How to Have Better Zoom Meetings as a Work-From-Home Mom
Zoom meetings have certainly come to dominate the work week over the past couple years! It seems like Zoom meetings have largely replaced both in-person meetings and conference calls. Even though many of us are spending hours in Zoom meetings each week, there isn’t a lot of advice on how to do a Zoom meeting well, especially if you’re a work-from-home mom (or dad) with kids in the house.
I work from home about half of each work week. I do have a home office, but it’s not in a quiet, private, closed-off part of the house. My husband also works mostly from home and is on the phone all day. We also have two young (energetic!) kids who are home with us most of the time.
For a long time, I stressed a lot about doing Zoom meetings at home. I was nervous that a client or colleague wouldn’t think I was professional enough. I went to great lengths to keep the kids quiet, clean off my desk, adjust the lighting, etc. Eventually I realized that nearly everyone else was stressing about the same things. And we all barely have time for these Zoom meetings, let alone the extra work and stress they’re creating!
I came up with a list of tips to help us stay sane and get the most out of those home office Zoom meetings.
1. Join Zoom meetings on time
It’s just as important to be on time to a Zoom meeting as it is an in-person meeting. I know you’re super busy. So are most other people. Don’t keep them waiting.
This is especially important if you initiated the meeting and/or are the host of the meeting. People can become really confused and even irritated if they get the Zoom message that “We are waiting on the host to start this meeting.”
Be respectful of other people’s time.
2. Prepare to be seen
If possible, find out ahead of time if your Zoom meeting will have the camera disabled, if it will mostly be presentation/screen share, or if you will be expected to turn your camera on and show up.
If there’s even a chance that you will be on screen, be prepared for it. Show up to that Zoom meeting the way you want to be seen. I’m not telling you to put on a blazer and makeup for every meeting. It’s up to you how you present yourself. Just make sure you’re showing up confident and composed.
It’s important to me to have good lighting, but my office doesn’t have much natural light, so I bought a ring light to use behind the camera. I also try to wear bright colors or patterns so that I don’t look washed out. Otherwise I don’t worry too much about great hair, makeup, etc. because it doesn’t always show up very well anyway!
3. Remember the mute button
In group meetings, I like to keep myself muted until I’m ready to say something. This helps avoid adding background noise to the meeting if my phone rings, my dog barks, my neighbor starts mowing the yard, etc. Just remember to un-mute yourself when you’re ready to talk!
This strategy can also work in group meetings to indicate to the host that you might have something to say. The host should see the red mute symbol turn off your picture. If that doesn’t work, you can also use the “raise hand” button. If the host doesn’t see that either, just take the first opportunity to start talking!
4. Use Chat to let people know if you need to step away for a moment
Most people doing Zoom meetings are working from home and understand that there are certain things that pull us away for a moment. In a group meeting, I like to use the Chat feature to send a quick note that I need to step away for a moment, then I turn my camera off. When I come back, I just turn my camera back on (no need to announce that you’re back). A quick note in Chat also works well if you need to leave a meeting early.
I don’t like to simply turn the camera off and/or walk away. It just feels disrespectful to the others in the meeting. Try to show people in a Zoom meeting the same respect you would if you were face-to-face.
5. Don’t change/blur your background
I will take authenticity over appearance any day, so I prefer to see someone’s actual surroundings in a Zoom meeting, even if it doesn’t look perfect. A blurred or digitally imaged background makes me wonder what’s going on behind you!
There are two circumstances in which I would use a digitally imaged background:
- You work for a company that recommends/mandates you use their branded background during meetings.
- You are meeting with people you don’t know and may not trust and you don’t want them to see details of your home (including pictures of your family) in the background.
Otherwise, let people see you in your real work environment, especially if you’re meeting with colleagues you know well or work with frequently.
6. Close inactive applications during meeting
During the workday, I usually have between 5 and 20 internet browsers open and at least 2 programs running. Before a Zoom meeting, I close everything other than any documents or websites I will need to screen share in the meeting.
There are three main reasons for this:
- It gives me a soft deadline to finish up whatever project I’m working on before the meeting. I can always go back to it afterwards if needed, but I like to aim for completion so that I can start something new and fresh after a meeting.
- It reduces distractions during the meeting. If I leave other windows/programs open, there is a temptation to work on other things during the meeting. Even checking one email can make you miss a key statement made during a meeting.
- It cuts down on computer interference. Depending on your computer system, it may or may not be able to effectively run several programs and a Zoom meeting at the same time. If your internet connection is good but you notice some audio interference or a visual lag, try closing your other browser windows and computer programs.
7. Have patience with your family
Many of us work-from-home moms (and dads) have kids, spouses, and pets competing for our attention throughout the day. We need to acknowledge that this is the reality for so many people right now. You are not the only one whose kid walks through the door asking for snacks or whose dog barks incessantly while you’re on the phone!
When I have a Zoom meeting at home, I make sure I take a quick break about 20 minutes before it starts to make sure my kids have what they need, and then I let them watch one or two shows on the PBS Kids app. I make sure they know that I will be in a Zoom meeting and that they can quietly come get me if they really need me but they are not to yell through the house. It usually works!
Keep in mind that as stressful as it can be to have a professional Zoom meeting at home, it can also be stressful for your family to feel like they have to tiptoe around the house. Give them grace when forget. Remember that the people you live with should matter most.
8. Embrace your situation
Take a moment to remember why you work from home. Is it your choice? Did your employer decide to go fully remote after the pandemic? Do you love it or hate it? Figuring out how you feel about working from home and then figuring out how to make it work for you is huge in becoming productive and purposeful in your home office.
It’s important to work through these issues because the frustrations of noise, mess, technology issues, etc. can all become magnified during Zoom meetings. The more stressed you are about working from home, the more stressed you will probably be about Zoom meetings. On the flip side, the more you embrace working from home, the more at ease you will become with Zoom meetings.
If you do need to take a quick break from your meeting to check on your kids or let your dog out, just acknowledge it. If the bookshelf behind you needs dusted, don’t sweat it. We’re all out here doing our best with what we have. If there’s something you want to improve, make a plan to work on it. But don’t just try to cover it up in the meantime. If you want to make an impact, you have to let people see you!
If you want to become more productive and purposeful as a work-from-home mom, check out my Free Real Mom’s Starter Guide for Managing Real Life for a list of 24 intentional and sustainable daily habits!
9. Contribute something of value
If you’re like me, you probably desire to do great work and make a positive impact. Sometimes though, you feel like you’re drowning in paperwork and meetings and not really getting anywhere.
If you want to break that cycle, you have to be intentional about it. Bring a new idea to the meeting. Speak up. Offer your input.
Start by preparing before the meeting. If there is an agenda sent out ahead of time (there should be!), go through it and jot down questions and ideas. Research topics you aren’t familiar with. If you are meeting with a client, make sure you check with them ahead of time to see if they have any specific questions or concerns so that you can prepare to address them. Make the meeting count!
10. Follow Up on your Zoom meetings
Once you have contributed your ideas and input, you need to follow up and follow through. Zoom meetings are pointless if they don’t lead us towards accomplishing something, either individually or as a team.
Make a point to schedule “meeting follow up work” routinely so that you block out time each week to do the things you said you would do in the meeting. Keep showing up and following up, and you will make progress.
More Zoom Tips
If you need tech tips for using Zoom, check out the Zoom Learning Center’s “Show Me” Videos.
Hope your meetings are productive and purposeful!
