Netiquette & Videokonferenzen

Especially in times of the Covid 19 pandemic, video conferencing solutions have proven to be important tools to ensure processes and enable communication. In the best case, video calls bring us back some of the closeness that social distancing has taken away from us. In the worst case, they rob us of energy and create a negative attitude towards technology and communication in general.

In order for video conferences to succeed in the best possible way and for the exchange to be made pleasant through the mediated communication, the way we deal with each other plays a decisive role. However, not everyone is used to or familiar with this mode of communication, and especially when technical issues are brought to the fore, considerations of social conventions and netiquette become blurred.

Netiquette? Wikipedia has a nice description of what netiquette actually is.

Below is a list of individual aspects that were discussed in the workshop Netiquette and video conferencing on May 25, 2020, as part of the digital days of teaching at the Otto-von-Guericke University and collected from the experiences of the participants.

Get in the picture!

There are different tools. Each one has different features and often the nice little helpers that make the difference in a meeting are in the details. It is therefore always worthwhile to familiarize yourself with the technology.

The technical preparation is fundamental. This also includes the choice of the picture detail as well as the camera settings. Meet the communication participants in the video conference at eye level. A slanted picture can be perceived as disturbing, can distort you and thus irritate the participants.

In addition, you can often adjust the image quality (Standard Definition or High Definition) and, depending on the Internet connection, influence the communication flow of the meeting. Less technical, but no less relevant: Pay attention to good lighting conditions.

Nice to e-meet you!

Knowing who you have the meeting with is the basis for a meeting - no matter what form it takes. This begins with the invitation to the meeting and the preparation. As the host of a meeting, you ensure that access is granted to everyone.

In addition, a brief introduction of all participants is not only polite, it also provides the basis for later direct addresses and connects. This allows you to counteract conflicts in advance.

Timing matters!

As with classic meetings, being on time plays a decisive role. What can you do to deal with unpunctuality? It is up to you, whether you want to allow participants to attend after the meeting has started. Zoom supports this by switching on/off joining tones, using/sharing a waiting room or the possibility to lock a meeting.

The host has muted you.

A good, focused moderation is essential for the success of video conferences. However, moderation does not just begin with the meeting, but in advance.

If possible, the role of the moderator can and should be defined in advance. This saves time for the meeting itself, creates clear expectations as well as understanding of the role and leaves more room for discussion of the content. Moderation cards (such as this one) can also positively underline the course of the discussion, speed up coordination and make the meeting more playful.

Moderation in video conferences should not be underestimated by any means, so pre-defined rules for speaking and leading the discussion are extremely important in order to keep an overview of the different locations that are on the one hand the audiovisual meeting and on the other hand the chat, which is integrated in many tools. For a participatory design of a meeting, it is advisable to assign different roles (host, co-host, moderator, co-moderator, minute-taker).

Look into my eyes!

The view into the camera and thus the signalling of attention play an important role in mediated communication and are ultimately also very basic characteristics for the decision to use a video conference.

The mediated eye contact promotes the development of mutual trust and can equally contribute to the reduction of misunderstandings. Finally, eye contact (as well as gestures and facial expressions) sensitizes the participants to unspoken words and thus increases the success of communication.

Listen to each other

Let the other participants finish. Wait a little longer until you respond. The fact that sometimes you have to turn on the microphone first means that the flow of conversation in video conferences can be slower than in face-to-face meetings and the response time therefore is a little higher than in face-to-face-meetings.

Adressing participants directly can also strengthen and increase the intensity of the conversation. Refer to what the participants have said earlier. This raises involvement and can activate individual persons in the conversation.

Speak clearly and distinctly. Speech speed also plays an important role. If you talk too fast, people may not understand you well and have difficulty following you. Some videoconferencing systems offer the possibility of feedback by means of a symbol to signal whether you should talk faster or slower

Thank you!

Video conferencing can be stressful, especially if you have a lot of meetings. Use the time at the end of a meeting to highlight positive aspects and thank participants for a good discussion or a focused or result-oriented attitude or simply to thank them for their attention.

Follow-ups

A meeting ends with the farewell and closing the digital connection.

But after the video conference, is before the video conference. If you send the minutes, meeting notes or future appointments - perhaps combined with a call-to-action - afterwards and bundled to everyone, you avoid misunderstandings.

Educational Science

Education in a digital world