.

13)  Stick to the time frames: You should always keep an eye on the clock and make sure you start and finish your virtual meeting on time. This will reflect your professionalism and make others be on time.

14)  Mind your body language: Body language is a vital part of virtual meeting etiquette. Even if you can speak and present flawlessly, your facial expression and posture say more than your words when you present online. 

15) Protect Sensitive Information: If you are sharing your screen during the online presentations, make sure that only the intended content is seen. Before you launch a video conference, close all unnecessary tabs from your browser. Launching a new browser window and preparing before time will help keep sensitive information confidential.

For extra control of what others see during your online presentations , choose the option to share the screen only one screen or one app (i.e. only a Powerpoint presentation) instead of your full desktop.

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</p><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> <p><strong>Please include attribution to slideuplift.com with this graphic.</strong></p><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> <p><a href=’https://slideuplift.com/blog/remote-presentations-7-tips-to-make-you-masters-of-the-online-presentations/’><img src=’https://149357291.v2.pressablecdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/first-project-1.jpg.webp’ alt=’Virtual Meeting Etiquettes’ width=’600px’ border=’0′ /></a></p><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> <p>

Check out a few remote team-building activities that help ensure a productive, collaborative, and healthy work environment, all crucial attributes for organizations in an increasingly competitive world.

Team Building Presentations

View Team Building Presentations 

Lastly, a great remote-working regime stems from a comfortable home office space that helps you get things done. If you are looking for some tips on creating the perfect home office space, you can check this article on setting up a great remote working space .

Conclusion:

Online presentations are an effective means of communication and valuable methods for bringing your team together. But without preparation and the use of effective tools, they risk wasting participants’ time without actually achieving anything valuable.

Follow these 15 virtual meeting etiquette tips during your next virtual meeting, and ask your team members to maintain these standards, to make your video conference more effective.

Now you don’t have to scour the web to find out the right templates. Download our PowerPoint Templates from within PowerPoint. See how ?

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Ground Rules for Virtual Meetings

Establish ground rules to smooth out your virtual meetings.

The best meetings, remote or in person, have ground rules; a code of conduct that establishes expected behavior and standards for all attendees to meet. Virtual meeting ground rules must go beyond in-person expectations to be effective, as they need to accommodate for tech and the physical separation of attendees.

At this point, we’ve all had many months to become accustomed to meeting virtually. Some love it and some hate it, but either way, it seems that virtual meetings are here to stay – at least, they aren’t going anywhere any time soon. If your virtual meetings still aren’t going smoothly – perhaps they lack engagement or perhaps they’re a little chaotic – it may be time to go back to basics. Virtual meetings cannot be treated like in-person meetings put online. They are a different beast entirely and therefore demand an entirely new set of expectations. If you haven’t established ground rules for your remote team’s virtual meetings (or if your rules need an update), here’s how to get started.

Pro-tip: use our Virtual Work Guide to facilitate quality work with a distributed team.

Playing Your Part

Set your team up for success by introducing ground rules with enough notice to allow everyone to process and take the rules to heart. The advanced delivery of your agenda and any virtual tools that may be used is a perfect opportunity to introduce your ground rules. This will allow participants to visualize them in context with the upcoming meeting’s scheduled content.

It can be beneficial to explain why each rule exists; if participants understand why they are being asked to do something rather than feeling obligated to follow an arbitrary rule, they are more likely to cooperate. Explanations should be brief but give your team insight into the positive effect establishing the ground rule will have on the meeting.

Encourage your participants to speak with you privately if they feel they will be unable to follow a ground-rule. This is most likely to come up with matters of a technological nature; participants may have varying access to equipment or may have an issue with appearing on video. Approach these circumstances with understanding. Understand that virtual meetings often bring attendees inside each other’s homes and not everyone has the same level of comfortability with that. Participants may not have room in their home for a private working space, have small children that cannot be relied upon to remain appropriate in front of a camera, or experience a level of self-consciousness or distraction from appearing on camera that will interfere with their ability to remain focused.

Basic Ground Rules

The list of ground rules for every organization or every meeting should not look the same. They should be tailored to each team’s purpose and each organization’s individual work culture. There are, however, a few baseline rules that are highly likely to appear on most lists.

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• Keep muted unless it is your turn to speak: In-person, the person speaking during a discussion is likely to flow back and forth between different people or around the entire room. When this happens virtually, it is nearly impossible to follow who is speaking and what is being said. Participants should keep their mics muted unless it is their turn to speak.
• No multi-tasking, even if it’s quick: It is extremely tempting to check an email or send a slack message during a virtual meeting; participants are already on their computers, after all. Everyone must resist this urge. It is too easy for a quick look at one’s inbox to lead down a much more distracting path. Give the meeting your full attention.
•   Know how to use tools: Participants must show up to the meeting having already learned how to use any virtual tools provided with the agenda. This may include making an account for some resources. It might also mean that participants need to connect to the meeting via a laptop, not a smartphone if the virtual tools are incompatible or difficult to use with a smartphone.
• Turn on video (if you can): Virtual meetings see better connection and engagement if participants appear on video rather than just audio. If participants are able to turn the video on, it is best that they do.

Additional Ground Rules

After you’ve created a list of basic rules, it may be time to add some additional ground rules tailored to your team or organization’s company culture. You may see the best results in terms of both quality and participant compliance if you allow your participants to create these ground rules with you. If you have reoccurring virtual meetings with your team, one of these meetings could be a good time to establish tailored ground rules together. If this is not possible, consider allowing suggestions via Google Form, email, Slack, etc.

Here are some questions to consider or to pose to your participants that will help in establishing ground rules that are a good cultural fit for the team.

• What time frames should we be available for meetings? What time frames should be off-limits?
•  How should we handle unforeseen distractions or unexpected issues that need to be attended to during a virtual meeting? How do we signal to others that we must step away without causing a disturbance?
• How far in advance do we need to know about pre-meeting prep work such as testing a new virtual tool?
• How long are we comfortable being in a virtual meeting? How often do we need stretch breaks?
• What method of communication should we use to communicate technical difficulties should they arise?

Try to avoid generating a long list of ground rules. Fewer rules tend to lead to better cooperation from team members–with the ground rules as well as with each other.  If your team raises a lot of matters that they would like incorporated into your list of ground rules, help them consolidate similar or encompassing matters. If you’re still left with too many, help them narrow down the list to what’s most important to them.

Don’t be afraid to revisit this discussion with your team if the list of ground rules turns out to be less than perfect the first time around. Your team is composed of members whose circumstances, attitudes, and experiences may change so it’s okay for your ground rules to do the same.

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The 10 Ground Rules for Meetings

Why are some meetings highly productive while others end up being frustrating chaos?

In addition to having a meeting agenda that guides meeting participants towards accomplishing the meeting goals, participants of productive meetings have a clear understanding of what is expected of them to best support this process. This is where meeting ground rules come in to play.

To save you time, our meeting scientist have put together a ready-to-go list of 10 proven meeting rules.

Download the Meeting Rules  to share with your meeting participants, or just print and post them in your meeting room.

1. Show up on time and come prepared

Be prompt in arriving to the meeting and in returning from breaks. Be prepared to contribute to achieving the meeting goals. Come to the meeting with a positive attitude.

2. Stay mentally and physically present

Be present, and don’t attend to non-meeting business. Listen attentively to others and don’t interrupt or have side conversations. Treat all meeting participants with the same respect you would want from them.

3. Contribute to meeting goals

Participate 100% by sharing ideas, asking questions, and contributing to discussions. Share your unique perspectives and experience, and speak honestly. If you state a problem or disagree with a proposal, try to offer a solution.

4. Let everyone participate

Share time so that all can participate. Be patient when listening to others speak and do not interrupt them. Respect each other’s’ thinking and value everyone’s contributions.

5. Listen with an open mind

Value the learning from different inputs, and listen to get smarter. Stay open to new ways of doing things, and listen for the future to emerge. You can respect another person’s point of view without agreeing with them.

6. Think before speaking

Seek first to understand, then to be understood. Avoid using idioms, three letter acronyms, and phrases that can be misunderstood. It’s OK to disagree, respectfully and openly, and without being disagreeable.

7. Stay on point and on time

Respect the groups’ time and keep comments brief and to the point. When a topic has been discussed fully, do not bring it back up. Do not waste everyone’s time by repeating what others have said.

8. Attack the problem, not the person

Respectfully challenge the idea, not the person. Blame or judgment will get you further from a solution, not closer. Honest and constructive discussions are necessary to get the best results.

9. Close decisions and follow up

Make sure decisions are supported by the group, otherwise they won’t be acted on. Note pending issues and schedule follow up meetings as needed. Identify actions based on decisions made, and follow up actions assigned to you.

10. Record outcomes and share

Record issues discussed, decisions made, and tasks assigned. Share meeting reports with meeting participants. Share meeting outcomes with other stakeholders that should be kept in the loop.

