Seven Tips For Looking Your Best When Video Conferencing
When you're video conferencing with people who work and live in faraway locations, you don't have a chance to impress them with your charming personality over lunch or pull them aside to make some candid comments to help them see your passion for the project. Your on-camera interactions are the only way the people on the other end of the video conference have to pass judgement on you â€" and your company.
That is the reason why looking great on video conferencing is so important. While people perhaps should not judge each other on looks alone, looks certainly matter when you are communicating over distance using advanced technology.
Here are seven top tips for always looking your very best when you interact via video conference:
1. Use a high-quality system. Good equipment conveys light, detail and sound better than bad or outdated gear, so upgrade your system as frequently as necessary to keep on top of technology. Today's video conferencing solutions often have high definition cameras, high-quality mics and professional switching technology to make each one of your interaction smooth, colourful and bright.
2. Don't skimp on light. There's a reason television stations and local theatres hire people to help them control lighting. Bright lights reduce the look of wrinkles and eliminate unbecoming shadows, but too much light can make you look glossy and nervous. Heaps of soft, white light typically works best, and there's nothing wrong with strategically placing lights behind computers or hiding them round the room if necessary to make everyone look their best.
3. Make eye contact as often as possible. It's easy for people to feel disconnected or disengaged when listening to a long presentation by video conference, so make frequent eye contact with the camera. This is good etiquette, as well , just as eye contact is significant when meeting with people face to face.
4. Avoid wearing distracting patterns. With older equipment, tight patterns can create a distracting strobe effect that may be more interesting to the people on the other end of the conference than what you are saying. Whether or not you're utilizing the latest equipment nonetheless , viewers will not be in a position to appreciate the pattern on your tie or your interesting piece of jewelry, so stick to solids and easy, elegant adornments.
5. Sit up straight if you can. We all look more professional when we sit up straight and keep our shoulders back, but good posture can sometimes be hard to maintain during a long meeting. Choosing a supportive chair and being aware of when you're being watched and when you aren't can help you look your finest when somebody's actually looking.
6. Be conscious of camera angles. A professionally installed video conferencing system will have well-positioned cameras, but standing or sitting too close to a camera can distort your features, giving you a humourous and distracting appearance. Looking down into a camera can also make your face appear wider, making you look fat.
7. Do some testing. If a meeting is particularly important or if you're new to video conferencing, do some test presentations â€" and record them to help notice and correct errors. Even the best equipment can be used incorrectly or to less-than-optimum effect, so take time to test how you engage with your company's equipment to make sure you are using it as effectively as possible.
Everybody would like to look good, naturally, but in business looking good can mean a really significant difference between making the sale & making a fool of yourself.
That is the reason why looking great on video conferencing is so important. While people perhaps should not judge each other on looks alone, looks certainly matter when you are communicating over distance using advanced technology.
Here are seven top tips for always looking your very best when you interact via video conference:
1. Use a high-quality system. Good equipment conveys light, detail and sound better than bad or outdated gear, so upgrade your system as frequently as necessary to keep on top of technology. Today's video conferencing solutions often have high definition cameras, high-quality mics and professional switching technology to make each one of your interaction smooth, colourful and bright.
2. Don't skimp on light. There's a reason television stations and local theatres hire people to help them control lighting. Bright lights reduce the look of wrinkles and eliminate unbecoming shadows, but too much light can make you look glossy and nervous. Heaps of soft, white light typically works best, and there's nothing wrong with strategically placing lights behind computers or hiding them round the room if necessary to make everyone look their best.
3. Make eye contact as often as possible. It's easy for people to feel disconnected or disengaged when listening to a long presentation by video conference, so make frequent eye contact with the camera. This is good etiquette, as well , just as eye contact is significant when meeting with people face to face.
4. Avoid wearing distracting patterns. With older equipment, tight patterns can create a distracting strobe effect that may be more interesting to the people on the other end of the conference than what you are saying. Whether or not you're utilizing the latest equipment nonetheless , viewers will not be in a position to appreciate the pattern on your tie or your interesting piece of jewelry, so stick to solids and easy, elegant adornments.
5. Sit up straight if you can. We all look more professional when we sit up straight and keep our shoulders back, but good posture can sometimes be hard to maintain during a long meeting. Choosing a supportive chair and being aware of when you're being watched and when you aren't can help you look your finest when somebody's actually looking.
6. Be conscious of camera angles. A professionally installed video conferencing system will have well-positioned cameras, but standing or sitting too close to a camera can distort your features, giving you a humourous and distracting appearance. Looking down into a camera can also make your face appear wider, making you look fat.
7. Do some testing. If a meeting is particularly important or if you're new to video conferencing, do some test presentations â€" and record them to help notice and correct errors. Even the best equipment can be used incorrectly or to less-than-optimum effect, so take time to test how you engage with your company's equipment to make sure you are using it as effectively as possible.
Everybody would like to look good, naturally, but in business looking good can mean a really significant difference between making the sale & making a fool of yourself.
About the Author:
Paul Fraser, owner of a home automation company in South Africa, writes about everything related to video conferencing equipment and other business communication issues in an attempt to help businessmen around the world make better connections. Better connections mean more sales and improved customer relationships.
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