Virtual Meeting Best Practices

A virtual meeting is a digital conference in which one or more participants join in from another location. This can be via audio or video conference, and is typically done through the use of software such as Microsoft Teams, Collaborate, Zoom, Google Hangouts, etc.

At Lesley University, we are happy to be able to support Teams as a virtual meeting solution. Conferences are self set up and can be easily created via a variety of devices.  The software is available for free to all staff, faculty, and students, and you can sign in with your Lesley username and password.

To get started with Microsoft Teams, check out our Teams articles, then have a look at our suggested best practices below to ensure you have the best virtual meeting possible.

Best Practices

• Arrive to the meeting with plenty of time to check and test your equipment.
• Test your microphone and camera before the meeting.
• If possible, utilize a wired internet connection for the fastest and most reliable speed.
• Ask participants to wear headphones in order to minimize audio feedback.
• When you are not speaking, mute your microphone in the application to minimize background noise. Don't forget to un-mute when it's your turn to speak, though!
• Be mindful of your background and lighting. For example, sitting in front of a window will light you well, but sitting with a window behind you will make it difficult for you to be seen.
• If you have several participants physically together in one room that need to all be heard in the virtual meeting, consider using a usb microphone to improve the audio quality.