3 ways to set the meeting rules

• Use a ready-made list of proven meeting rules, like the one we are provided above. Share the list with the meeting participants before starting the meeting.
• Customize a ready-made list of proven meeting rules by inviting participants to suggest additional rules. Make sure that everyone agrees with the rules.
• Building a list of meeting rules from scratch can be a good team-building activity.  Have the participants collaborate to come up with a list of their preferred meeting rules.

Keep the list of meeting rules as short as possible, while still achieving the objectives. If the rules are too many, it is easier for participants to forget them.

What to do when meeting rules are violated

Single slip-ups can usually be given a pass. Repeats may require the ground rule being restated. If a participant is disruptive beyond acceptable limits, it may be necessary to call a break in the meeting and talk privately with the offender.

Meetings are designed to bring out the best ideas from every participant, and having ground rules helps you do this efficiently.

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The Eight Rules of Online Meeting Etiquette Every Professional Should Follow

Table of Contents

Last Updated on January 3, 2022 by Lamudi

As most businesses continue to operate from home, online meetings have become an essential part of the company’s operations. This allows colleagues to check up on each other and collaborate as if they were in the same room. This also boosts the morale of the team as they stay updated on each other, keeping isolation at bay. Your company may be holding meetings with your immediate team or the entire workforce, but regardless of the number of attendees, it’s important to have the right online meeting etiquette. 

Just as you would want to put your best foot forward when meeting clients, you should also be professional when attending online meetings. Here are the reminders regarding online meeting etiquette before you respond with “Yes” to that Calendar invite: 

Dress Appropriately  

You may be at home, but you will be on a conference call with colleagues, so it’s only right to dress the part . This does not only get you in the work mindset, but this also shows your colleagues that you are taking the meeting seriously. You may be comfortable in your sleepwear, but this will not translate well to your boss or other attendees who put in the effort to look professional for the call. Of course, you don’t need to wear ironed pants or leather shoes if they won’t be seen. It’s enough to look good for the camera for now. 

Know the Platform 

There are several apps that can be used for online meetings. Skype has been around for a while. Companies may have Slack to communicate with everyone in the organization. Facebook’s Messenger may also be a lightweight alternative. Google Hangouts is also another option. Though these are commonly used by businesses, it’s still important to clarify which platform the meeting will use. 

Especially if you’re organizing the meeting , you want to make sure everyone is familiar with the platform and that they have it installed and configured. It will take up everyone’s time if, instead of starting with the meeting, you have to help one person in the group to figure out how to get their camera to work. On the flip side, if you’re joining an online meeting and are not familiar with the app, spend some time on that before the start of the call as well. 

Check Your Device and Connection 

Online meetings are a good way to align with the team, assign tasks, and offer suggestions to processes anyone might be having difficulties with. You want to use every minute of the meeting discussing these important aspects. That won’t be the case if you have trouble with your device or internet connection, or you can’t seem to get your slides to work. All of these should be tested before the start of the meeting, especially if you are showing an online presentation to clients. Showing up to a meeting prepared will tell everyone that you take the meeting seriously and are respectful of their time. 

Be at Least Five Minutes Early 

Meetings often have a time schedule attached to them, but when they are done in person, there are external factors that may result in you being late. You left home early but got stuck in traffic. You needed to reprint your presentation materials. You needed to fact-check the data you will present. When it comes to online meetings, however, there is no excuse for tardiness. You are at home, and it’s assumed that you have had ample time to prepare for the meeting. Don’t wait until it’s the exact time of the meeting to login and try to set up your conferencing app . All of these should be set up beforehand so that the meeting can proceed without you causing any delays. 

Wait for Your Turn 

Online meetings can be disorganized if everyone talks at once. If it’s a meeting between you and your teammates, you may want to call the attention of the person you are speaking to, to avoid confusion from everyone else who may want to answer. If you’re listening to your manager update the team, wait until they ask for questions. In line with online meeting etiquette, do not cut them off. It’s impolite, and it will waste precious online meeting time. If someone is presenting their slides, you may want to mute your audio so as not to be distracting, then unmute it once it’s time to speak. 

Be Aware of Your Typing

Virtual meetings can happen in a flash, and you want to remember everything that has been said. Your keyboard, however, may be distracting when you’re typing all throughout the online meeting. If you’re the listener and you need to take down notes, again, make sure your microphone is on mute. This is a sign of courtesy to the meeting facilitator, and it will also show that you are listening attentively. 

Pay Attention to the Discussion

You are not facing a real person while in an online meeting, which may give you the false security that they will not notice if you are distracted or not paying attention. However, your inability to follow the discussion will only give you away. If you’re in a voice call, you may have to ask them to repeat the question, which will be unprofessional if you have to ask repeatedly. If you’re in a video call, everyone can see if you’re looking away from the screen and paying attention to something else. Focus on the discussion and be present in the moment so as not to sound rude or unprofessional. 

End the Online Meeting Clearly 

Touching base with your colleagues may be as simple as a quick chat or require more than half an hour of video call. If it’s a call, there is a clear ending, which is when either party ends the call. Before you get to that part, summarize the points raised in the meeting, and make sure everyone understood each part clearly. For more casual catch-ups over chat , however, it’s important to set a clear ending to the meeting so that no one is left waiting for the next message that might not come. A simple “that’s all” or “see you in the next meeting” will be enough to mark the end. 

Online meetings are essential now that you are working from home and need to talk to colleagues, clients, or your manager. Always show how professional you are even if you’re not in the same room with everyone. Keep in mind these online meeting etiquette tips for virtual meeting attendees.

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Ten simple rules for effective presentation slides

Kristen m. naegle.

Biomedical Engineering and the Center for Public Health Genomics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America

Introduction

The “presentation slide” is the building block of all academic presentations, whether they are journal clubs, thesis committee meetings, short conference talks, or hour-long seminars. A slide is a single page projected on a screen, usually built on the premise of a title, body, and figures or tables and includes both what is shown and what is spoken about that slide. Multiple slides are strung together to tell the larger story of the presentation. While there have been excellent 10 simple rules on giving entire presentations [ 1 , 2 ], there was an absence in the fine details of how to design a slide for optimal effect—such as the design elements that allow slides to convey meaningful information, to keep the audience engaged and informed, and to deliver the information intended and in the time frame allowed. As all research presentations seek to teach, effective slide design borrows from the same principles as effective teaching, including the consideration of cognitive processing your audience is relying on to organize, process, and retain information. This is written for anyone who needs to prepare slides from any length scale and for most purposes of conveying research to broad audiences. The rules are broken into 3 primary areas. Rules 1 to 5 are about optimizing the scope of each slide. Rules 6 to 8 are about principles around designing elements of the slide. Rules 9 to 10 are about preparing for your presentation, with the slides as the central focus of that preparation.

Rule 1: Include only one idea per slide

Each slide should have one central objective to deliver—the main idea or question [ 3 – 5 ]. Often, this means breaking complex ideas down into manageable pieces (see Fig 1 , where “background” information has been split into 2 key concepts). In another example, if you are presenting a complex computational approach in a large flow diagram, introduce it in smaller units, building it up until you finish with the entire diagram. The progressive buildup of complex information means that audiences are prepared to understand the whole picture, once you have dedicated time to each of the parts. You can accomplish the buildup of components in several ways—for example, using presentation software to cover/uncover information. Personally, I choose to create separate slides for each piece of information content I introduce—where the final slide has the entire diagram, and I use cropping or a cover on duplicated slides that come before to hide what I’m not yet ready to include. I use this method in order to ensure that each slide in my deck truly presents one specific idea (the new content) and the amount of the new information on that slide can be described in 1 minute (Rule 2), but it comes with the trade-off—a change to the format of one of the slides in the series often means changes to all slides.

Top left: A background slide that describes the background material on a project from my lab. The slide was created using a PowerPoint Design Template, which had to be modified to increase default text sizes for this figure (i.e., the default text sizes are even worse than shown here). Bottom row: The 2 new slides that break up the content into 2 explicit ideas about the background, using a central graphic. In the first slide, the graphic is an explicit example of the SH2 domain of PI3-kinase interacting with a phosphorylation site (Y754) on the PDGFR to describe the important details of what an SH2 domain and phosphotyrosine ligand are and how they interact. I use that same graphic in the second slide to generalize all binding events and include redundant text to drive home the central message (a lot of possible interactions might occur in the human proteome, more than we can currently measure). Top right highlights which rules were used to move from the original slide to the new slide. Specific changes as highlighted by Rule 7 include increasing contrast by changing the background color, increasing font size, changing to sans serif fonts, and removing all capital text and underlining (using bold to draw attention). PDGFR, platelet-derived growth factor receptor.

Rule 2: Spend only 1 minute per slide

When you present your slide in the talk, it should take 1 minute or less to discuss. This rule is really helpful for planning purposes—a 20-minute presentation should have somewhere around 20 slides. Also, frequently giving your audience new information to feast on helps keep them engaged. During practice, if you find yourself spending more than a minute on a slide, there’s too much for that one slide—it’s time to break up the content into multiple slides or even remove information that is not wholly central to the story you are trying to tell. Reduce, reduce, reduce, until you get to a single message, clearly described, which takes less than 1 minute to present.

