Meeting manners: mute, raise a hand, chat, share
A meeting works well only when everybody follows a few rules. While someone is speaking, listen quietly and mute your microphone, so that background noise does not disturb the speaker. If you want to speak, raise your hand. It helps to organise the talking and to avoid people speaking at the same time. When you are allowed to speak, switch your microphone on and talk. You can also send messages in the chat. Remember that a chat message goes to everybody in the meeting, so write politely and never write private details. You can share your whole screen or only one window. Choose one window if you want to hide other things. When you have finished, stop sharing. Never record the meeting or take photos of the people in it. If someone you do not know appears in a meeting, stay calm and tell the teacher or a trusted adult at once. You are not in trouble.
| Do | Do not |
|---|---|
| listen and mute while another person speaks | talk at the same time as others |
| raise your hand to ask to speak | speak whenever you like without waiting |
| write polite chat messages | write private details in the chat |
| stop sharing when you finish | record or photograph people |
| Chat message | OK? |
|---|---|
| Thank you, I understand the plan | yes |
| my school’s name and my phone number | no, it is private |
Role-play a meeting on paper. Write each person’s name on a card (invented names). One person speaks, the others “mute” by putting a hand over the mouth, and anyone who wants to speak raises a card. Practise “raise a hand” three times, then write one rule of your own for a meeting.