Since virtual meetings and events have only recently entered our everyday life, there was not really any time to create a list of rules for participants. Everyone was simply improvising and the fact that they were mostly sitting on a comfortable couch at home was not helping. In this this article, we will try to present good practices related to participation in virtual events.

Before joining the event

Outfit

The first issue worth considering before joining an event is appropriate clothing. Surely everyone has heard stories about friends or colleagues who do not wear pants during video chats, since after all, to the rest of the team they are only visible from the chest up. These stories may amuse, but they also draw attention to how many people are not entirely serious about participating in virtual events. I mean, can we imagine going to a stationary event wearing only underwear? Of course not, so let's put on a complete outfit for an online event as well. If we are casual attendees, clothes that we feel comfortable in will be enough, and if we plan to share video from our camera or if we are a speaker or presenter, let's take extra care of the neatness and cleanliness of our styling and an appropriate hairstyle. The formality of the outfit should depend on the nature of the event, so the more formal it is, the more elegant clothes we should wear. As for make-up, participants have a lot of freedom - some use strong make-up, some use delicate make-up, and others do not wear it at all. Let's remember that no matter how many beauty products we apply, we should simply look neat. The last issue regarding the outfit is footwear, which, if we attend an online event from our desk or from the couch in the salon, we can skip altogether. After all, we do not walk around the house in shoes on a daily basis, so putting them on just for the event is not required either.

The place from which we connect

The place from which we plan to join the event is very important. The first thing we should pay attention to is a good Internet connection. Let's connect from a desktop computer that has an Ethernet cable plugged in, or choose a place where the wifi signal coming from the router is strong enough. If you are performing at the event as a speaker or are going to show up on camera, also think about adequate lighting. Ideally, there should be neither too much of it (sunlight from the window can effectively darken our face), nor too little (the camera image will be poorly visible). Let's also try to choose a neutral background behind us, such as a single-color wall or a bookshelf. If we do not have such an option, consider the option of blurring the background or choose a custom background. In the latter case, let's use common sense and choose an appropriate background like an office or apartment, rather than a beach or space galaxy.

When joining an event, there are three things we should keep in mind: being on time, having the camera on and saying hello to other attendees. As with a stationary event, showing up early to an online event is very important, and being late can be perceived as disrespectful to other participants and organizers. So it's a good idea to show up even a few minutes before the start of the event, because, as we all know, technology likes to play tricks and we may encounter technical problems that delay our joining. A switched-on camera is also a sign of respect for fellow participants - at a stationary event it would be hard to hide from their sight, so we should not do this while connecting online (if we are just participants at a large event, where there is no option to share the camera image, we can safely skip this point). And then there is the last point, which is the greeting. When joining an event, it is always a good idea to greet other participants. A simple "Hi" or 'Good morning" in the chat room is perfectly sufficient, but if we have the opportunity, we can also turn on the microphone and greet fellow participants out loud.

During the event

During the event, there are two things we should pay special attention to. The first one is to mute the microphone when we are not actually speaking. Microphones often pick up ambient noise and noises from the speakers. Sometimes the sounds of our unconscious coughing or grunting also reach them, which can be distracting. The second issue is taking up the floor during discussions. If we know our co-participants well and there are few of them, we can simply sense the moment and then take the floor. In all other circumstances, however, a hand raising gesture - either physical or "virtual" by pressing the appropriate button - will work best.

At the end of the event

The event is coming to an end, it is time to say goodbye and disconnect. If we participated in the event as attendees without cameras on, it is perfectly sufficient to write "Bye" or "Goodbye" in the general chat of the event. If, on the other hand, we were joining in a smaller group and everyone was visible on camera, or if we were speaking as a speaker, it would be in good taste to say goodbye out loud, preferably with the camera on.