Rule 3: Make use of your heading

When each slide conveys only one message, use the heading of that slide to write exactly the message you are trying to deliver. Instead of titling the slide “Results,” try “CTNND1 is central to metastasis” or “False-positive rates are highly sample specific.” Use this landmark signpost to ensure that all the content on that slide is related exactly to the heading and only the heading. Think of the slide heading as the introductory or concluding sentence of a paragraph and the slide content the rest of the paragraph that supports the main point of the paragraph. An audience member should be able to follow along with you in the “paragraph” and come to the same conclusion sentence as your header at the end of the slide.

Rule 4: Include only essential points

While you are speaking, audience members’ eyes and minds will be wandering over your slide. If you have a comment, detail, or figure on a slide, have a plan to explicitly identify and talk about it. If you don’t think it’s important enough to spend time on, then don’t have it on your slide. This is especially important when faculty are present. I often tell students that thesis committee members are like cats: If you put a shiny bauble in front of them, they’ll go after it. Be sure to only put the shiny baubles on slides that you want them to focus on. Putting together a thesis meeting for only faculty is really an exercise in herding cats (if you have cats, you know this is no easy feat). Clear and concise slide design will go a long way in helping you corral those easily distracted faculty members.

Rule 5: Give credit, where credit is due

An exception to Rule 4 is to include proper citations or references to work on your slide. When adding citations, names of other researchers, or other types of credit, use a consistent style and method for adding this information to your slides. Your audience will then be able to easily partition this information from the other content. A common mistake people make is to think “I’ll add that reference later,” but I highly recommend you put the proper reference on the slide at the time you make it, before you forget where it came from. Finally, in certain kinds of presentations, credits can make it clear who did the work. For the faculty members heading labs, it is an effective way to connect your audience with the personnel in the lab who did the work, which is a great career booster for that person. For graduate students, it is an effective way to delineate your contribution to the work, especially in meetings where the goal is to establish your credentials for meeting the rigors of a PhD checkpoint.

Rule 6: Use graphics effectively

As a rule, you should almost never have slides that only contain text. Build your slides around good visualizations. It is a visual presentation after all, and as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. However, on the flip side, don’t muddy the point of the slide by putting too many complex graphics on a single slide. A multipanel figure that you might include in a manuscript should often be broken into 1 panel per slide (see Rule 1 ). One way to ensure that you use the graphics effectively is to make a point to introduce the figure and its elements to the audience verbally, especially for data figures. For example, you might say the following: “This graph here shows the measured false-positive rate for an experiment and each point is a replicate of the experiment, the graph demonstrates …” If you have put too much on one slide to present in 1 minute (see Rule 2 ), then the complexity or number of the visualizations is too much for just one slide.

Rule 7: Design to avoid cognitive overload

The type of slide elements, the number of them, and how you present them all impact the ability for the audience to intake, organize, and remember the content. For example, a frequent mistake in slide design is to include full sentences, but reading and verbal processing use the same cognitive channels—therefore, an audience member can either read the slide, listen to you, or do some part of both (each poorly), as a result of cognitive overload [ 4 ]. The visual channel is separate, allowing images/videos to be processed with auditory information without cognitive overload [ 6 ] (Rule 6). As presentations are an exercise in listening, and not reading, do what you can to optimize the ability of the audience to listen. Use words sparingly as “guide posts” to you and the audience about major points of the slide. In fact, you can add short text fragments, redundant with the verbal component of the presentation, which has been shown to improve retention [ 7 ] (see Fig 1 for an example of redundant text that avoids cognitive overload). Be careful in the selection of a slide template to minimize accidentally adding elements that the audience must process, but are unimportant. David JP Phillips argues (and effectively demonstrates in his TEDx talk [ 5 ]) that the human brain can easily interpret 6 elements and more than that requires a 500% increase in human cognition load—so keep the total number of elements on the slide to 6 or less. Finally, in addition to the use of short text, white space, and the effective use of graphics/images, you can improve ease of cognitive processing further by considering color choices and font type and size. Here are a few suggestions for improving the experience for your audience, highlighting the importance of these elements for some specific groups:

• Use high contrast colors and simple backgrounds with low to no color—for persons with dyslexia or visual impairment.
• Use sans serif fonts and large font sizes (including figure legends), avoid italics, underlining (use bold font instead for emphasis), and all capital letters—for persons with dyslexia or visual impairment [ 8 ].
• Use color combinations and palettes that can be understood by those with different forms of color blindness [ 9 ]. There are excellent tools available to identify colors to use and ways to simulate your presentation or figures as they might be seen by a person with color blindness (easily found by a web search).
• In this increasing world of virtual presentation tools, consider practicing your talk with a closed captioning system capture your words. Use this to identify how to improve your speaking pace, volume, and annunciation to improve understanding by all members of your audience, but especially those with a hearing impairment.

Rule 8: Design the slide so that a distracted person gets the main takeaway

It is very difficult to stay focused on a presentation, especially if it is long or if it is part of a longer series of talks at a conference. Audience members may get distracted by an important email, or they may start dreaming of lunch. So, it’s important to look at your slide and ask “If they heard nothing I said, will they understand the key concept of this slide?” The other rules are set up to help with this, including clarity of the single point of the slide (Rule 1), titling it with a major conclusion (Rule 3), and the use of figures (Rule 6) and short text redundant to your verbal description (Rule 7). However, with each slide, step back and ask whether its main conclusion is conveyed, even if someone didn’t hear your accompanying dialog. Importantly, ask if the information on the slide is at the right level of abstraction. For example, do you have too many details about the experiment, which hides the conclusion of the experiment (i.e., breaking Rule 1)? If you are worried about not having enough details, keep a slide at the end of your slide deck (after your conclusions and acknowledgments) with the more detailed information that you can refer to during a question and answer period.

Rule 9: Iteratively improve slide design through practice

Well-designed slides that follow the first 8 rules are intended to help you deliver the message you intend and in the amount of time you intend to deliver it in. The best way to ensure that you nailed slide design for your presentation is to practice, typically a lot. The most important aspects of practicing a new presentation, with an eye toward slide design, are the following 2 key points: (1) practice to ensure that you hit, each time through, the most important points (for example, the text guide posts you left yourself and the title of the slide); and (2) practice to ensure that as you conclude the end of one slide, it leads directly to the next slide. Slide transitions, what you say as you end one slide and begin the next, are important to keeping the flow of the “story.” Practice is when I discover that the order of my presentation is poor or that I left myself too few guideposts to remember what was coming next. Additionally, during practice, the most frequent things I have to improve relate to Rule 2 (the slide takes too long to present, usually because I broke Rule 1, and I’m delivering too much information for one slide), Rule 4 (I have a nonessential detail on the slide), and Rule 5 (I forgot to give a key reference). The very best type of practice is in front of an audience (for example, your lab or peers), where, with fresh perspectives, they can help you identify places for improving slide content, design, and connections across the entirety of your talk.

Rule 10: Design to mitigate the impact of technical disasters

The real presentation almost never goes as we planned in our heads or during our practice. Maybe the speaker before you went over time and now you need to adjust. Maybe the computer the organizer is having you use won’t show your video. Maybe your internet is poor on the day you are giving a virtual presentation at a conference. Technical problems are routinely part of the practice of sharing your work through presentations. Hence, you can design your slides to limit the impact certain kinds of technical disasters create and also prepare alternate approaches. Here are just a few examples of the preparation you can do that will take you a long way toward avoiding a complete fiasco:

• Save your presentation as a PDF—if the version of Keynote or PowerPoint on a host computer cause issues, you still have a functional copy that has a higher guarantee of compatibility.
• In using videos, create a backup slide with screen shots of key results. For example, if I have a video of cell migration, I’ll be sure to have a copy of the start and end of the video, in case the video doesn’t play. Even if the video worked, you can pause on this backup slide and take the time to highlight the key results in words if someone could not see or understand the video.
• Avoid animations, such as figures or text that flash/fly-in/etc. Surveys suggest that no one likes movement in presentations [ 3 , 4 ]. There is likely a cognitive underpinning to the almost universal distaste of pointless animations that relates to the idea proposed by Kosslyn and colleagues that animations are salient perceptual units that captures direct attention [ 4 ]. Although perceptual salience can be used to draw attention to and improve retention of specific points, if you use this approach for unnecessary/unimportant things (like animation of your bullet point text, fly-ins of figures, etc.), then you will distract your audience from the important content. Finally, animations cause additional processing burdens for people with visual impairments [ 10 ] and create opportunities for technical disasters if the software on the host system is not compatible with your planned animation.

