The Rise & Grind Blog, From Pure Grind Coffee
Video Conferencing Pro-Tips : Put On Some Freaking Pants
Right now, life is freaking hard. It’s stuck in line at your least favorite coffee chain being served overly-sweetened, burnt coffee hard. But we’ll adapt. It’s what we do. We hustle, we grind, we go with the flow, and we make the most of it. It means learning to work at home, to shut out the noise, the distraction, and get shit done.
It also means learning to navigate how to actually get shit done at home. Meetings don’t stop just because it feels like the world did. Most businesses have chosen Zoom as their video conferencing platform of choice. If you’re new to this whole video conferencing thing, we’ve got your cheat sheet to zooming success.
Put In The Work
Put in the Work First things first — everyone wants to see your dog. Stop pushing Sgt. Fluffers out of the screen, and let them join the meeting. This is your pet’s moment to shine, and who knows, they may have a lot to say on today’s boring assed topic.
Now that you know your dog is more important than you, it’s time to learn how to use the video conferencing platform. Just like everything, there’s a learning curve, and it’s up to you to actually learn how to use the platform.
Scheduling
Learn how to schedule a meeting. We’re all pressed for time, and no one has the twenty minutes to waste while you figure out how to set up the Zoom call in the first place. Quickly schedule a meeting by pressing ⌘Cmd + I on a kickass Mac or Alt + I on a crappy PC.
Angle That Camera
Listen, we know the best part of working from home is that you only have to be business up top. But please, for everyone’s sake, put on some pants — and double-check that the camera only shows you from the waist up. No one wants to see your underwear.
Audio
If you’re not talking, mute your microphone. No one wants to hear the background noise of Sharon’s dishwasher throughout the entire meeting or your screaming parakeet Mikey. Take the time to learn how to quickly mute and unmute your audio. For Macs, just hit ⌘Cmd + Shift + A, and for PC users, hit Alt + A.
Video
We might want to see your cat, but we don’t want to see your cat’s butthole, so learn how to shut off your video without leaving the meeting. To quickly turn off your video, hit ⌘Cmd + Shift + V on a Mac or Alt + V on a PC.
Security
Let’s talk zoom-bombs, the term for when unsavory characters hijack your video conference and use it as an opportunity to share crude and lewd imagery. Most people have been blaming zoom-bombs as a security flaw within the platform, but they’re actually a result of user error. Zoom has plenty of features that prevent strangers from hijacking your meeting, so learn how to use them.
Password
Like most things you want to keep secure, you should set a password for each and every Zoom meeting you create. When you set up a meeting, just check off the box that says “Require a meeting password.” And for the love of God, make it something creative. Every internet troll is going to guess that your password is the company name. At least add a 123 to the end of it.
Unique Meeting ID
Zoom assigns a meeting ID to every conference. If you don’t tell it to generate a random ID, it’s going to use the one associated with your account. This means once someone has your ID, they have access to basically every call you make. Take full control of your meeting by generating a random ID each time.
Waiting Room
You guessed it — Zoom’s waiting room is indeed a waiting room. Attendees wait here for the host to let them in. Someone in the waiting room that you don’t know? Don’t let them in. It’s as simple as that.
We’re living in a different world, but that’s no excuse to stop hustling. Rolling with the punches is what we do. So keep going, keep grinding, and keep making it happen. Now more than ever, it’s your time to kick some ass, and please, put on some damn pants — even if no one can see them.
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