How Not to be a Jerk on Zoom: Video Meeting Etiquette for Lawyers, Accountants and Professionals.
Remember the times before Teams? When we were happy catching up with colleagues in the office, meeting our clients in the cafe, and flying across the country or even the world for conferences and important face-to-faces without a second thought?
Today, most of us have clocked more hours on camera it than we care to admit - enough to know exactly what a home office bookshelf signals about its owner.
Yet for all that familiarity, bad behaviour on video calls hasn't disappeared. If anything, it's just got more creative. The shock of "oh, this is how we work now" has worn off, and what's replaced it, at least for some, is a kind of casual contempt for the basic courtesies that make virtual meetings work.
So, here are seven rules of video meeting etiquette for lawyers, accountants, and other professionals who'd like to be remembered for the right reasons.
1. Keep it engaging or keep it short
There's a special kind of torture reserved for Zoom seminars where the presenter uses their position in the centre of the screen as a licence to be boring. You know the type: ten minutes of scene-setting, five minutes of housekeeping, a slow walk through a slide deck nobody asked for, and by the time anything useful is said, half the audience is folding washing or re-reading emails from 2019.
The problem is worse online than in person, because at least in a room you can see people's eyes glazing over. On Zoom, the checked-out attendee is invisible to you - their camera is on, they look attentive, and they're absolutely playing Wordle. If you're the host, respect your audience's time and front-load the value. Tell people what you'll cover, why it matters to them, and how the meeting will run, and keep your intro brief. The rest should earn its place.
2. Turn off your audio and video when you're in the audience
If you're attending a Zoom seminar (not a meeting - a seminar) nobody wants to hear you arrive. Joining with your audio on and your dog announcing you to the room is the Zoom equivalent of walking into a theatre mid-scene and loudly asking someone to shuffle along. Mute yourself, turn off your camera if the format warrants it, and let the presenter do their job.
Group meetings are, of course, a different matter entirely. There, your camera should be on and you should be present - genuinely present, not "laptop open, half-listening while you draft a proposal" present. Being remote is not a reason to mentally check out.
3. Include everyone — especially the ones you can't see
Hybrid meetings, where some participants are physically in the room and others are joining remotely, have become the norm rather than the exception. According to Owl Labs' 2024 State of Hybrid Work report, 38% of employees globally now work in fully remote or hybrid arrangements. Which means the odds are good that in your next meeting, someone will be dialling in from their spare room in Brisbane while you're sitting in a Sydney boardroom.
The risk, and it's a real one, is that the in-room group unconsciously treats the meeting as their own, while the remote participants become the modern equivalent of "Jan on speakerphone from Perth." You remember Jan. Nobody could hear her, nobody asked her anything, and at the end of the meeting someone said "are you still there, Jan?" into the air while the room laughed.
Don't be that room.
Actively include your remote participants: direct questions to them, check they can hear and see everything, and remember that whispering to the person next to you is every bit as rude online as it would be if everyone were physically present.
4. Stop the public side-chats
The chat function in online meeting platforms is genuinely useful for passing on a link, flagging a question without interrupting, or catching up briefly with someone you haven't spoken to in a while.
What it is not useful for is conducting your own running commentary while a speaker is presenting. Using the public chat to perform for an audience, riff on the content, or signal to others that you're too clever to just sit and listen is disrespectful to the speaker and distracting for everyone else.
Keep side conversations private, or better still, save them for after the meeting. The chat log goes to the host. Act accordingly.
5. Don’t USE THESE MEETINGS AS A STAGE FOR POINT-SCORING
Zoom has somehow bred a particular type - let's call them the "chat function contrarian". They use the meeting as an opportunity to throw shade at the speaker, post competing links, or make sure everyone knows they have a view.
It's the online equivalent of that person in every conference Q&A who stands up and says, "it's not so much a question as a comment..." before proceeding for four minutes.
You know the type. Don't be the type. Treat a Zoom meeting the way you'd treat an auditorium. Would you stand up mid-session and argue with the speaker in front of 200 people? Probably not, unless you're the sort of person who also talks in the cinema. Show the same basic respect online that you'd show in person.
6. Tell people when AI is in the room
This one didn't exist when this article was first written, and it matters more now than anything else on this list. AI note-taking tools Zoom's own AI Companion, Microsoft Copilot, Otter.ai, Fireflies.ai, and others are increasingly standard in professional meetings. They record, they transcribe, they summarise, and they do it quietly, which is exactly the problem.
If you're using an AI tool to capture a meeting, say so at the start, clearly and without burying it in housekeeping. Not just because it's good manners, though it is, but because in some jurisdictions, recording a conversation without consent carries legal consequences, and your clients and colleagues have a right to know.
Transparency here isn't optional; it's professional.
7. Apply the platinum rule
The Golden Rule: treat others as you'd like to be treated, is a reasonable starting point, but the Platinum Rule goes one better: treat others the way they want to be treated.
It acknowledges that not everyone shares your tolerance for interruptions, your enthusiasm for the chat function, or your comfort with running five minutes over time.
Most people want their time respected and their contributions heard. That's not a high bar. Apply the Platinum Rule on Zoom and you'll clear it without breaking a sweat.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is good Zoom etiquette for professionals? Good Zoom etiquette means being prepared, engaging your audience if you're presenting, muting yourself when you're not speaking, including remote participants in hybrid meetings, and being as respectful online as you would be in person. The basics haven't changed only the setting has.
How do you run a hybrid meeting that works for everyone? The key is to actively manage the gap between in-room and remote participants. Direct questions to remote attendees, avoid side conversations that exclude them, ensure your audio and visual setup is adequate, and resist the instinct to run the meeting as though the people in the room are the only ones who matter.
Is it rude to have your camera off on Zoom? It depends on context. In a large seminar it's often expected. In a small group meeting, keeping your camera off can send a signal that you're not really there. If you have a genuine reason (poor connection, difficult environment), say so. Otherwise, switch it on.
Should I tell people if I'm using an AI note-taker? Yes, always. It's good practice professionally and, depending on your jurisdiction and the sensitivity of the conversation, it may also be a legal requirement.
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Articles by Sue-Ella : How to Turn A Speaking Engagement into BD Gold.
Nixon, L (2021) The Rise and Rise of Hybrid Meetings
Sue-Ella Prodonovich
Sue-Ella is the Principal of Prodonovich Advisory, a business dedicated to helping professional services firms sharpen their business development practices.
She works with law and accounting firms on Business Development strategy and support structures, leadership and professional-development programs, and designing client-listening initiatives.
She also co-facilitates firm planning retreats and delivers public workshops such as Business Skills for Lawyers.
Through her BD45™ service, she assists individuals with their personal business-development plans.
Connect on LinkedIn or visit prodonovich.com.au
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