Conclusions

These rules are just a start in creating more engaging presentations that increase audience retention of your material. However, there are wonderful resources on continuing on the journey of becoming an amazing public speaker, which includes understanding the psychology and neuroscience behind human perception and learning. For example, as highlighted in Rule 7, David JP Phillips has a wonderful TEDx talk on the subject [ 5 ], and “PowerPoint presentation flaws and failures: A psychological analysis,” by Kosslyn and colleagues is deeply detailed about a number of aspects of human cognition and presentation style [ 4 ]. There are many books on the topic, including the popular “Presentation Zen” by Garr Reynolds [ 11 ]. Finally, although briefly touched on here, the visualization of data is an entire topic of its own that is worth perfecting for both written and oral presentations of work, with fantastic resources like Edward Tufte’s “The Visual Display of Quantitative Information” [ 12 ] or the article “Visualization of Biomedical Data” by O’Donoghue and colleagues [ 13 ].

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank the countless presenters, colleagues, students, and mentors from which I have learned a great deal from on effective presentations. Also, a thank you to the wonderful resources published by organizations on how to increase inclusivity. A special thanks to Dr. Jason Papin and Dr. Michael Guertin on early feedback of this editorial.

Funding Statement

The author received no specific funding for this work.

How to host a PowerPoint party and have a virtual game night using the Microsoft Office program

• PowerPoint parties are a type of virtual party game that involves presenting a PowerPoint on a topic you're passionate about — or know little about.
• You can host a PowerPoint party from any device that will run the Microsoft program, including computers, tablets, and smartphones. 

In the world of remote gaming and virtual game nights, PowerPoint parties have become increasingly popular. But what exactly are they — and how do you host one? 

Here's everything you need to know about the newest — and slightly odd — party game experience. 

What is a PowerPoint party

A PowerPoint party is a relatively new trend utilizing Microsoft PowerPoint software for social fun instead of its usual business and academic associations. 

Before the party, each participant prepares a PowerPoint presentation on a topic of their choice. During the party, participants take turns presenting their PowerPoint topic to the other partygoers for a set number of minutes. After presenting, the participant must be prepared to answer questions from the other partygoers. 

The result is a unique social engagement that brings together strangers and old friends alike.

How to host a PowerPoint party

If you have the hardware required to connect a laptop to a TV (such as an HDMI cable or a Google Chromecast), you can easily host a PowerPoint party in your home or office. 

But in the age of remote connection and the time of COVID-19, PowerPoint parties can easily be adapted explicitly for virtual gatherings. Applications like Skype , Zoom , and Google Meet allow many people to participate in the same video call. 

You can also use them to share screens, making them perfect choices for remote PowerPoint parties. All you'd need to do is invite the attendees to join the video call.

Hosting and presentation tips for your next PowerPoint party

If you're considering hosting a PowerPoint party, here are a few tips and tricks to help make it a success. 

Set house rules

Depending on the group you're hosting, you may want to set house rules for the presentations in order for everyone to enjoy themselves to the fullest. Consider establishing the amount of time each presentation runs well before the party begins so that participants can prepare accordingly. 

You can set other various house rules, like "Everyone who attends must present." You might want presentations to adhere to a particular theme or avoid specific topics that might cause partygoers' discomfort. Or you might require all guests to wear silly hats because why not. 

Pick a topic that's unique to your interests

Since you're going to be speaking at length about your topic, select one that you're deeply familiar with and passionate about. The best PowerPoint party topics are those which are fresh, compelling, and teach partygoers something they've never known before.

Don't take yourself too seriously

Remember, this is for fun! You don't have to worry about the depth of your presentation or what other partygoers will think. Just have fun and come prepared to learn something new about everyone else in the room.

Related coverage from  Tech Reference :

How to do a voiceover on a powerpoint presentation and add pre-recorded audio to your slides, how to convert a powerpoint to google slides in 2 different ways, how to add music to a powerpoint slideshow to make your presentation more engaging, how to draw in microsoft powerpoint to create custom designs on slides through the desktop app and online, the 48 best powerpoint keyboard shortcuts for making great presentations quickly and easily, watch: watch: meet the last family practicing this 400-year-old indian art form.

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House rules

Sep 08, 2014

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House rules. Turn your mobile phone off. You must prepare for seminars by reading the set readings. Respect each other’s contributions in seminars: don’t dominate discussion, but don’t stay silent either! Remember email etiquette when contacting tutors. Other information.

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• john walter
• main argument
• john foxe briefly
• 1533 1546 henry viii

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House rules • Turn your mobile phone off. • You must prepare for seminars by reading the set readings. • Respect each other’s contributions in seminars: don’t dominate discussion, but don’t stay silent either! • Remember email etiquette when contacting tutors

Other information • [email protected] or 01707 284454 • Studynet – Module Information – has all the information you need, including how to access journal articles • http://katrinanavickas.weebly.com/study-guide-and-essential-tips.html

G. W. Bernard, ‘The Making of Religious Policy, 1533-1546: Henry VIII and the Search for the Middle Way’, Historical Journal, 41: 2 (1998), 321-49 • What are the key words used in the article? • Where do you find the historian’s main argument? • What is his main argument? • What ideas or arguments is the historian arguing against?

How to make notes from journal articles: reading log Article: G. W. Bernard, ‘The Making of Religious Policy, 1533-1546: Henry VIII and the Search for the Middle Way’, Historical Journal, 41: 2 (1998), 321-49 My questions and ideas = main argument = centres on Henry’s role = what previous historians argued and why i.e. Based on a book by John Foxe – what date?? – look up John Foxe briefly on Oxford Dictionary National Biography – Acts and Monuments was published 1563 p.321 – ‘Henry VIII was: • The principal architect of religious policy • Not the plaything of factions • Religious policy did not fluctuate between reform and reaction. p.321 – ‘John Foxe’s Acts and Monuments ... has so influenced most historians’ – reform was the work of Cromwell or Anne Boleyn or Cranmer ... And that the kind was simply prisoner of his own advisors’.

Next week READ: John Walter and Keith Wrightson, ‘Dearth and the Social Order in Early Modern England’, Past and Present, 71 (1976), 22-42. Think about the following questions in preparation for seminar discussion: • What was the significance of authority and deference in early modern England? • How did English society hold together in the face of extreme inequalities of wealth? • What changed in this period? Additional reading: • John Walter, ‘Grain Riots and Popular Attitudes to the Law’, in John Brewer and John Styles, eds, An Ungovernable People: the English and their Law in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries (London, 1980), reprinted in John Walter, Crowds and Popular Politics in Early Modern England (Manchester 2006) • E.P. Thompson, ‘Plebeian Society, Plebeian Culture’, Journal of Social History, 7: 4 (1974) • Keith Wrightson, ‘The Social Order of Early Modern England’, in L. Bonfield et al, eds, The World We Have Gained: Histories of Population and Social Structure (Oxford, 1986)

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Justice Department finalizes rules to close ‘gun show loophole’

The change was touted by the white house as the biggest increase in gun regulation in decades.

In a move that officials touted as the most significant increase in American gun regulation in decades, the Justice Department has finalized rules to close a loophole that allowed people to sell firearms online, at gun shows and at other informal venues without conducting background checks on those who purchase them.

Vice President Harris and U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland celebrated the rules and said they would keep firearms out of the hands of potentially violent people who are not legally allowed to own guns.

The rules — which are expected to take effect in 30 days — codify changes outlined in the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act , which was signed into law by President Biden in June 2022 and expanded which gun sellers were legally required to conduct background checks on buyers.

“Every person in our nation has a right to live free from the horror of gun violence. I do believe that,” Harris said on a call with reporters. “We know how to prevent these tragedies, and it is a false choice to say you are either in favor of the Second Amendment or you want to take everyone’s guns away.”

As part of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, officials tasked the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which is responsible for regulating the sales and licensing of firearms in the United States, with developing rules that would make clear to gun owners how officials will implement and enforce the new gun laws.

The rules clarify who is required to conduct background checks and aims to close what is known as the “gun show loophole” — which refers to the reality that gun-show sellers and online vendors are subject to much looser federal regulations than vendors who sell at bricks-and-mortar stores.

Under long-standing federal law, people who operate gun shops — or whose main livelihood involves selling firearms — must register with the government to obtain a Federal Firearms License. This license requires them to search a federal database before selling a gun to ensure that the purchaser is not barred from owning one. The license also requires gun vendors to record the sale of each firearm, making it easier for federal officials to trace the gun if it is used in a crime.

But people who claim that selling firearms is not their main source of income — such as people who sell guns at shows or in other more informal settings — have been exempt from such licensing rules. The 2022 law aimed to change that by saying that many more categories of people selling guns to earn money must register for a license and, as a result, record gun purchases and conduct the background checks that come with having that license.

The rules require anyone who sells a firearm through mail order or at flea markets, gun shows or online to register for a license and conduct the necessary background checks.

There are some exceptions, including for hobbyists who are selling firearms from their collection and people who sell firearms they inherited.

