How quickly things can change in just a few short weeks. Daily life looks very different now for thousands of people. Businesses and offices have closed their doors and instructed employees to work from home. All communication is virtual. Face-to-face meetings of more than a few people are strictly forbidden.
Fortunately, technology today makes it easy to conduct online meetings. However, a great online conference experience requires more than just opening up your laptop and clicking a button. Think about what your coworkers or clients will see and hear. Work environment, noise, and background play a big role in running a successful online meeting.
Whether it’s a webinar with lots of people or a small conference with your colleagues, these simple tips will help ensure a great virtual meeting. And if you are not running webinars yourself, check out these 3 webinar tools you can get for your business. I typically use GoToWebinar. I’ve used it for many years. If you have never used GoToWebinar, go here to learn how to get on a webinar.
It does not matter what video conferencing service you are using, these tips below will help you look and sound your best!
5 Tips for Looking and Sounding Good on a Zoom Webinar:
Here are 5 tips to look great on your next webinar, whether you are leading the call, or just a participant.
Tip #1: Have Proper Lighting
Lighting is one of the biggest mistakes people make when they are on a conference call. Make sure that you aren’t sitting in front of a window. No one will be able to see your face. Position your light source so that it’s in front of you, not behind.
Tip #2: Camera Angle is Important
Position your webcam at eye level. Make sure you don’t have to look down at it. Otherwise, your colleagues could find themselves looking up your nose. Not the most attractive angle. Be sure to have good eye contact during your meeting too. Sit up straight and look directly into the camera.
Instead, look directly into the camera
Tip #3: Use a Headset/Headphones with Mic
You don’t want to sound like you are talking into a tin can! For optimal audio, invest in headphones and an external microphone, or a headset with a built-in mic. It doesn’t have to be expensive. You can get a decent headset on Amazon for under $20. You don’t want your sound to have any echos or any feedback. I use the Microsoft Lifechat microphone. You can use any microphone, pick what is comfortable, but most importantly sounds professional.
Tip #4: Set Up Your Background to Limit Distractions
In an earlier blog post, I discussed the importance of having a designated workspace when you’re working from home. Not only will you be more productive in your own workspace, but you’ll also limit distractions. Your background during conference calls should be free of moving people, animals, or objects.
And if you can’t change your room configuration, setup a virtual background. Learn how to setup a zoom virtual background here.
And if you want a bigger selection of backgrounds for zoom, check out Canva’s free backgrounds here
Tip #5: Mute Yourself When You’re Not Talking
Background noise is a distraction for any meeting. The disadvantage of having virtual meetings is that there’s more of an opportunity for background noise. Everyone is in a different environment. The general best practice is muting yourself when you’re not speaking. If you need to do a lot of typing while you’re talking on your call, consider investing in a silent keyboard. See in the image below the mute button on a zoom webinar. Each webinar system will have the mute button in a different location.
You can also stop your video if you need to step away from your desk
Review your conference call set-up and see how it measures up. It doesn’t take a lot of time. Just a few small adjustments and you can look good on your Zoom calls.
Watch Video That Walks You Through These Mistakes
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Great tips. Would add that it’s helpful if other attendees can see your hands, not just your head as you’re talking.
great suggestion!