The KNHG requests that everyone who participates in digital meetings organised (in part) by the KNHG to familiarise themselves with the following guidelines.
Preparation
- Install Microsoft Teams on your device or use the Teams web program in your browser. Ensure that you familiarise yourself with the program prior to the meeting. For further explanation on how to use Microsoft Teams, please consult this website.
- Find a quiet spot where you can participate in the meeting without interruption and can be clearly understood by others.
- If you’re using your mobile phone, try to keep it steady so as not to cause a distraction for others.
During the meeting
- Make sure to open Microsoft Teams well in advance of the meeting to ensure that everything works properly, especially if you are not familiar with the program.
- Turn your microphone off when you join the meeting to avoid any background noise. This way everyone will be able to understand the speaker.
- If you would like to use a virtual background, choose one that isn’t too distracting. For example, make sure to choose a stationary background without moving animations and try to choose a background with neutral colours that aren’t too bright and distracting.
- Keep your camera on as much as possible. It can be demotivating for speakers if they can only see a sea of black screens.
- We recommend that you participate in no unrelated activities during the digital meeting, such as checking social media or your email.
- Because the digital meeting must remain private, participants are not permitted to take any photographs, make any recordings, or share content with third parties. The KNHG has guidelines about taking photographs and making video recordings (in Dutch). Please familiarise yourself with these guidelines.
- Standard meeting etiquette practices still apply to digital meetings. Therefore, if you disagree with something someone says, don’t criticise or argue with them. We ask that you let people express themselves and keep the discussion civilised. Also, do not interrupt the speakers during their presentation by sending them personal messages. Make your comment in the general chat or contact the speaker later.
- The KNHG does not tolerate any offensive, blasphemous, threatening, or defamatory remarks. If you engage in such behaviour, the moderator can switch off your microphone or terminate your participation in the meeting.
Q&A
- If you have a comment or a question, send this in the chat. Especially with larger groups, the moderator sometimes cannot see all participants at once. The moderator will then let you know when you can switch on your microphone to ask your question.
- Try to keep your comments in the chat concise and only use the chat for relevant questions or comments.
- Do not use the chat for private or personal conversations.
- There can be moments where there are more questions in the chat than can be feasibly addressed by the speaker(s). Avoid interrupting; if it is still relevant, you can ask your question again.
- Try to look into the camera when you ask a question.
- Be aware of potential delays in video and audio when asking a question.