It is difficult to determine how many unlicensed dealers are selling firearms, but officials said they expect the new rules to apply to about 23,000 dealers. They said about 22 percent of Americans have obtained their guns without a background check — a figure that includes private transfers of ownership.

“Under this regulation, it will not matter if guns are sold on the internet, at a gun show or at a brick-and-mortar store: If you sell guns predominantly to earn a profit, you must be licensed, and you must conduct background checks,” Garland said. “This regulation is a historic step in the Justice Department’s fight against gun violence. It will save lives.”

Many of Biden’s gun-control efforts have been challenged by conservative groups in court . These regulations are likely to face that same opposition, though White House and Justice Department officials said they are confident the rules align with the law and will withstand any legal challenges.

Sens. John Cornyn (R-Tex.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) — the lead Republicans who worked on the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA) — plan to introduce a joint resolution of disapproval calling for the new rules to be overturned, Tatum Wallace, a spokesperson for Cornyn, said in an email Thursday. Wallace said that the rules go far beyond the intent of the legislation and accused the Biden administration of trying to circumvent Congress to get close to universal background checks.

“The administration is acting lawlessly here, and the vast majority of this rule has nothing to do with the BSCA,” Wallace said. “Of course, this rule has been on the administration’s wish list for many years despite Congress rejecting these provisions repeatedly.”

The ATF issued the proposed version of the rules in August and opened them up to public comment for 90 days. Officials said they received nearly 400,000 comments, two-thirds of which were clearly in favor of the rules. A quarter of the comments were decidedly against the proposal, the officials said, and other comments did not take a clear stance on the rules.

The final version of the rules did not contain substantial changes.

Gun control advocates celebrated the rule change as a victory.

“This rule is the definition of common sense: If you’re selling firearms at a gun show or online for profit, you are engaged in the business of dealing guns and need to run a background check — period,” John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety, said in a statement.

The ATF released a gun trafficking report last week that determined that the country’s illegal firearm network is growing and said approximately 60 percent of users of trafficked firearms in cases that officials examined were convicted felons.

House Speaker Mike Johnson pushes towards a…

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House speaker mike johnson pushes towards a vote on aid for israel, ukraine and taiwan.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., waits to raise the gavel to formally conclude a joint meeting of Congress after Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida finished an address in the House chamber, Thursday, April 11, 2024, at the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., speaks as Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump listens during a news conference, Friday, April 12, 2024, at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

By STEPHEN GROVES and LISA MASCARO (Associated Press)

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Mike Johnson is pushing toward action this week on aid for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan, unveiling an elaborate plan Monday to break the package into separate votes to squeeze through the House’s political divides on foreign policy.

Facing an outright rebellion from conservatives fiercely opposed to aiding Ukraine, the Republican speaker’s move on the foreign aid package was a potentially watershed moment, the first significant action on the bill after more than two months of delay. But Johnson’s intention to hold four separate votes on parts of the package also left it open to being significantly altered from the $95 billion aid package the Senate passed in February.

It’s unclear if the House could end up with a package that is similar to the Senate’s bill or something significantly different, which could complicate the months-long, painstaking effort to get Congress to approve military funding for Ukraine.

“We will let the House work its will,” Johnson told reporters.

But as the House has struggled to act, conflicts around the world have escalated. Israel’s military chief said Monday that his country will respond to Iran’s weekend missile strike. And Ukraine’s military head warned over the weekend that the battlefield situation in the country’s east has “significantly worsened in recent days,” as warming weather has allowed Russian forces to launch a fresh offensive.

“There are precipitating events around the globe that we’re all watching very carefully and we know the world is watching us to see how we react,” Johnson said.

President Joe Biden , hosting Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala at the White House, called on the House to take up the Senate funding package immediately. “They have to do it now,” he said.

Johnson and Biden spoke Monday, according to a person familiar with the call and granted anonymity to discuss it.

Democrats in the House could be open to helping Johnson pass the aid in parts, and may even be agreeable to some of the additional measures being discussed by Republicans, such as providing some of the Ukraine economic assistance as loans.

But Johnson would lose the Democratic support he needs if he strays too far into Republican-only priorities. Any overhaul to the package also risks setbacks in the Senate, where a bulk of Republicans oppose the aid for Ukraine and Democrats have become increasingly alarmed at Israel’s campaign in Gaza.

As House members returned to the Capitol Monday evening, Johnson huddled with fellow GOP lawmakers to lay out his strategy to gain House approval for the funding package. He said he would push to get the package to the House floor under a single debate rule that allows for separate votes on aid for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and other foreign policy proposals.

Johnson said those proposals would structure some of the funding for Kyiv as loans, allow the U.S. to seize frozen Russian central bank assets and place other sanctions on Iran.

The GOP meeting was filled with lawmakers at odds in their approach to the conflict with Russia: Republican defense hawks, including the top lawmakers on national security committees, are pitted against populist conservatives who are fiercely opposed to continued support for Kyiv’s fight.

As often happens, the meeting turned into a free-for-all of ideas as Republicans tried to put their own stamp on the package but rarely found any unity. Yet Johnson’s plan won over significant Republican support, said Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., as he left the meeting.

“I don’t like it,” he said. “But I’m clearly in the minority.”

Still, Johnson’s support for Ukraine aid could further incite the populist conservatives who are already angry at his direction as speaker.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., is already threatening to oust him as speaker. As she entered the closed-door Republican meeting on Monday, she said her message to the speaker was simple: “Don’t fund Ukraine.”

But Greene did not indicate whether she would move for a quick vote on her motion to remove the speaker if the Ukraine aid is approved.

“I’m thinking it over,” she said.

Another unknown was how Donald Trump, the Republican presidential frontrunner who has railed against overseas aid, would respond to the proposal. Johnson met with Trump on Friday at his club in Florida.

“I don’t spend my time worrying about motions to vacate,” Johnson said Monday. “We’re having to govern here, and we’re going to do our job.”

Democrats had pressured Johnson to simply take up the Senate-passed bill that would provide a total of $95 billion for the U.S. allies , as well as humanitarian support for civilians in Gaza and Ukraine.

“The House must rush to Israel’s aid as quickly as humanly possible, and the only way to do that is passing the Senate’s supplemental ASAP,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries pledged in a letter to lawmakers to do “everything in our legislative power to confront aggression” around the globe, and he cast the situation as similar to the lead-up to World War II.

“The gravely serious events of this past weekend in the Middle East and Eastern Europe underscore the need for Congress to act immediately,” Jeffries said. “We must take up the bipartisan and comprehensive national security bill passed by the Senate forthwith.”

Democrats have also circulated a last-ditch option, known as a discharge petition, that could force a floor vote on the aid without the speaker’s approval. The petition has gained 195 lawmakers’ signatures, leaving it about a dozen votes shy of the majority it would need.

But Republican supporters of the Senate’s Ukraine package appeared encouraged by Johnson’s plan, even though they hadn’t yet seen the details.

South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds said the House proposal could “significantly delay” the aid because it is four different measures that would have to be sent back to the Senate, and it’s unclear whether the Senate could combine them into one. Still, he said, “It’s OK because we can still respond to it.”

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell on Monday afternoon urged the House to take up the Senate bill.

He said in a floor speech, “We cannot hope to deter conflict without demonstrating resolve and investing seriously in American strength.”

Associated Press writers Kevin Freking, Farnoush Amiri and Mary Clare Jalonick contributed.

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Here's the new plan to boost background checks for guns bought at shows or online

Deepa Shivaram

People look at guns and ammunition at the Great American Outdoor Show on Feb. 9 in Harrisburg, Penn. Former President Donald Trump spoke at the event. Spencer Platt/Getty Images hide caption

People look at guns and ammunition at the Great American Outdoor Show on Feb. 9 in Harrisburg, Penn. Former President Donald Trump spoke at the event.

The Justice Department announced a new rule Thursday that will require anyone who sells guns to run federal background checks — a process that would cut down on what's been known as the 'gun show loophole.'

The rule expands the definition of what it means to be "engaged in the business" of selling firearms. The clarification means that background checks are required for the sale of guns not just at gun stores, but also for guns sold at flea markets, on social media and at gun shows.

Attorney General Merrick Garland said the new move will save lives.

Biden wants to boost background checks on gun buyers. But it's hard without Congress

"Under this regulation, it will not matter if guns are sold on the internet, at a gun show, or at a brick-and-mortar store: if you sell guns predominantly to earn a profit, you must be licensed, and you must conduct background checks," Garland told reporters.

The Justice Department said the new rule, which goes into effect 30 days after it is submitted, would affect roughly 23,000 unlicensed dealers. It has the potential to impact tens of thousands of gun sales each year. It also allows for better tracing of guns that are found at crime scenes, including mass shootings.

The new rule began as part of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act

The clarification on the definition of what qualifies as engaging in the business of dealing firearms is a follow-up to part of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which President Biden signed into law in 2022.

That law tweaked the definition of who is considered a gun dealer. As a follow-up to it, Biden signed an executive order last March, directing the Justice Department to take steps to close background check loopholes.

