A video conference is meant to minimize the need to meet in person by getting everyone gathered within an interactive environment. It’s an excellent way to drive user engagement and communicate information as quickly and effectively as possible to large groups of people who are scattered across the globe. Hosting a video conference also eliminates the need to pay for plane tickets, hotel rooms, conference lunches or venues, adding up to exponential savings. In addition, today’s high-tech conferencing features captivate audiences far better than the standard, lecture-style meeting.
Their downfall, however, is the fact that video conferences are so simple and can be done outside of the office that people sometimes forget they are still professional events. This often leads to embarrassing gaffes that could have otherwise been prevented.
Here are five true video conference horror stories. Hopefully, you can learn from these professionals’ mishaps, while brushing up on your own video conferencing etiquette to prevent these from happening to you.
1. Taking a break? Don’t forget to hit mute
There are stories of multiple conference calls where someone forgets to turn off his or her microphone and tries to mask a flush in the background, but in reality, everyone knows exactly what’s going on. This incident is scary enough to keep you up all night—or prevent you from excusing yourself when the need arrives.
This embarrassing mistake is simple to avoid though; it just takes extra caution. Go to the restroom before the call or at least remember to mute yourself if and when you have to step away. Even if you can’t remove your microphone when taking a break, train yourself to at least turn it off.
2. Pets aren’t meant for the boardroom
For some, pets provide a comforting presence during a video conference call, but chances are they’re just distracting everyone else from the topic of discussion. To prevent any frustration, make sure to keep them out of view. Be wary of distractions like barking dogs, ringing phones, or noisy kids when choosing a place for your webcast.
I was once moderating a webinar for an author who was having some problems with her dog. He wouldn’t stop barking. To give her a moment to take care of the situation, I told her I would take a question from the audience. If you haven’t already figured it out, she forgot to turn off her microphone and said some pretty colorful words to her dog before I had the chance to mute her. Another reason why you should always remember to hit mute!
3. Don’t let hosting a video conference go to your head
There is a tale about a woman who drove by a police officer while webcasting in her car. Unsurprisingly, he pulled her over for illegally using a handheld device. When this happened, she turned the camera in his direction to embarrass him. Of course, she just embarrassed herself.
The moral of the story? Aside from being mindful of your environment, don’t let the power of hosting a video conference go to your head.
4. Watch what you say on and off the camera
Like the executive who forgot to turn his microphone off during his bathroom break, there is the story of the host who mistakenly thought his microphone was muted and began talking poorly about the attendees. Not only is this highly unprofessional and embarrassing, it can also cost you clients, your reputation, and possibly even your job.
Rule of thumb: If you wouldn’t do it or say it in a face-to-face meeting, then don’t make the mistake of doing it or saying it in a virtual one.
5. A video conference still counts as a professional event
Video conferencing from home or even on vacation is a luxury we’re more than lucky to have today. With that in mind, dress appropriately. Don’t take advantage of the ease of video conferences by wearing something you would never wear to the office.
Always wear pants. If something happens off camera that you have to jump up to take care of, don’t let people know what kind of boxers or pajama bottoms you prefer. Also, take off that stained shirt and put on a clean, collared one. If you’re sitting, perhaps you can get away with a pair of slippers, but only maybe.
Eric Vidal is the director of product marketing at InterCall. He has more than 15 years of experience in developing, implementing and optimizing strategies in these areas for numerous organizations and Global 2000 companies. As the director of product marketing for InterCall’s event services, Eric manages the strategy and initiatives for the virtual technologies that include virtual environments, streaming, event management services and operator assisted services. Previously from WebEx, Eric managed the virtual classroom product, as well as brand advertising and new media. Over the last several years, Eric has held management positions at Cisco, WebEx, IBM, BBDO Worldwide, and Macromedia.