Dress
for Success in the virtual world too
Show
up Professional for that Virtual Meeting!
I would like to follow up on last week’s blog about
the etiquette of virtual meetings with another aspect of this type of business
communication.
One of the great advantages of working from home is
that you do not have to wear professional attire every day. But if you have scheduled a virtual meeting
with colleagues or clients, then you don’t want to be seen wearing your pjs
with uncombed hair and not even a trace of makeup for the ladies.
Be professional and show respect for yourself and for
whoever will be participating with you in that virtual meeting
The key to selecting how you should look during your
meeting is very simple. You must dress to meet your audience’s expectations. If
your company has a dress code, to which you comply on a daily basis, and which
your employer expects you to respect, then the logical thing would be to dress
as if you were attending an in person meeting in your office.
If the meeting is with your clients or potential ones,
then dress as you would like them to see you if you were to have a meeting
under normal circumstances, not during this stay at home period. The idea is
that your client, even on a screen, perceives you to be professional and
responsible, the same attributes that you like to portray in any face to face interaction
that you have during your professional life.
The new normal for doing business includes a lot of screen
time and interaction. In spite of that, the general rules of business etiquette
continue to have the same importance as in your personal contact with bosses,
colleagues and clients.
The professional appearance rules continue to apply,
that means no transparencies, no low cut blouses (the camera will catch you) and
no sexy off the shoulder style either!
Business Etiquette courses and Workshops emphasize the
importance of giving a great first impression in your business encounters. That
is even more important when using virtual platforms to conduct business, since
there are not other aspects that can help you portray the professionalism that
you wish to convey.
Dressing for success is not the only aspect you have
to consider when having virtual meetings, but it is certainly a very important
one. You will also have to remember the importance of the background that is
visible during your meeting, how noise and interruptions affect the effectiveness
of your meeting and technical aspects such as lighting and how you position
yourself for the camera, among others.
We will continue posting about other aspects of
virtual meeting etiquette in the next few days, in order to provide you with
practical tips on how to become a polished professional while using these platforms.
