Don’t embarrass yourself on your next video conference!
Much of the workplaces is moving to remote and we’re learning how to work completely digitally. Because of this, we’re attending a lot of video conference calls. One of the proså about working from home is getting to wear loungewear all day, but that may not be the right move for a video call. Here are the do’s and don’ts of video conferencing.
DO’S:
1. USE A QUALITY MICROPHONE
Ideally, you should invest in a quality microphone for your video conference calls. If you have AirPods, they are definitely good enough. While you don’t have to spend a fortune on a mic, you should have one that is going to get your voice through clearly. There are plenty of headsets or USB microphones that you can use for your conference calls that will get the job done just fine.
2. SET YOUR CAMERA AT EYE LEVEL
You want to center yourself when you are doing a video conference call. Having your camera at weird angles can be beyond distracting. You should be centered in front of the camera and it should be at eye level. This can keep everyone focused and it can make the video conference feel like an in-person meeting. If you are looking for a fancier solution, check out these high resolution web camera for your next video conference.
3. GET YOUR MUTE BUTTON READY
When you are participating in a video conference, you will need to get your mute button ready to press or toggle for the moments you aren’t actively talking. It can be very distracting having to talk over other background noise. If a lot of people are participating in the video conference call, you can imagine how much background noise there could be going on at once without everyone muting themselves when they aren’t talking.
4. GET OPTIMAL LIGHTING SET UP
Having poor lighting conditions can really distract from the meeting itself. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy. Having good lighting or even natural lighting from a window will give you an excellent ambiance to host a video call. You want your video feed to be high-quality. Otherwise, you risk distracting everyone involved with the call. Personally, I use a ring light for my video calls, it might be overkill but I love how well I look on screen!
5. DRESS UP FOR THE MEETING
Dress how you would for an in-person meeting! Obviously, this depends on industry. If your job regularly has you wearing a polo and jacket, then wear that for the video conference. Wear a suit to work? Then you better be suited for ZOOM. Avoid patterns or stripes which might look weird on camera. Stick to solids! Don’t wear a bright white or black shirt since it may cause your camera to auto-adjust the brightness and make it hard to see your face.
DONT’S:
1. GO INTO YOUR CALL WITHOUT TESTING YOUR EQUIPMENT
Nothing is worse than having someone show up to a video conference call only to have to wait for them to get their gear working properly. When you know that you will be appearing on a video conference call, you should test out the device you will be using, your microphone, your headset, your lighting, and your video settings. That way, you will be able to ensure everything is working properly and you can fine-tune settings so you are ready to dive right into the call.
2. SHOW UP LATE
Just like with a traditional in-person meeting, you want to show up on-time. When you are participating in a video conference call, you will not only be on screen, but you have to accept the call to get it started. Therefore, you might end up holding up everyone involved with the call.
As you can see, there are plenty of different things that you should be looking to do when you are participating in a video conference call. If you want the conference call to be successful, you should follow the do’s and don’ts above and it should go very well.