That was embarrassing...

Recently, a few of my RAB colleagues and I were in a product demo virtual meeting. The presenter was fumbling to share her screen and, in the process, shared her entire desktop view which had a chat window open showing a chat between the presenters. They had made some less than professional remarks between themselves about questions being asked, and they were also gauging whether or not their colleague, who facilitated the introduction, would show up. Besides the obvious unprofessionalism, it was certainly not a chat you'd want anyone else to see, let alone the people to which you are presenting.

Virtual meetings are here to stay. For a brief time, we thought maybe post-pandemic things would return to "normal." Virtual meetings are the new normal. Here are seven basic etiquette and best practices for virtual meetings: Clean your room — Just as you would clean your office for a visitor, you need to ensure that your computer desktop and the visible parts of your office are free of clutter and anything you don't want others to see.

Share only what you want to share — All the major platforms allow you to share your entire screen or just the program you want to share. Share ONLY the program or window you want to share and close any unnecessary programs.

Light it up — Bad lighting can kill the vibe of a meeting. Ensure that your face is well lit either by adjusting your seating or investing in some lighting to enhance the camera view.

Keep quiet — Loud noises, pets, outside activity, etc. can all be distracting to your meeting. Do your best to ensure you have a quiet setting for your meeting.

a. Mute yourself when you're not speaking.

b. Remember to unmute yourself when you are.

Keep your distance — Nobody wants to look up your nose or see such a close shot of your face they can see every wrinkle. Give yourself some personal space between you and the camera, and always position the camera above your line of sight so that it's looking slightly down on you. Of course, always smile!

Dress for success — At least from the waist up, ensure that your appearance projects the image you want projected. Be sure to look for spots on your clothing, hair out of place or ketchup on the corner of your mouth.

Do a dress rehearsal — To avoid most of the previous tips, sign in early to the meeting — just by yourself, and audit the room. Also, practice sharing the content you want to share to ensure that you can seamlessly present your ideas, products or thoughts without the distraction of fumbling. Maybe even ask a colleague to sign on before the meeting for practice.

Virtual meetings require the same care and attention to detail as if you were to walk into a person's office for a meeting. Preparation, as in most of the sales process, is the key to having successful virtual meetings.

Jeff Schmidt is the SVP of Professional Development. You can reach him at Jeff.Schmidt@RAB.com. You can all so connect with him on Twitter and LinkedIn.