The rule clarifies some technical aspects of selling and owning firearms. For example, it adds a definition of "personal firearms collection" to allow firearms collectors to add or liquidate their collections without breaking the law. The rule also provides clarity on what those licensed to sell guns should do with their supply if they go out of business.

The White House says this rule will withstand challenges

It's difficult to estimate exactly how many gun sales and guns will be impacted by the new rule, but the Justice Department pointed to a 2017 study showing that about 22% of Americans said they acquired their most recent gun without a background check.

A senior White House official, who spoke to reporters on the condition of anonymity, said the administration has confidence the new ruling won't be stopped by legal challenges.

In Parkland, VP Harris urged greater use of red flag laws to prevent shootings

"We have confidence that this is legal. And strong regulations like this one are not in conflict with the Second Amendment" of the Constitution, the official said. "There's every reason that it should go forward."

Vice President Harris, who leads the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, said the change could prevent more gun sales to people who are domestic abusers, people convicted with violent felonies and children.

She cited the shooting at Columbine High School in 1999, which was carried out in part through weapons bought at gun shows without checks.

"This single gap in our background check system has caused unimaginable pain and suffering," Harris said.

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How One Family Lost $900,000 in a Timeshare Scam

A mexican drug cartel is targeting seniors and their timeshares..

This transcript was created using speech recognition software. While it has been reviewed by human transcribers, it may contain errors. Please review the episode audio before quoting from this transcript and email [email protected] with any questions.

Hello, James.

Hey. How’s it going?

Yeah. I’m not having much luck. So the problem is funding. And all of my money is in Mexico, all of it.

From “The New York Times,” I’m Katrin Bennhold. This is “The Daily.” A massive scam targeting elderly Americans who own timeshare properties has resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars sent to Mexico.

Once you move forward and make your payment, if anything were to happen, he will directly pay you the full amount of what you’re entitled to, including the gains. He will pay you the full amount.

You’ve got all my money. It’s been sent. I sold a freaking house.

Listen to this. I sold a house that I grew up in so that I could come up with funds to send to Mexico.

I don’t even have anything from the sale, nothing.

My colleague Maria Abi-Habib on one victim who lost everything and the people on the other side of the phone.

That’s it. That’s it. There’s nothing —

You know what? That’s what has been said every freaking time. Every time, just pay this. That releases the funds.

But that’s why we won’t allow it to happen again. This is the last time, James.

It’s Friday, April 12.

Maria, you’ve been looking into this scam that’s targeting Americans. Where did your investigation start?

So several weeks ago, I received a phone call from a lawyer based in St. Petersburg, Florida, who had been contacted by a family who was very concerned that the father, this man named James, was in the middle of being scammed. He’d sent hundreds of thousands dollars to Mexico. And he was considering sending another $157,000 when his daughter decided to call up this law firm and try to get her father to stop, stop sending money to Mexico.

So I called him a few weeks ago as I was trying to understand what was going on.

Hi, James. How are you?

Good. Thank you.

He’s asked that his last name be withheld for privacy concerns because he’s quite embarrassed about the story that I’m about to tell you.

You’re retired now, but what were you doing for work? And if your wife was working, what was her job?

I was with the Highway Patrol.

James is a retired state trooper from California. And his wife Nikki is a former school nurse.

She was born in ‘51. So 71-ish.

Two. She’s just reminded me, 72.

And they’re both in their early 70s. And they own this timeshare that is in Lake Tahoe, California. And they bought it in the 1990s for about $8,000.

And for someone who did not grow up vacationing in a timeshare, remind me how exactly timeshares work.

Timeshares are essentially vacation properties. And they tend to be beach resorts. And multiple people can buy into this property. The ownership is a shared ownership. And this gives you the right to use the timeshare for one to two weeks out of every year.

And so James and Nikki used their timeshare every other year with their daughters. But as they hit retirement age and their daughters are growing up and starting their own families, they’re just not really using it that much anymore. And timeshares require the owners to pay off yearly maintenance fees. And so they’re starting to think about maybe letting go of their timeshare and selling it.

Then one day, in late 2022, James gets a phone call from a company that is purporting to be based out of Atlanta, Georgia called Worry Free Vacations.

Worry Free Vacations?

That sounds enticing.

Yeah. And they start off with a simple question, which is, do you want to buy a timeshare? And James says, I already have a timeshare. And then they say, great. Well, what about selling the timeshare? Do you want to sell? There’s this Mexican businessman, and he’s interested in your timeshare. And he’s willing to buy it for about $20,000.

So we figured, well, what the heck? If we can make a few bucks on it, we’ll go for it.

And James jumps at the opportunity.

And did he do anything to try and verify that this was real?

Yeah. So remember, James is former law enforcement. And he feels very confident in his abilities to sniff out untrustworthy people. So he goes online, and he googles this Mexican businessman and sees that, yeah, he is a real person.

He’s a very well-respected individual in Mexico, very well off. And —

And this makes James feel at ease, that he’s selling to a legitimate person, that Worry Free Vacations are who they claim to be and that he’s going to double his money overnight, essentially.

And what happens next?

Well, a couple of weeks after he makes the agreement with the buyer, he’s told that he needs to send a couple thousand dollars to facilitate the purchase.

What does that mean, facilitate?

[MUSIC PLAYING]

I can’t remember specifically whether it was supposed to be cross-border registration —

So he’s being told that there are these fees that are paid directly to the Mexican government.

Or SPID or some other fee that was Mexican government required or not.

A lot of these fees are the same types of fees that you would pay in the United States for a real estate transaction. So he begins wiring money to an account in Mexico.

After that —

— a few days later, we get a notification. Well, everything went well, except that we have to pay an additional fee.

Every time that he sends one fee, he’s being told that he’s got to send another fee right afterwards.

Does he get suspicious at any point?

His wife is suspicious. After the first couple of payments, she starts saying, this does not feel right.

But James is the former law enforcement officer, right? And he’s the one that basically handles the family finances. And he’s confident that all of this is going to work out because he’s being told that the buyer of the timeshare will reimburse James for all of these fees once the sale goes through.

Michael from the Worry Free Vacations was constantly reassuring me the money’s in that account. Check with the commercial escrow account. It’s there. It’s just these fees have to be paid, and you’re being reimbursed for all of this.

They’re sending James documents that show all of the reimbursements that he’s owed and how much money he’s going to get. And this just makes him feel like all of this is kosher.

We have this commercial escrow company that was involved out of New York. So there was an air of legitimacy that I was comfortable with.

Maybe OK, these guys just need one more fee and everything is going to finally be cleared.

But about a year in, James starts to get suspicious. He begins asking questions because he wants his money.

And every time I asked, hey, is there a way I can get a partial release of these funds, there was always no, these funds have to be paid from your account before they’re released.

But Worry Free Vacations, they pivot. And they tell him that, listen, there are all these complications. It’s going to be really hard to get your money out from this transaction.

I could pay about $30,000 and change to reinvest the $313,000 into an environmentally-conscious development in Loreto, Mexico.

Instead, we’ve got this other investment opportunity in Mexico.

And I’m sure you know where that is, over on the East Coast of Baja.

And that is going to make you a huge return, even more money than you had thought that you were going to make, much more than the $20,000.

I’m supposed to have 54 million pesos in a Mexican bank account.

So this is now no longer just about his timeshare. They are now partners in a real estate investment.

Right. And there’s this whole new round of fees and fines associated with that.

So how many payments would you say?

Quite a few. Couple dozen at least, maybe more.

When was your last payment?

It would have been 17 January.

Uh-huh. And what was that for?

Good question.

And all along, he believed it was necessary to pay these costs just to get the money that he’s owed.

The amount of money that I’ve sent to Mexico is just freaking exorbitant. And I mean, it is approaching $900,000 or more.

And at this point, he’s sent about $900,000 to Mexico over about a year and a half.

Nearly $1 million.

That was almost all the money that he and his wife had saved for their retirement.

It also included money from the sale of James’s childhood home and money that he had borrowed from his daughter and son-in-law, about $150,000 from them.

It’s awful. So they were completely cleaned out by these guys.

Yeah. And this is when his daughter asks a law firm to look into this, which is the point in the story when I meet James. And when we start talking, it was clear to me that he just did not know what to think, even after losing this much money.

So this started in 2022. When did it end?

We’re still in it.

And he’s still talking to the scammers.

And as a matter of fact, presently, there was a request for $157,000 and change to clear up this whole thing. It would clear the entire issue out. Now —

And James is even considering putting a second mortgage on his house to send that money that he’d been promised would finally clear all this up — one final payment of $157,000.

It really sounds like he’s still wanted to believe that this was somehow legit.

Yeah. It was pretty clear to me that he was being scammed. But I didn’t definitively know what was going on, so I asked him if he could start recording his phone calls with the scammers.

Would you be so kind as to do me a favor?

Would you be willing to give them a call and record them?

