Our company has had 30,000 zoom meetings globally over the last eight weeks and we have learned a thing or two about how to be successful in this new virtual world.
Floss more – we are up close and personal all the time. Where I used to advise people to check their fly before a meeting, now my advice is to check your teeth for errant kale or bagel seeds.
Pants less – we all joke about not wearing pants anymore – but a word of caution. When you jump up to close your door, we will all know that you are not wearing pants.
Check your mug – I was talking to my straight-laced colleague, Stephen, yesterday and he kept staring at something and moving closer to the camera. Finally, he asked me what my mug said. I realized I was using a gift from my sister-in-law with some colourful language that seemed appropriate for women our age but not really for a Zoom call. We both turned all kinds of red but had a good laugh about it.
Find a phone stand – do not hold your phone in your hand. Get a phone holder or lean it against something. A moving phone is nausea inducing for your audience. Trust me.
Watch the angle – people don’t want to be looking up your nose or at the side of your face. Pay attention to what your audience with see.
Check your background. Sure, it’s fun to check out each other’s home office set up, you don’t have to share that if you don’t want to. Here’s how you can change your Zoom background (link) and blur the background in MS Teams (link)
Video calls on one of the best tools we have to keep ourselves together and connected. Use them well and often.
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