External monitor
An external monitor is an excellent tool that helps you work effectively and place your screen in the right position. Unfortunately, according to Forbes, following a video call on an external monitor while your webcam is in a different position means you are not looking into the camera, but elsewhere. Thus you are not maintaining eye contact, which does not look good either in normal communication or in a video call.
Reading e-mails or writing during the call
You might think your reading e-mails, working and writing during a video call will go unnoticed but other participants can see your eyes moving around and they know very well you are doing something else. It is the equivalent of sitting at a standard meeting and instead of communicating with other people you are behind a computer writing.
Looking at your telephone
Since we do not sit with other people in the same room, we tend to pick up our phones more often during a video call. But again, participants will notice (as you are looking somewhere else) and take it as a signal that the ongoing interaction does not interest you.
Having your microphone turned on
Leaving your microphone turned on in situations when you are not talking is problematic for several reasons. First, there might be unexpected noises in your environment that could disturb the conversation. Second, other people can hear if, for instance, you are writing on your keyboard at the same time. And third, you may commit a faux-pas if, say, you start talking to someone who enters the room and you forget your microphone is still on.
Eating
You would not take out a snack and start eating during a face-to-face meeting. The same rules should also apply when there is a distance between you and the other person. Drinking, of course, is normal (just beware of spilling water or coffee on your keyboard) but you should avoid eating.
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