With more people working from home and conducting meetings via Google Meet or other video tools, keep the following tips in mind for successful video conferencing from home. 

Choose the right environment

Video calls are ideal for talking through complex issues or brainstorm ideas and much more efficient than instant messaging or email. Try to work in plain surroundings that won’t distract on video, and avoid windows that will provide too much backlight. 

Invite anyone, anytime

Video conferencing doesn’t have to be scheduled; if you’re in the middle of a long email conversation, you can instantly set up a meeting and invite people within or outside of your organisation to join. 

Can’t hear? Turn on captions

If you’re in a loud place and don’t have headphones, you can use Google Meet’s live caption feature to display captions in real time, just like closed captions on TV.

Presenting? Only share what you mean to share

When presenting in a meeting, only share a particular window, rather than your entire screen, to avoid showing other people your email or sensitive documents that you may be working on.

Want to read the room? Change the screen layout

In Google Meet, you can change the layout of your video call at any time. If someone’s showing slides, but there’s a lively discussion happening in the office, you can switch your layout to focus on the people in the office, rather than the presentation. 

Be yourself

Everyone has a life outside of work. Depending on the culture of your workplace, it can be OK to show a little bit of the “real” life around you—like letting your kid wave to the camera or eating your lunch if you’ve been on nonstop calls all day.  Showing a little bit of your life can foster deeper connections with coworkers.

Practice good workplace etiquette

Just because your team isn’t at the office doesn’t mean they’re not busy. Check calendars before scheduling meetings, and when you reach out via chat, start by asking if it’s a good time to talk. Set working hours in your calendar so colleagues can see when you will be available.

Don’t spend all day on video

There are many tools at your disposal for staying in touch with your team, whether it's a Google Chat room, a shared document on Google Drive, a short survey using Google  Forms, or a quick conference call  on Google Meet.