Desktop sharing, or screen sharing, is a common feature of many webinars and video conferences. By using desktop sharing, meeting hosts allow users to see whatever is on their screen, including applications, images or videos. It’s useful for collaborative working and also for sharing files without having to send them to each participant prior to the meeting. In addition, by using desktop sharing, it’s easy to share presentations with your web conference participants. However, desktop sharing has some common pitfalls that need to be avoided. To help you make your webinars go without a hitch, I’ve listed those pitfalls below with some suggestions on how you can avoid them.
Pitfall: You mistakenly open a confidential document while sharing your screen.
How to avoid it: Before the meeting starts and you begin sharing your screen, close all documents you are working on. Then, open all the documents that you will be sharing with your meeting participants, and check that there is no confidential information in them prior to sharing. By doing this, you will not be opening any new documents during your meeting and your participants will not see anything you’re currently working on, only what you’ve chosen to share. So you can be sure that your confidential documents will not be seen by your web conference participants.
Pitfall: You receive a private instant message during your presentation.
How to avoid it: Remember to close all instant messaging programs before starting your meeting so you can’t receive any messages while you’re sharing your screen. If it’s common practice in your workplace to use instant messaging programs to communicate with colleagues, let them know that you will be unavailable to receive instant messages during your meeting, but will be back online as soon as it’s done. Offer them an alternative way to contact you with any emergencies, such as contacting a colleague sitting next to you (who can then pass you a note) or sending you a text message.
Pitfall: Outlook email notifications keep popping up on your screen.
How to avoid it: Before the meeting, either close Outlook, or turn off notifications. Not only will this keep your emails private, but it will also avoid any meeting distractions due to arriving messages. You probably don’t want to be receiving joke emails or invitations for a boozy evening when presenting to a client or a boss, so to be on the safe side, just close your email while the meeting is going on.
Pitfall: You’ve given control of your desktop to a meeting participant, who mistakenly opened a program they shouldn’t have.
How to avoid it: The best way to avoid this is by not giving meeting participants control of your desktop. However, if you must, then open the program you will be using either before the meeting (best option) or before you give control of your desktop. Then, specify that your participants only need to work on the program is already open. If anything confidential is opened, take back control of your desktop immediately and close the file.
Pitfall: You didn’t realize you were already (or still) sharing your screen, and started working on a confidential document or personal email.
How to avoid it: If someone else is starting the meeting for you, then passing control and screen sharing to you, ask them to get your permission for screen sharing first either via chat or by voice, to make sure you’re ready to share your screen. If screen sharing started without you noticing it, then as soon as you do end it, close the program you were working on and start sharing your screen once again. Once the meeting is over, make sure that you close your web conferencing tool before you start working on anything else again.