As the pandemic has pushed Zoom to be a new household name and even a verb in lieu of video conferencing or meeting, we’ve all had to adjust learning to meet with others in an online setting. Even with the pandemic slowing down and countries beginning to once again open, many people have found themselves with the opportunity to permanently work from home or remote.
In most cases, even if the role is in an office building (i.e. no longer remote), you’ll most likely find yourself attending interviews and business deals using a video conferencing tool as it is more practical and cost-effective.
With this in mind, video conferencing is most likely to stick around well after the pandemic becomes part of the history books.
In this post, we’ll go over the basics of how to create a professional background, and image if needed, for your video conferencing meetings whether you’re doing interviews for that new job, deciding to work remotely in a different country for part of the year, or even returning to school, where classes are now more likely to be online.
What Are Some Ways to Create a Professional Background for Video Conferencing?
The Lighting: Both Inside and Outside Your Room
Lighting plays a huge role in photography and can make all the difference between a bad photo and a professional-made photo. If you’ve taken any kind of photo or video, you’ll know how much the quality will depend on the positioning of the light sources relative to the camera.
When in meetings, ensure your light source is facing in front of you so that it’ll light up your face and your surrounding background. If the light source is behind you, and your camera is looking directly into the light, you’ll find yourself looking darker than usual, with annoying glares for your viewers.
Depending on where you are, using natural light from outside is your best option. If you have a window that faces the sun, use that light to your advantage. If the sun is too bright, consider placing a thin veil between you and the window to ensure you get some light without the sun glaring at your face.
For those unable to get natural light, whether it’s the positioning of the sun or lack of sunlight, using alternative light sources such as the large ring lights online celebrities use or positioning yourself so the light in your room is in front of you works just as well.
Distractions Removed
Anything in the background, whether it’s in your photo or during a Zoom call, will serve as a distraction to your audience. The strategy here is to use that to your advantage.
The easiest way to deal with this is to simply remove all distractions behind you and make your screen as neutral. If you can’t, you can easily use one of the many preset options on Zoom for your background that will hide your room.
As different websites start to become more embedded and interconnected, you may have a profile picture on Zoom that may be shared with other services such as Gmail. Editing and removing your Zoom profile picture to change to a professionally created one with a neutral background is highly recommended.
For those looking to better build a sort of brand and your character with a unique background, ensure your background does not end up being distracting for your audience. If possible, there should not be more than several objects in the background. If you like sitting on the beach, then consider a beach background with perhaps a single palm tree, sand, and water.
Another great, but common example, is a bookcase or display case full of various items. This is a common background and could be distracting depending on what is in the background. If you have rather unique items, like souvenirs from around the world or books that are distinctly different in design, shapes, and colors, then it’ll most likely be distracting.
Consider either positioning yourself elsewhere or removing some of the distracting items.
Remember the less busy your background, whether it’s a photo or a video, the better.
Your Equipment
If you have perfect lighting placement and a professionally curated Zoom background (or profile picture), the final variable to consider is the rest of the equipment around you.
Your chair, desk, and laptop all play a huge role in presenting yourself to your audience. Your desk and chair provide both the proper sitting structure, i.e. ergonomics, and placement of the camera relative to your body. You will want to ensure you always feel comfortable while maintaining a proper posture. Equipment that is height adjustable, like certain tables and chairs, is your best friend here as they will ensure you have the correct height needed.
Your laptop is most likely the source of your camera. Ensure nothing is blocking you from the camera and you’re comfortably able to look at it when appropriate. Is your laptop at an awkward height? Consider placing items under it. Common items to use are books and stacks of printing paper.
If one of the things we’ve talked about so far is difficult for you to change, like the lighting, consider using your laptop to your advantage. There are various laptops tailored for working from home that has improved webcam capabilities such as higher framerates or higher resolutions. These features will help make up for the other issues that you cannot fix in your room.
Conclusion
With many people now heading back to the office, and many now refusing to ever return to an office, video conferencing using tools like Zoom is not going anywhere anytime soon. Even in meetings in an office, you’ll most likely be speaking to others around the world in video conferencing meetings. It is key to keep a professional background and setting so you may switch to them when appropriate to build the right impressions for your virtual sessions.
