Video Conferencing Etiquette: Do’s and Don’ts for Meetings

Video conferencing etiquette is the set of habits that keep online meetings professional and efficient: test your equipment before joining, keep your camera at eye level, use a tidy or blurred background, mute when you are not speaking, look at the camera when you talk, avoid multitasking, and leave the call properly when it ends.

Key Takeaways

• Test your camera, microphone and connection before the meeting starts.
• Mute when you are not speaking: Alt + A in Zoom on Windows, Ctrl + Shift + M in Microsoft Teams on Windows, Ctrl + D in Google Meet on Windows and ChromeOS.
• Zoom, Teams and Google Meet all let you blur or replace your background.
• Zoom lists 1.2 Mbps up and down for a 1:1 call in 720p HD video.
• Place the camera at eye level and look into it when you speak.

This guide covers video conferencing etiquette and practical meeting tips. Video conferencing has become a standard business tool across many different industries. From conducting job interviews to meeting new clients or connecting with co-workers from all around the world, video calls are becoming more and more important in the workplace.

Video Conferencing Etiquette and Tips

It is important for businesses to ensure that their staff members have access to video conference training because video meetings are now used widely across the world. To help you and your staff follow correct video conference and call etiquette, this guide sets out widely recommended practices, followed by platform shortcuts, a bandwidth table and a pre-call checklist.

Do Get to Know Your Equipment

Today’s devices and equipment are surprisingly easy to use when it comes to video calling and conferences. But you don’t want to be getting to grips with a new piece of equipment two minutes before you’re set to be on the call.

Before taking or joining a video conference, it’s important to make sure that you understand the video and audio settings of the equipment that you will be using so that you don’t end up holding people up or being unable to work the devices during the call. Microsoft Teams and Google Meet both let you check your video and background before you join, so use that preview to confirm your microphone and camera are working; the mute and camera shortcuts for Zoom, Teams and Meet are listed later in this guide.

Look at the Camera

The rise in popularity of unified communications means that more and more employees are using video calling and conferences as a part of their day-to-day job. Whether you are on a video call, participating in a video conference call or participating in a video interview, it is vital that you focus on the camera, as this will make you appear fully engaged in the conversation.

Avoid watching your own video tile while you speak: look into the camera when you talk and at the other participants when you listen. Eye contact and body language are just as vital on a video call as they are in person when it comes to building good professional relationships.

Consider Your Environment

One of the biggest advantages of cloud computing is that more and more people are being able to work from home, but because of this, it also means that more and more employees are taking video calls and appearing on video conference calls from their home.

If you are expecting to be on a video conference when you are out of the office, it’s important to ensure that you are in the right environment for it. When setting up your conference call, you should definitely consider the things that are in the background. You should make sure that any wall art or decorations in the background are work appropriate, and ensure that the area is clean and tidy.

Stay Focused

It is easy for the other participants to see whether or not you are fully focused and present during the video conference call. Don’t check emails or browse the web while you are on a video conference call, as this is not the time for multitasking.

If an important notification pops up while you are on the call, the polite way to deal with it is to tell your fellow callers and excuse yourself from the call if needed.

Mute and Disconnect

Failing to mute your microphone or fully disconnect from the call once you have finished participation can result in a lot of unnecessary embarrassment or could cause you to unintentionally annoy others. Even if you are not speaking and are alone in your room or office you should mute your microphone, as the added background noise can be an annoying distraction to other callers.

Once the conference call is over or you have done your part when it comes to participating, you should make sure that you have hung up, and logged out of the conferencing application.

Think About the Positioning

Before taking a video conference call, you should take into consideration the positioning of the camera and how you will appear on the call. You should ensure that your camera is at eye level so that it’s easier for you to focus on it, and be careful not to position it too high or low, or hooked to a different computer monitor to the one you are directly in front of.

Awkward camera angles can be very distracting, both for the other callers and for yourself as you try to fix the angle while focusing on the call at the same time.

