Don’t Be That Guy: Remote Meeting Etiquette 101

You know him. He’s that guy in your remote meetings that just can’t get it together. You really can’t blame him. After all, he’s not used to meeting this way. Like most of us, ever since stay-at-home orders were announced, he’s been reluctantly living the work-from-home life. The conference room is now his bedroom, the kids are his new “co-workers” and his fur baby barks at every Amazon package delivered at the front door. Bless. His. Heart.

I must confess, I’ve been “that guy” more times than I’m willing to admit. Nevertheless, it’s important to uphold basic meeting etiquette. Learning from others’ mistakes is a powerful thing, so that’s why I’m sharing some remote meeting blunders from familiar characters you’ve probably met along the way.

Shady Sherman with the bad lighting.

While an obscure persona is intriguing, it’s not the vibe Sherman is going for. Background lighting from his window turns him into a silhouette, and you can barely see him on screen. In-person meetings are off the table, so to maintain meaningful interactions with his customers his facial expressions are everything. Next time, he can sit facing the window or in front of a lamp, so his smile shines through.