How To Make a Good Impression during Virtual Work Meetings or Client Video Calls

As businesses continue to operate in a more digitally connected world, virtual work meetings and client video calls have become a central tool for communication and collaboration. Whether teams work in-office, remotely, or in a hybrid model, virtual work meetings have become essential to maintaining good relationships with both colleagues and clients. Employers must periodically remind employees why presenting themselves professionally during virtual work meetings and client video calls is important. When an employee makes a good impression during either of these forms of communication, it will reflect positively on themselves and their company.

1. Set Clear Expectations for the Work Environment

As the employer, setting expectations for your employee’s virtual work environment is important. For your employees who work in the office, it is fairly easy to have a direct impact on the environment they display in their virtual work calls by ensuring that your office space looks modern and professional. Adding artwork, changing lighting, or even reorienting desks and workspaces may help your employees make a good impression during their video calls with a client.

For employees working from home, impress upon them that they still need to represent the company during virtual work meetings with colleagues or video calls with clients. Ensure your team knows the importance of creating a professional backdrop. This includes choosing neutral, uncluttered spaces free of distractions. For example, your company might want to establish guidelines for lighting and positioning, such as ensuring employees avoid sitting with bright light sources behind them, as this can distort their image.

While these expectations should be flexible depending on individual home situations, employees must understand that their surroundings directly affect the perception of the company. In some cases, if budget allows, consider providing employees with resources to improve their at-home workspace, such as ring lights for better visibility.

2. Emphasize Appropriate Dress Codes

Even though employees may be working remotely, it is still important that your employees dress appropriately during virtual work meetings to help maintain professionalism. As an employer, you can help your team understand the level of formality needed for different meetings. For instance, business casual attire may be acceptable for internal meetings, while more formal attire may be expected when meeting with clients.

Make sure to communicate the company’s dress code policy clearly to avoid ambiguity. You may even want to set clear guidelines on how attire reflects the organization’s culture and brand, especially when interacting with clients or stakeholders. Ensuring employees are aware of their attire’s impact on their professional image can lead to stronger, more positive business relationships.

3. Encourage Full Engagement and Focus

Employees should be fully engaged and present during virtual office meetings, especially during a client video call. One of the best tips for always making a good impression is to avoid distractions whenever possible and resist the temptation to check your emails or social media. Encourage employees to maintain eye contact with the camera and demonstrate active listening by nodding or verbally acknowledging points made by others.

Being fully engaged and focused during any of your virtual business communications shows respect for your colleagues and goes a long way when trying to make a good impression on clients. It also will demonstrate a strong work ethic while fostering a positive and collaborative work environment.

4. Promote Clear and Concise Communication

Virtual office meetings with colleagues or video calls with clients can be more challenging because it can be harder to gauge reactions (or the lack of them) accurately. Encourage employees to articulate their thoughts clearly and concisely while trying to stay on-topic. If necessary, offer training or resources on effective virtual communication to help team members hone their skills. Encourage employees to use visual aids such as slides when presenting and to pause for questions to ensure clarity and understanding.

Effective communication reduces the possibility of miscommunication and misunderstanding and helps to avoid possible costly mistakes.

5. Maintain Consistent Company Representation

Employees need to sometimes be reminded that they are representing the company during virtual work meetings and client video calls. Whether they’re interacting with clients, partners, or colleagues, their professionalism reflects on the organization. This is especially important during client-facing meetings, where a lack of preparation or professionalism can tarnish the company’s reputation.

You may want to provide employees with guidelines on how to align their communication style, appearance, and behavior with your company’s values and brand. Reinforcing these expectations helps maintain a cohesive and polished company image across all virtual interactions.

6. Foster Strong Relationships and Team Camaraderie

Virtual work meetings aren’t just about work – they’re an opportunity to build relationships with your fellow colleagues. As an employer, encourage team members to connect on a personal level during your virtual meetings. Building camaraderie helps create a more positive work culture and can lead to more effective collaboration.