With remote workers becoming more and more popular and working from home being more readily available to many employees due to cloud computing, video conference calls are increasingly becoming an integral method of business communication. In today’s business industry, understanding proper video conference call etiquette is a must. 🙂

What Are the Main Do’s and Don’ts of Video Conferencing?

The table below summarizes the core video conferencing etiquette rules covered in this guide.

What Are the Mute and Camera Shortcuts in Zoom, Teams and Google Meet?

Keyboard shortcuts let you mute or turn off your camera instantly, without searching for the button. The shortcuts below are taken from the official Zoom, Microsoft and Google help pages, as of October 2026.

On a Mac, Zoom also supports push-to-talk: press and hold the Space bar to unmute temporarily while you speak. In Google Meet, pressing Shift + ? during a meeting shows the full list of shortcuts.

How Do You Hide a Messy Background on a Video Call?

Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet each let you blur your background or replace it with an image. In Teams, the option is called Effects and avatars on the pre-join screen, or Video effects and settings during a meeting. In Google Meet, it is Backgrounds and effects, which is available before you join and during the call. Zoom’s virtual background feature can show an image or a short video, or blur the background instead.

Microsoft notes that a Teams background persists across your meetings and calls until you change it, so check it before a formal call such as a client meeting or job interview.

How Much Internet Speed Do You Need for a Video Call?

A frozen or pixelated video is one of the most common causes of awkward meetings. Zoom publishes the following bandwidth recommendations for its desktop app (as of October 2026):

If your connection struggles, turning off your camera keeps you on the call with audio, which needs far less bandwidth than video. Zoom also lists a webcam, speakers and a microphone among its basic requirements, and supports Windows 10 or 11 and macOS 10.15 or later for its desktop app.

What Should a Meeting Host Do?

Good etiquette starts with the person who runs the meeting. Before you send an invite, ask whether a call is needed at all; the guide on deciding whether a meeting is necessary covers that question.

1. Send the link, agenda and start time in advance, with the time zone stated.
2. Open the meeting a few minutes early so participants are not left waiting.
3. Introduce participants who have not met before and state the goal of the call.
4. Ask people to use the raise-hand feature in larger meetings so speakers do not talk over each other.
5. Tell participants before you start recording, and follow your organization’s rules on consent, which can differ by country and state.
6. End on time and send a short written summary of decisions and next steps.

Video Interview Etiquette

A video interview follows the same rules with less room for error. Test the exact app the employer has chosen, join a few minutes early, keep your notes off camera, and close other applications so notifications do not interrupt you. Prepare answers to common questions such as how to answer “Tell me about yourself” before the call.

Pre-Call Checklist

• Camera at eye level and lens clean.
• Light in front of you, not behind you.
• Background tidy, or blur switched on.
• Microphone and speakers tested; headphones reduce echo.
• Laptop plugged in and other apps and notifications closed.
• Shortcut for mute ready (see the table above).

For a longer-term setup, see these home office setup tips for remote workers, and these tips for communicating well while working remotely. For informal team calls, board games for video calls can be a useful icebreaker.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should you keep your camera on during a video meeting?

Keeping your camera on is generally expected in small meetings and interviews because it shows you are engaged. In large meetings, follow the host’s lead; turning the camera off is reasonable if your connection is weak, but say so in the chat.

How do you mute yourself quickly on Zoom?

On Windows, press Alt + A to mute or unmute in Zoom; on a Mac, press Command + Shift + A. On a Mac you can also hold the Space bar to unmute temporarily while you speak.

What is the mute shortcut in Microsoft Teams?

In Microsoft Teams, Ctrl + Shift + M toggles mute on Windows and Command + Shift + M toggles mute on a Mac, according to Microsoft’s keyboard shortcut list.

Is it rude to eat on a video call?

Eating during a work video call is usually seen as distracting, especially in client meetings and interviews. If you must eat or drink, turn off your camera and stay muted until you have finished.

Where should you look during a video call?

Look into the camera lens when you speak, because that is what reads as eye contact to the other participants. Placing the camera at eye level, close to where the speaker’s video appears, makes this easier.

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