I’m Judging You and So Is Everyone Else – 12 Strategies to Help You Manage the New World of Video Conferencing
I’ve always kind of been a judgy person. I’m not proud of it, but that’s the way it is. When we started doing all of video meetings and conferences it gave us a peek into how people live and gave me a great opportunity to judge.
But who am I to judge when my own turkey neck, which seemed accentuated on camera, was front and center for all the world to see. How long has that been there? It’s really the first time we see what other people see when speaking with us. I was prepared to be judged, but it’s not like it hasn’t always been there, now I am just more aware of it.
Keeping a professional persona is rough with kids screaming and dogs barking. It was ok when we first got into this new world but now, everyone should have either been a part of enough meetings or viewed enough online events to get control of some of the situations that working at home delivers. It was cute for awhile when a dog jumped into someone’s lap or a kid busted in on a call. Now it just kind of seems like we should all have it figured out and it doesn’t really have a place in meetings. But if it is inevitable that something might happen, just let everyone know ahead of time and just keep talking when it actually does happen so you don’t lose your train of thought.
When all of the newscasters started working from home, I was fascinated at the various backdrops they chose. Some sat in their kitchen, some had collected an awkward display of tchotchkes behind them. Some just stood in their living room. The thing that struck me is that I was completely preoccupied with thinking “why did they hang that picture so high, it looks weird.” Or “you would think a newscaster would have better taste.” There it is, being judgy. Hey, I’m no interior decorator, but I know when a picture is hung too high. Try to keep your backdrop from distracting from your message.
Without question, the best video settings I have seen is from high end real estate agents and broker owners. It makes sense when you think about it. They see thousands of beautifully appointed homes and it certainly has an opportunity to rub off on them and they usually make enough money to afford it. Of course money doesn’t buy good taste, but it will buy an interior decorator, who usually guides the high end clients in the right direction. A beautiful background doesn’t have to be expensive, just tasteful and well thought out.
I watch many online presentations and have a lot of video conference meetings along with doing a lot of research on the topic. I have learned a lot, as we all have, in a few short months. I still don’t have it mastered, but here is what I have learned to have some sort of strategy to distract from my turkey neck:
1. Have a background without clutter or you have just told the world you are a slob.
2. Try not to be backlit or top lit. You look like you are in a hostage situation. Close curtains or shades to diffuse the light. Figure out a way to get light on your face, natural light is best if possible. Ring lights are cheap on Amazon, I just bought a Lume Cube that sticks on my laptop. Or a lamp behind your screen is fine.
3. Have a simple but attractive backdrop, even if it is a blank wall. You can even buy inexpensive tapestries online to hang on a blank wall. If you’re really serious, get a green screen and you can drop in background images. My office has bookshelves behind me with hundreds of books on them. It is inevitably is a topic of discussion, which is fine, as long as none of the books are weird and that you have actually read them.
4. Don’t use the Zoom digital backdrops. It makes your head look weird and any sudden movements makes you disappear. They just haven’t perfected the technology yet. This is where a green screen is helpful.
5. Figure out how to avert a tech disaster. Make sure the video conferencing app is downloaded on your computer, laptop and phone in case you need to switch from one to the other. Use an ethernet if you don’t have solid Wi-Fi.
6. Know the best camera angles. No one wants to look up your nose. I prop my laptop up on a bucket to raise the angle. Having the camera slightly above you is best if you can.
7. Try and look at the camera even though it means not looking at them on screen, then it will give you eye contact. Try sticking googly eyes next to your camera to help you focus.
8. Try not to be too close or too far away. Typically mid-chest up is fine.
9. Do a practice call with someone to check your audio, you may need to wear earbuds so viewers can hear you clearly.
10. Don’t read your material if you are presenting, you wouldn’t read if you were standing in front of people, don’t do it now.
11. Dress business casual and professionally, but you really don’t need a coat and tie or suit. It just seems awkward when we are at home, unless you have been directed otherwise. I am always kind of surprised on business calls when people show up in sweats, no makeup. I know they wouldn’t come to an in person meeting like that.
12. But most of all HAVE ENERGY! It’s hard when you are sitting down and no audience in the room, but you have to figure out a way to summon it. Be real and authentic!
Whether we like it or not, now people not only form a first impression of you on that little screen, they are forming a first impression of how you live. Don’t give them any material to judge.
“While you were busy judging others, you left your closet door open and your skeletons fell out.” - Unknown
