By Julia Burks
Covid has made Zoom programs very popular and they aren’t going away for many groups, non-profits, and organizations. Sometimes navigating the “dos and don’ts” of Zoom can be difficult. Here are some Zoom etiquette tips to help you out at PSW online events!
Don’t have an invite/zoom link? PSW will email it out the night before.
Support group leaders might send invitations or links out on a different schedule. If you don’t have it the day before your virtual support group, please contact your support group facilitator.
Be on time. Set an alarm on your phone as a reminder. We recommend logging 5-10 minutes early in case technological issues arise.
When ready to log on, click the link provided in the invite and/or email reminder.
Make sure you are in a quiet space. Sit somewhere that isn’t distracting for you or other participants. You might consider designating a place in your home that is clutter-free as your go-to Zoom spot.
Have your device fully charged or plugged in.
Turn your camera on.
Keep yourself in frame by placing your camera at eye-level.
Mute yourself when not speaking or if someone else in your home is talking (tech support will mute you if noise from your end is disrupting the presentation or support group).
Participate! Ask questions during Q&A portions of presentations or join the conversation in support groups, but make sure you are striking a balance between your questions and those of other attendees. Leave time for others to speak or ask questions.
Don’t multitask during presentations, if you can avoid it. However, due to scheduling or other obligations, sometimes it becomes necessary to listen to a Zoom presentation while doing something else. If you need to split your attention between your screen and another task, turn your camera off to not distract other attendees.
When talking, look into the camera to make “eye contact” with whomever is on screen. If it's hard to do, put a post-it note above your camera, like the picture below.
Set your camera up roughly 2-4 feet from your face. It should be about the distance at which you could comfortably work on a laptop.
If using Zoom on your phone, prop your phone up on a table in front of you, so that you can talk hands-free. Sometimes propping your phone up can be difficult, so here are a few devices that can help.
Need help getting started with Zoom? Take a look at this video.
We hope this helps! See you soon at our upcoming PD EDU! Click here to learn more and sign up!