Online meetings have become the great stage of modern work life — part business, part theatre, and occasionally part comedy show. From the person who always forgets to unmute, to the colleague whose cat insists on a cameo, we’ve all encountered some classic characters.
We’ve also launched a fun poll on Meeting Room Personalities—cast your vote, discover how your personality stacks up, and join the conversation driving the results.
Here’s our take on the 9 personalities you’re guaranteed to meet in virtual meetings — and a few tips on how to keep things on track.
1. The Multitasker ️
Traits: Furiously typing, glancing at another screen, maybe even shopping online.
How to handle: Keep agendas tight and interactive. Call on them with questions to snap them back into the conversation.
2. The Distracted
Traits: Staring out the window, gazing into space, or clearly somewhere else mentally.
How to handle: Shorter meetings with clear action items help. Light humour can also gently bring them back.
3. The Parent
Traits: Kids barging in, dogs barking, or a toddler climbing onto their lap.
How to handle: Show empathy — they’re juggling more than one job. Flexibility and patience go a long way.
4. The Overachiever
Traits: Hand up for everything, dominates discussions, and loves a PowerPoint.
How to handle: Thank them for their input, but make space for quieter voices. Use structured “round-robins” to balance contributions.
5. The Procrastinator
Traits: “I haven’t had chance to look at that yet…”
How to handle: Assign prep work clearly and in advance. Pair them with proactive colleagues for accountability.
6. The Eager
Traits: Big smiles, enthusiastic waves, and boundless positivity.
How to handle: Harness their energy. Give them roles like timekeeper or note-taker to channel their enthusiasm productively.
7. The Noisemaker
Traits: Background chaos — dogs, traffic, or heavy typing — and always forgetting to mute.
How to handle: Set ground rules for muting. Don’t be afraid to use the “mute all” button.
8. The World Traveler
Traits: Dialling in from cafés, cars, airports — you name it. Backgrounds are never boring.
How to handle: Encourage them to use virtual backgrounds and headphones to cut noise. Celebrate the global vibe, but ask for stable connections for important calls.
9. The Invisible
Traits: Camera off, mic muted, barely a presence. Are they even there?
How to handle: Invite them in directly with open questions. Respect that some people have bandwidth issues — but try to encourage at least occasional face time.
Final Word
Meetings don’t have to be chaos — but part of the fun of remote work is that they sometimes are. The trick is to recognise these personalities, laugh a little, and adjust your style so everyone feels included.
After all, the best meetings aren’t just about what gets done, but how we show up for each other.
So… be honest. Which one are you? 🙂
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We’ve also launched a fun poll on Meeting Room Personalities—cast your vote, discover how your personality stacks up, and join the conversation driving the results.
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