Video calls went from novelty to daily routine in a matter of weeks in 2020, and they never went away. Microsoft found that time spent in Teams meetings rose 2.5 times worldwide between February 2020 and February 2021, and the average meeting grew from 35 to 45 minutes. With that much time on camera, courtesy is mostly about reducing friction: the frozen screen, the barking dog, the meeting that runs over.
Video calls also take a particular kind of energy. Stanford communication professor Jeremy Bailenson has argued that “Zoom fatigue” has four likely causes: excessive close-up eye contact, the extra mental effort of sending and reading nonverbal cues, constantly seeing your own face, and being physically stuck in one spot. Several good video-call manners exist precisely to ease those strains.
Before the call
- Test your setup — camera, microphone, and the link — a few minutes early, especially for interviews or client calls.
- Light your face from the front. A window behind you turns you into a silhouette.
- Put the camera at eye level so people aren’t looking up your nose.
- Close unrelated tabs and turn off notifications, especially if you’ll share your screen.
- Use headphones if you’re in a shared space, to prevent echo and protect others’ privacy.
- Tell your household you’ll be on a call.
Camera on or off?
There is no universal rule, and insisting on cameras all the time contributes to fatigue. Reasonable defaults:
| Meeting | Camera | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Job interview | On | Treat it as an in-person interview. |
| First meeting with a client or new colleague | On | Faces build trust quickly. |
| Small team meeting (2–6 people) | On, by default | Off briefly is fine with a short note. |
| Large all-hands or webinar | Optional | Off is normal unless you’re speaking. |
| Long working session | Team’s choice | Agree on camera breaks. |
| Personal call with friends or family | Whatever you agree | Ask if it’s a good time for video. |
If you lead meetings, make “camera optional” explicit for long or recurring sessions. Hiding self-view, an option in most platforms, removes the mirror effect Bailenson describes without anyone else noticing.
During the call
Do
- Join on time; a minute early for small meetings
- Mute when you’re not speaking in larger groups
- Use the “raise hand” feature to ask to speak
- Look at the camera when making a key point
- Say your name before speaking on audio-only calls
- Use the chat for links and short questions
Don’t
- Type loudly or eat on an open mic
- Have side conversations off-mic while visible
- Walk around with a phone camera bouncing
- Take a call from the car while driving
- Answer email visibly while someone is presenting
- Share your whole screen when one window will do
Talking over each other
Audio lag makes interruptions more common on video. Leave a short pause before you speak, and if two people start at once, the quick fix is “Go ahead” — then actually let them. Hosts can call on people by name to make sure quieter participants get heard.
Backgrounds
A tidy, neutral background is best for work. Virtual or blurred backgrounds are perfectly polite and protect your privacy; just choose something that isn’t distracting. Novelty backgrounds suit social calls better than client meetings.
Hosting a good video meeting
- Share the agenda in the invite and the goal in the first minute.
- Shorten defaults — 25 or 50 minutes instead of 30 or 60 gives everyone a break between calls.
- Admit people from the waiting room promptly.
- Watch the chat or assign someone to, so remote questions aren’t lost.
- In hybrid meetings, include remote people first — ask them for input before the room, and repeat what’s said away from the microphone.
- Respect time zones and rotate early or late slots; meetings after hours are already climbing.
- Send notes and actions afterward for everyone, including those who couldn’t attend.
Recording and privacy
Always tell participants before you record, and use the platform’s built-in recording notice. In some jurisdictions everyone on a call must consent to recording. The same goes for AI note-takers and transcription bots: announce them, and remove them if someone objects. Don’t screenshot participants and post the image without permission.
Announcing a recording
Before we start, is everyone comfortable with me recording this so Sam can catch up later? I’ll share it only with the team and delete it after a month.
Leaving gracefully
If you need to drop early, say so at the start: “I have a hard stop at 2:45.” When you leave, a brief “Thanks, everyone — I have to jump off” in chat or out loud is enough. At the end of a call, the host should close the meeting rather than leaving people to wonder who should hang up first.
Rescheduling at short notice
Hi Noor, I’m so sorry — something urgent has come up and I need to move our 3 p.m. Could we do tomorrow at 10 or 2 instead?
Frequently asked questions
Is it rude to turn my camera off on a video call?
Not necessarily. For large meetings and webinars, camera-off is common. For small meetings, interviews and first meetings, camera-on is the courteous default. If you need to turn it off, a quick note in chat ("camera off for a few minutes, still listening") is enough.
Should I mute when I'm not speaking?
Yes in groups larger than three or four people, or anytime you're in a noisy place. In a small, quiet conversation, staying unmuted can make talk flow more naturally.
Can I record a video call?
Only with everyone's knowledge, and in some places consent is legally required. Announce it at the start and use the platform's recording notice.
Is it OK to eat on a video call?
Avoid it in formal or external meetings. In casual internal calls, turn the camera off and mute while you eat, or say you're having lunch if it's a lunch-hour call.
Sources
- Stanford Virtual Human Interaction Lab — Bailenson, Nonverbal Overload: A Theoretical Argument for the Causes of Zoom Fatigue (2021)
- Microsoft WorkLab — The next great disruption is hybrid work (Work Trend Index 2021)
- Microsoft WorkLab — Breaking down the infinite workday (June 2025)
Statistics are quoted from the linked publishers as of October 2026. See our methodology.