[LAUGHS]: I’ll let you in on a little secret. I’ve been recording them.

And it turns out he already had been.

Worry Free Vacations.

So he shared the recordings of these calls that he’d had with these scammers over the last year or so. And it was just remarkable. It gave me huge insight into how the scam worked and the way that it sounded over the phone.

Is this is Michael in? I think he’s trying to call me. I couldn’t get through pick up.

Yes, I believe he did try to call you, sir. Give me a second. I think he’s only going to be in for a couple of minutes. One second.

There are two main takeaways for me listening to these calls.

Good afternoon. Michael McCarthy.

Michael, I missed your call. I was trying to pick up.

Yeah, don’t worry. Yeah, I figured something was wrong with your phone. Everything OK?

The first is that these scammers had really gotten to know James so well, and they really made James believe that Worry Free was a company that was working for him.

That’s why we need to hurry up and get this money over to you. Because hey, I’m losing my mind too. I’m not even here to convince you, James. I’m not — I’m your broker, and —

One of the things they continuously say is, trust me.

Look, I’m doing everything I can in my power and will on my end. So James, just look — like I told you from the get-go, I’m going to resolve this. And we are doing it. I just need you to focus on the goal.

They would refocus the conversation on what James needed to do to get his money back.

Look, if you make your payment as a security deposit, right away they will release the funds to you. With these —

And the other thing —

I’ve been having so much trouble trying to reach you, and I have not been successful.

— is that the scammers had created this elaborate cast of characters.

Why don’t you answer my calls?

And some of them were really aggressive. James shared a recording of this one man who claimed to be an agent for the Mexican government. And he basically started yelling at James.

I don’t care if your wife is at the hospital. To be honest with you, I don’t give a damn! But you know where I do give a damn? It’s your money, and my name is written all over it! Do you understand?

And he even threatened James. If James didn’t pay off these fines, then he would lose all the money that he’d sent to Mexico already.

You could get the best lawyer you want. You could get whoever you want. And this is not a threat. This is facts. But anyways, who am I to convince you, right?

Well, thank you for the information. And — are you still there? Hello?

Wow. So these scammers were basically doing a good cop, bad cop routine to stop James from walking away and to squeeze every last penny out of him.

If you provide me your email, contact information, I will certainly be happy to forward all of the wire transfer information from my bank account to you so that you can see where those funds went.

Yeah, that would be great. I have your email.

James asks me, a reporter who’s based in Mexico, who speaks the language, if I could help him figure out where his money had gone to.

Thank you very much. I really appreciate your assistance.

I’m just doing my job. Thanks again, and we’ll talk soon.

And the only way that I could figure that out was to understand who was on the other side of the phone.

We’ll be right back.

So Maria, who was on the other side of that phone line?

So by the time that I’d met James, I’d already gotten a tip from US law enforcement agencies that they were seeing a new trend. Mexican drug cartels were getting involved in the timeshare scam industry.

Drug cartels?

Yeah. And not just any drug cartel. This is one of the most notorious, violent, bloody drug cartels that exists in Mexico and Latin America, the Jalisco New Generation cartel. And when I looked at James’s bank records, guess what? All the money that he was sending was going to various bank accounts that were all located in Jalisco state in Mexico.

Wow. So why would the drug cartels get into the timeshare scamming business?

It is a huge business. The FBI told me that it’s about $300 million in profits over the last five years.

But the thing is is that the potential for it to actually be multitudes more is huge. Because the FBI estimates that most of the scams are actually not even reported. In fact, only about 20 percent are. So that means the total timeshare scam business could actually be much larger than the $300 million that they have knowledge of over the last five years.

But wait. I thought the drug business was a pretty lucrative business in itself. So why get into the scamming of elderly people for their properties in Lake Tahoe?

Well, you have to remember that these drug cartels, they’re not just doing one thing. They’re doing multiple things. They’re essentially conglomerates. Because it’s really expensive to run a cartel. You need to pay off officials, both Mexican and American. You need to maintain basically an army in order to secure your routes up to the United States, ports of entry into Mexico from Colombia. And any big business, you need to diversify your income to make sure that you keep the money flowing. Because you never know when one business is going to be shut down by authorities or taken over by your rivals.

We’ve reported that they’re now in the avocado business and the construction business. And timeshare fraud is basically no different than any of those. So we’re seeing that the cartels have their fingers in many pies, the legitimate and the illegitimate economy here in Mexico.

It’s kind of fascinating to think of these drug cartels as like sprawling diversified business empires. But when did the cartels first get into the scamming business?

So Jalisco New Generation started about 15 years ago.

And when they started to consolidate their empire in Jalisco state, they found that there were all these scam timeshare call centers all over the state that were being run by various players, and that this was a huge, huge moneymaker. Because essentially, all you have to do is call up retired senior citizens in the US and Canada. It doesn’t take that much money to run that kind of a scheme. There’s no product you’re making.

So essentially, they conducted a hostile takeover of these call centers. They went in. They kicked down doors and dragged out the people who were managing these call centers by their hair and threatened to kill them unless they gave up the call centers or started handing over a cut of what they made. And slowly, slowly Jalisco New Generation cartel took over the entire timeshare fraud industry.

Interesting. Were you able to find any of these call centers?

So these call centers are pretty hard to find. They look like any other storefront. But I was able to visit two that were located in an upscale neighborhood in Guadalajara, which is the capital of Jalisco state. And it was just really perturbing because it was just so normal. Two villas about a mile away from each other outside. Outside of one villa, parents were walking by, holding their children’s hands as they did drop off at school.

It was right next to a park where people taking their morning exercise or their dogs for a walk. There was no real sign that the cartel was doing business there. But a few months before, Mexican law enforcement had found the bodies of eight young people who had used to work at one of these call centers and said that the Jalisco cartel had killed them.

Wow. What happened?

So I wasn’t able to talk directly to any of the victims’ families. They’re just too scared. But in general, this is usually how it starts.

The cartel seeks out English speakers to work for their call centers. Sometimes they don’t even tell them what exactly they are doing. They would tell the recruits that the job was adjacent to the hotel industry.

You have to remember, Jalisco is a huge, huge tourism magnet for Americans and Canadians and others. And the cartel would get their call lists from bribing hotel employees to give them the names of people who stayed at these hotels and also at the timeshare resorts. And the people who would work at the call centers are provided the names and a manual of what you need to do when you call, like a loose script of how to try to suck as much money as you can out of these people up North in Canada and the States.

So we don’t know for sure what exactly happened with the eight young Mexicans who were killed last year. But through an intermediary, one sibling told us that when their family member knew what their job actually was, they became extremely uncomfortable and tried to leave the call center and find another job maybe.

But the Jalisco New Generation cartel is known for being extremely brutal. They chop off heads, and they’ll put them on the gates of a playground, for instance. So that everybody in the neighborhood knows what went down. And in this case, it’s possible that they wanted to send a warning that there’s no defection from their timeshare call centers.

So basically making a very scary example of these guys, in case anyone else is thinking about quitting one of the call centers.

Exactly. And one man, who runs an organization who advocates for missing people and actually organizes search parties to comb the forests of Jalisco state looking for the missing, says that he knows of about 30 people who have disappeared from the call centers in Jalisco state since 2017. So while Americans and Canadians might be losing much of their life savings, in Mexico, this is actually deadly.

Are the authorities doing anything about this?

Not really, other than the fact that these two call centers were shut down. The authorities haven’t arrested others. They’re not putting pressure on Mexican banks, for instance, to look into these payments coming from senior citizens in the US or Canada. And you have to remember that people are really afraid. But you also have to remember that in Mexico things are not that clear. There is a lot of corruption and government collusion with organized crime and cartels.

And the tourism industry, it is huge in Mexico and particularly in Jalisco state. This is a multi-billion dollar industry. They don’t want Americans or Canadians or Europeans who are coming to Jalisco for its beautiful beaches and its mountains to hear about these stories regarding the cartels being involved in the tourism industry and think, I’m not going to send my family there for that beach vacation. It’s just simply too dangerous.

So everybody has an incentive to have the scam continue, whether because they’re too afraid and don’t want to speak out or because they’re in on it.

So in a way, local authorities have an interest in sweeping it under the carpet in order to just maintain this idea of a tourist destination.

Exactly. I mean, the spokeswoman for the prosecutor’s office was very responsive to me until I told her what I wanted to ask her questions about. And then she just simply never answered any of my texts or phone calls.

So Maria, based on everything you know, all the information you have, would you say that you’re confident that the cartels were the ones who scammed James?

Yes, 100 percent. Everything I’ve seen points in that direction.

What did James say when you told him this?

So it took him quite a while to really allow himself to believe it. On the advice of his lawyers, he stopped picking up the phone calls. And about a week ago, they stopped after the scammers kept trying to call him.

But you said he was in it for over a year. Why do you think it took him so long?

Can you tell me, after all of that had been presented to you, why do you think you weren’t willing to be entirely convinced?

Well, I actually asked him that question.

