Be a nice person and don’t ignore small talk! Particularly if you are working in a second language it can be difficult to come across as yourself. One of the reasons we were not particularly confident in online training was that we felt our personalities were what our customers appreciated most about us. But now we can come across as ourselves online in much the same way as we would face-to-face. Let the other participants know you are happy to be there. Let them know that you are focused on them for however long this communication will last. How? Get to know your counterparts and make notes. Business is facilitated by a good atmosphere, whether online or face-to-face. A simple question about how people are reacting to the new situations can be as important as talking about strategies.

Think about your background, it probably says more about you than you think. If you are in a boring office setting, download a background picture, (there are a plethora of good pictures available online for free) but if not, set up your background. Questions like “What is that picture behind you to the left?” open up opportunities for presenting the real you.

Check your hair; make sure the camera is getting you at your best angles. If you are wearing headphones this can alter your appearance significantly. Practice makes perfect. This took me personally a long time to realize that a slight adjustment can make a huge difference.

If you are working from home invest in a light source and don’t use house lighting. Don’t sit too close to a window on a sunny day. Practice! The same goes for sound. If your computer’s microphone isn’t good enough, invest. Remember in Germany at least the Government have promised us tax rebates for setting up home offices!

Your employer has by now probably come up with a company netiquette (how a company portrays itself online) and it is important to be consistent in this regard. This might be just to be understanding that someone working from home might not have everything to hand immediately. But this excuse is only valid once. We should be able to access all our resources eventually.