Time to do What You Love
Zoom Etiquette for Business
Most of what you will read below most likely won’t apply to you. That having been said, we have seen it all. Sometimes it’s not pretty. Some of what is discussed below may not apply depending upon your profession and whether you are visiting with friends or family. It’s totally up to you but I think most folks would like to make a good impression no matter who is on the other side of the camera.
- Lighting - Lighting must be in front of you and not behind you. During daylight hours, face the window rather than having the window at your back. At night, face the lighting and have just a little lighting in the background.
- Dress - No tank tops and no cleavage. Best bet is a button down shirt for men and blouse for the ladies.
- Demeanor - Be positive, smile and be careful not to hog all the air time. Best form is to ask questions and learn from others well more than half the time. My mother used to say, “Lest someone thinks you are ignorant, open your mouth and remove all doubt”.
- Posture - Don’t be laying down in bed or in your recliner. Poor posture makes you look unprofessional but reclining tends to make you look overweight as well.
- Be sure not to sit too far back. Your head and shoulders should be framed in the image, and you should be facing forward — not looking right or left at another screen. Your camera needs to be behind the screen.
- Sound Quality - Most built-in microphones will work just fine. But here is the challenge: if you are in a room with bare walls and bare floors, the echo will make you difficult to hear in most cases. Try to be in a carpeted room with furniture and you will be fine.
- Fake Backgrounds - Unless you have a fairly high speed computer and a green screen, we suggest you stay away from fake backgrounds. They are simply distracting. They take attention away from you, the speaker, and they also flicker and you constantly see parts of you fade in and out. This goes for the out-of-focus background as well. Better to view a room in your home than an image of you on Mars with body parts fading in and out.
- Keep computer/phone Steady. Do not lay your phone down pointing at the ceiling. Always have the camera pointed at eye level. No one wants to see your bald head or be looking up your nose.
- Mute and Unmute - If you are not the moderator, stay muted unless you choose to speak. Tip: On a computer, just hold down the space bar for a quick unmute.
- Internet Speed - It’s not always easy to have the most ideal Internet speed. We know this for a fact both from our own standpoint as well as watching/listening to others. Check out our chapter on “Connecting to the Internet” for those of us who are frequently on the road. For those of you at home, I hate to say it but you get what you pay for. Business class internet can be expensive. If you do a lot of video conferencing, you may have to upgrade your system.
- Distractions - Eating, dogs, children, loud television, music and video games. We see it all but most of the time, someone just doesn’t realize how distracting all this can be. You may think you can watch the game while you are in a meeting, and no one will notice, but everyone can see the flickering light on your face. The microphone picks up everything including something you wish you had not said.
Lee: scs@sonic.net
We like to look fresh and relaxed for our Zoom visits. A good nights sleep can insure you will have the best look for your meetings.