7 Tips to Look Great on Zoom

It is possible that many of us will be on online conference calls for the foreseeable future; here in the Silicon Valley, many tech companies have announced working-from-home as the new norm through the end of this year at the very minimum.

I believe the time has come for each of us to invest a bit of time and effort to looking as normal as possible under the current circumstances.

Here are 7 tips that can help set you up for a professional presence on online conferences.

1. Raise your laptop so that the camera is at eye level. Initially, I used a stack of books and then invested in an inexpensive computer stand. Make sure you keep at least a 1.5 ft distance from the laptop otherwise people will be looking up your nose.
2. There should be no light behind you.
3. Get a light that faces you. Several options are available: an inexpensive gooseneck lamp that clips to your desk or stands on your desk, an o-ring light used by vloggers (you will need a stand), or a camera light with a tripod. Put small bits of masking tape once you have the light positioned correctly so even if you need to move the light when not in use, it takes a few seconds get things in place for a call.
4. Make sure you have depth or create the illusion of depth behind you. For example, the wall behind my chair is literally 2.5 feet away. I added a painting and flowers on a cabinet to create the illusion of depth. (My laptop is too old to use the zoom backgrounds and I find them very choppy and distracting.)
5. Personal grooming is a must. Try to look as normal as you did during non-pandemic times. I started dressing professionally two weeks into the pandemic. I found it made me feel a bit more in control and provided a differentiation when the day ended.
6. During the call, don’t sway or constantly shift. Gestures are good but do try to limit them. I found this difficult as I have a tendency to gesticulate quite a bit. I ended up recording a solo Zoom call and then watching myself. (It was appalling.)
7. Look at the camera! I put a little sticky next to the camera during calls to call my eye to it. I also move the people icons to the top so my eye speaks to the camera. This has been the hardest for me.

Do share your tips! We can do this together.

Stay safe and healthy.