How to dress for a video conference?
Work And Study / / January 07, 2021
In a weekly column, Olga Lukinova, an expert on digital etiquette, answers pressing questions related to communication on the Internet. Don't miss it if you actively use social networks and instant messengers, or just occasionally send business letters. And ask your questions in the comments!
Marina
Inna
Olga Lukinova
Author of the book and Telegram channel "Digital Etiquette".
As a specialist in etiquette, I have to admit that etiquette cannot prohibit us anything, but can only recommend. And norms in the field of video conferencing are just beginning to take shape. Therefore, here we should be guided primarily by common sense.
clothing
Here I propose to imagine: if you were forced to hold a business meeting at home, what would you look like? I think most of us would wear something else besides underwear and a towel. But I also think that sitting in a suit, tie, and boots in the middle of your own kitchen is also not a good idea.
Therefore, the most logical thing is to choose clothes that would suit both the format of the meeting and the place in which it takes place.
A three-piece suit will look as ridiculous on a video call from home as pajamas with teddy bears, so casual is a win-win.
And it is desirable that a suitable outfit is worn not only above the waist. You may need to get up from the table during the broadcast. Make sure you don't have to hide your pajama pants or Hawaiian shorts from the camera.
Background
Not everyone can afford to organize a complete home workplace. But everyone can just sit with their backs against the wall during a video conference - then nothing superfluous will get into the frame. Any wall looks much more formal than a pile of dishes or scattered children's toys in the background.
Parallel actions
Smoking, eating, washing dishes, walking in the park, sorting buckwheat, answering letters is a manifestation of disrespect for the participants in the video call. You show that the meeting is not important to you. Would you be doing other things in parallel if the meeting was not online, but in the office?
Of course, it is okay to take notes related to the topic of the meeting. Only, if you are typing on the keyboard, turn off the microphone so that the interlocutors do not have to listen to the sound of your keys.
Usually work is a unity of time and place. During working hours we come to the workplace. Now a lot of people working from homebut it's still work. Therefore, it makes sense to treat all meetings, even if they are online, appropriately.
Remember that quarantine and self-isolation will end sooner or later and you will have to meet with colleagues and partners face to face. You will no longer be virtual characters for each other again. And everything that you did while working online will become part of your professional reputation.
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