Making the most of Zoom
Thanks to the coronavirus, Zoom and other video-conference calls are a common occurrence and seeing yourself on a monitor can evoke feelings ranging from “Is my face really that pale?” to “Yikes, the camera really does add 10 pounds!”
The good news is, you don’t have to resort to tanning sessions or extreme dieting to improve your appearance on a video chat. There are some simple things you can do to make yourself look and sound like the professional that you are.
Basics
Remember the days when you worked in an office? You wore office appropriate clothing, combed your hair, shaved and even wore some makeup. When you are going to be meeting via Zoom, you should continue to do those things. As for the clothes, wear solid colors, not patterns since patterns can be a distraction. Try not to wear white or black. White has a tendency to glow and black can be too harsh. When in doubt go with a pastel color or blue shirt. It is also good to keep in mind that taking the time to look good on days when you don’t have a Zoom call is an ego boost. While the pandemic took a lot away from us, we can still control our appearance. So, put on that nice Oxford shirt or sweater that you would wear to work and look the part.
Lighting
Lighting is needs to be just right. You don’t want to have the lighting at your side or in back of you so that your face is in partial shadow. Larry Becker, professional photographer and author of Great on Camera suggests that you have one lamp, directly by your face, so that the light is steady and even. Also, don’t sit with your back to a window. Doing that will have you appear as a silhouette on camera. Sit facing the window and take advantage of the natural light.
Camera Position, Perspective & Setting
Don’t have the camera set up below eye level. Doing that will have people looking up your nose. Yikes! Be sure to place the camera at eye level or a little above so that people are looking at your face, not your nostrils. As for perspective, position yourself 20 to 24 inches away from the camera. Since webcams and smartphone camera are set to widescreen, sitting closer than that will make your face look distorted. For your background, you should try to reflect a certain amount of business decorum. Many people sit in front of bookshelves, which is nice, so long as they aren’t loaded with knick-knacks, which can be distracting. Another thing you can do it is to sit in front of a blank wall that has tasteful artwork and a plant. Bookshelves and artwork both fill up the space without being too distracting or making you look like a hostage.
Sound
Now that you have taken care of your appearance, the lighting, camera angles and setting, you should check on the sound. Webcam microphones pick up external sounds, such as heating and air conditioning noise, as well noise from spouses, children, roommates and pets. Those extra sounds are distracting. Therefore, it is good to have an auxiliary microphone. Becker recommends the Movo LV1 lapel microphone. This connects into a microphone jack of a computer or laptop. My associate uses a Plantronics Audio 355 Stereo Headset. This has a built- in microphone and the headphones reduce background noise. She said that her video chats go very smoothly since she is able to hear what others are saying and others can hear what she is saying. I use a Logi headset and have had great experience with it.
For the longest time, the idea of video chats was something that was either too cumbersome or too expensive to be widely adopted. Now with both technological advancement and a global pandemic, video chats apps such as Zoom are crucial business tools. Yet, like all business tools, you have to learn to use them properly.
Sources:
https://www.westwindcos.com/22-tips-on-what-to-wear-for-a-tv-interview/