That’s a very good question. Why wasn’t I able to pick up on that right away? And I think in the back of my mind, I’m finding out that I’m a little more stubborn than I thought I was.

And for him, it was pretty complicated.

And I think that I didn’t want to believe that I had fallen for this. I didn’t feel I was that foolish and stupid when it came to this. You know? I guess I didn’t want to believe that I could be fooled.

To come to terms with the fact that he had lost so much money was to come to terms with the fact that he wasn’t the person that he thought that he was, that he wasn’t this kind of clever former law enforcement officer who was used to fighting the bad guys and winning.

I’m disappointed in myself. There’s a huge level of anger towards the perpetrators. And all of those things wrapped into one. And part of that, I think, contributes to not wanting to actually believe that I was wrong.

Hmm. Yeah, I hear you. I’m sorry. I can hear the pain in your voice.

[LAUGHS]: Yeah.

Some of it’s based on shame, right? That he lost all this money, everything that he’s worked for, and the fact that this was all supposed to be money that his children and his grandchildren were going to inherit. And now it’s gone.

And have you told your daughter that you think you’ve come to terms with the fact that this might have been a scam?

Oh, she’s been involved. Yeah. They know.

My daughter does.

I’m sorry. This is a tough time.

So I’ve got to make some sort of arrangement to compensate them for this on top of our regular debt. So yeah. It’s been a swell experience, all of it brought on by my — evidently, my stubbornness to believe that I couldn’t possibly be a victim.

How’s your wife doing throughout this whole process, with this new knowledge?

She’s not real happy, obviously, at all. I hear a lot of “I told you so.” And at this point, I’ve got no defense. She’s absolutely right. There’s no question about it.

Do you worry this is going to affect your marriage?

Yes, there has been an effect.

And do you think that at this point there’s any way for James and his family to get some kind of justice or at least find some kind of closure?

Ay. Justice? Unlikely.

At this point, I’m not necessarily expecting much in the way of restitution.

And as for closure, it’s a little bit too soon to tell. In a way, James has gone through several stages of acceptance for what happened. There’s fear. There’s shame. There’s resignation. And now he’s talking to me partly because he feels like it’s a public service, that he needs to be vocal so that other people don’t go through what he’s gone through and fall for the scam. And I think it also helps him feel a little bit empowered in a situation for over the last year and a half he was at the mercy of these people who were calling him multiple times a week.

I want to try to get as much information to as many of these official organizations as possible. I have a streak of anger through me now that I’ve developed to the point where I’m not going to let this go.

Well, Maria, thank you.

Thank you for having me.

Here’s what else you need to know today. OJ Simpson, the football star who was accused and later acquitted of murdering his former wife and her friend, died of cancer at his home in Las Vegas, his family said Thursday. He was 76.

Today’s episode was produced by Astha Chaturvedi and Will Reid, with help from Clare Toeniskoetter and Lindsay Garrison. It was edited by Brendan Klinkenberg and Michael Benoist, contains original music by Marion Lozano, Rowan Niemisto, Dan Powell, Pat McCusker, and Will Reid, and was engineered by Chris Wood. Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly.

[THEME MUSIC]

That’s it for “The Daily.” I’m Katrin Bennhold. See you on Monday.

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• April 12, 2024   •   34:23 How One Family Lost $900,000 in a Timeshare Scam
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Hosted by Katrin Bennhold

Produced by Asthaa Chaturvedi and Will Reid

With Clare Toeniskoetter and Lynsea Garrison

Edited by Brendan Klinkenberg and Michael Benoist

Original music by Marion Lozano ,  Rowan Niemisto ,  Dan Powell ,  Pat McCusker and Will Reid

Engineered by Chris Wood

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Warning: this episode contains descriptions of violence.

A massive scam targeting older Americans who own timeshare properties has resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars sent to Mexico.

Maria Abi-Habib, an investigative correspondent for The Times, tells the story of a victim who lost everything, and of the criminal group making the scam calls — Jalisco New Generation, one of Mexico’s most violent cartels.

On today’s episode

Maria Abi-Habib , an investigative correspondent for The New York Times based in Mexico City.

Background reading

How a brutal Mexican drug cartel came to target seniors and their timeshares .

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Katrin Bennhold is the Berlin bureau chief. A former Nieman fellow at Harvard University, she previously reported from London and Paris, covering a range of topics from the rise of populism to gender. More about Katrin Bennhold

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US will require background checks for gun shows and online firearm sales

‘Historic’ action by justice department closes ‘doggone dangerous’ loophole in Biden administration’s fight against gun violence

The sale of firearms on the internet and at gun shows in the US will in future be subject to mandatory background checks, the justice department said on Thursday as it announced a “historic” new action to keep weapons out of the hands of criminals.

The closing of the so-called gun show loophole, which exempts private transactions from restrictions that apply to licensed dealers, has long been a goal of the Biden administration , and is specifically targeted in the rule published in the federal register today.

“Under this regulation, it will not matter if guns are sold on the internet, at a gun show, or at a brick-and-mortar store: if you sell guns predominantly to earn a profit, you must be licensed, and you must conduct background checks,” the attorney general, Merrick Garland, told reporters on a press call announcing the measure.

“This regulation is a historic step in the justice department’s fight against gun violence. It will save lives.”

The rule, which clarifies who is considered to be “engaged in the business” as a firearms dealer, will take effect in 30 days’ time, and follows a three-month consultation period that attracted almost 388,000 comments to the website of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

The White House estimates that 22% of guns owned by Americans were acquired without a background check and that about 23,000 more individuals will be required to be licensed as a dealer after the rule’s implementation.

“There is a large and growing black market of guns being sold by people in the business of dealing and doing it without a license, and therefore they are not running background checks the way the law requires,” the ATF director, Steven Dettelbach, said.

“It’s not safe for innocent, law-abiding Americans. In fact, it’s doggone dangerous.”

Garland presented the rule as a hardening of the 2022 bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which said all persons “who devote time, attention, and labor to dealing in firearms as a regular course of trade or business to predominantly earn a profit” would be considered a dealer.

“The regulation expands the definition of who must obtain a license and conduct a background check before selling guns,” Garland said.

“It will close the gun show loophole, and it closes the fire-sale loophole by clarifying how firearms dealers who go out of business must go about liquidating their inventory.”

Intra-family transfers of firearms, or occasional sales to enhance a collection, will not be presumed business transactions, a White House spokesperson said.

The new rule is the latest in a series of unilateral steps the Biden administration has taken to tighten gun laws, while at the same time highlighting the difficulty of getting legislation through Congress.

Republicans were lukewarm to near-identical proposals by Barack Obama in 2016, towards the end of his second term, while Biden was vice-president; and, with a current House majority, have been resistant to calls for meaningful gun control measures since.

Last month, Kamala Harris, the vice-president, visited Parkland, Florida, the site of a 2018 high school shooting that claimed 17 lives, to announce the setting up of a national resource center to assist states in implementing red flag laws.

In September, Biden tapped Harris to lead the first federal gun violence prevention office , and the pair have repeatedly urged Congress to pass tougher regulations, including a ban on private ownership of assault weapons.

“For decades, many dealers who sell weapons someplace other than the traditional gun store, say a gun show or flea market, or through social media, have gotten away without conducting background checks,” she told reporters on the call.

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“Every year, thousands of unlicensed dealers sell tens of thousands of guns without a single background check to buyers who, if they had been required to pass a background check, would have failed, for example, domestic abusers, violent felons and even children.

“This single gap in our federal background check system has caused unimaginable pain and suffering. I believe countless families and communities will be spared the horror and heartbreak of gun violence by this new rule.”

Gun control advocacy groups welcomed the rule.

Gabby Giffords, the former US congresswoman who founded the Giffords center to prevent gun violence after she was seriously injured in a 2011 shooting, said: “President Biden stood strong and saved lives today. His administration took bold action to address a gaping loophole that allowed firearm dealers to sell guns without performing background checks and let anyone intent on doing harm to buy a gun, no questions asked.

“This new rule will make sure fewer people slip through the cracks, and we’re all safer for it.”

Mark Barden, who co-founded Sandy Hook Promise after his seven-year-old son Daniel was among the 26 victims of a 2012 elementary school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, said: “While today’s victory can never take away the pain of having my youngest son taken from our family, it represents the power of our collective voices when we come together to keep kids safe.

“We are energized to keep up the fight and will work day in and day out to ensure that this isn’t the last action we see on expanding background checks.”

The group promoted background check legislation in both chambers of Congress last year and is pressing for a vote, citing studies that show overwhelming public support for such a measure.

“We sincerely thank the more than 11,000 supporters, including teachers, parents, students, gun violence survivors and other concerned community members, who spoke out in support of this critical rule,” said Nicole Hockley, chief executive of Sandy Hook Promise, and mother of Dylan, six, another Newtown victim.

“Their support has been a fountain of hope and we share this victory with them.”

• US gun control
• Biden administration

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