Even in professional settings, small talk at the beginning of meetings can go a long way in fostering trust and rapport. Acknowledging contributions and giving positive feedback during meetings also strengthens team relationships and can enhance overall productivity. Managers and business owners should be conscious role models and provide positive reinforcement during any virtual business meeting in which they participate.

7. Prepare for Technical Issues and Troubleshooting

Technical issues can wreak havoc on virtual office meetings or business video calls. Employers should make every attempt to provide employees with the necessary tools and support to ensure they have a reliable internet connection, functional equipment, and access to IT resources in case problems arise. If employees are having a technical issue that is impeding their ability to participate in virtual work meetings or video calls, the company needs to address the technical issue as soon as possible.

It’s also a good idea to offer training or resources on how to troubleshoot common issues, if possible, yourself, such as poor connectivity or basic audio/video malfunctions. Setting clear expectations around how employees should handle technical issues (e.g., notifying the team or rescheduling) can help prevent disruptions and ensure everything runs smoothly.

8. Set Standards for Body Language and Distractions

Body language will usually play a significant role in any virtual communication. Employers should remind employees to try and present themselves well, especially when they aren’t physically in the same room as their manager or boss. Encourage employees to maintain good posture, show interest in the conversation, and avoid distractions like checking their phones or looking away from the screen.

As part of a broader company culture, you may want to set specific expectations for body language to ensure that all employees convey a professional image, regardless of where they are located.

9. Encourage Proper Use of Chat Functions

Most video conferencing platforms come with chat functions that allow participants to ask quick questions or share relevant resources. Employers should set guidelines for using these features to avoid disrupting the flow of virtual business meetings. Encourage employees to use the chat function sparingly and professionally, reserving it for pertinent information only. Remind them that the chat should never be used for personal conversations unless the context of the meeting permits.

10. Follow-up and Accountability are Essential for Client Video Calls and still important for Virtual Work Meetings

Follow-up is essential to ensure that action items are completed after your virtual work meeting or client video call has ended. Encourage employees to send a professional email summarizing key takeaways, next steps, and any responsibilities assigned during any business video call or virtual office meeting. This not only reinforces their professionalism but also keeps everyone on the same page regarding the outcomes of the meeting.

Employers should also foster a culture of accountability by ensuring that all employees know the importance of timely follow-ups and action items to try and ensure productivity and success.

11. Legal Issues Surrounding Virtual Work Meetings

Employers can generally require employees to attend virtual work meetings if it is in their job description or contract scope. However, they must balance this with privacy rights, reasonable accommodations, and compliance with applicable labor laws for any state in which they do business. It’s important to be aware of the potential legal pitfalls related to compensation, workplace discrimination, employee privacy, and health and safety. Employers should ensure clear policies are in place to manage these expectations and avoid creating potential legal issues for their organizations.

It can be particularly challenging when a company has a global workforce in a country other than the US, which may have stronger labor protections regarding work hours, requiring employers to be more cognizant of the timing of their virtual work meetings. Unionized workplaces may also face similar issues depending upon the terms of the union contract in place at the location or organization. In addition, employees with disabilities may have additional rights regarding virtual meeting participation based upon the nature of the “reasonable accommodations” their disability may provide them within the workplace. Furthermore, because many labor laws and regulations were written before the advent of extensive virtual communications in the workplace, some legal areas may be unclear or untested around the issue of virtual meeting protocol or timing.

Conclusion

While in-person meetings have returned for many companies, virtual work meetings and client video calls will likely remain a critical component of modern business operations. By setting clear expectations, offering guidance, and providing the tools and resources needed for employees to succeed, employers can ensure that their teams make a positive, lasting impression during any virtual interaction with their colleagues and clients.

Investing in virtual communication skills benefits individual employees and helps enhance the company’s overall professionalism and brand reputation. Through clear standards and support, employers can foster an environment where employees thrive and contribute meaningfully to the company’s success in today’s increasingly globalized, digital, and changing workplace.

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