In online meetings, you have to make an extra effort to be properly perceived when you appear. In our blog post about healthy long-distance relationships, we discussed how difficult it is to get an accurate impression of our employees in a digital work environment. It is therefore only more difficult to create trust and friendship in the team through video conferences than in analogue work. Without seeing each other in person, it becomes difficult to perceive each other and thus build relationships.
In this article we give you tips for a good appearance in front of the camera. Having a good presence in the digital space is very important if you want to appear appropriate professional and friendly in purely digital or hybrid teams at the same time. Whenever you make a good impression, you make a good impression and you create space for friendship and trust in the working atmosphere, which is essential for a harmonious process.
1) Camera
Using a good camera, or maybe even an external one (from your phone, for example) is essential. It is also relevant to put them at eye level and look at them directly. This allows you to keep eye contact with the other participants by not looking into their eyes on the screen, but directly into the camera. Avoid looking too much from above or below the camera: If you look from above, you will appear snooty. You look submissive from below.
Our tip: If it is difficult to position yourself optimally, a little distance from the camera helps. If you use a laptop, you can also place books under the device so that the camera is at eye level.
2) Lighting
The lighting in the room where you are attending the meeting is also very important. The light must come from the direction of the camera. Light from above looks tired because the dark circles are emphasized. But light from below looks unnatural. Also make sure that the light is not coming from behind, otherwise your face will become dark.
Our tip: the more light sources, the better! This way, the other participants in the meeting can see you better and perceive you more easily.
3) Appearance
It is advisable to show the whole upper body in the picture. You should be in the center of the frame. Your face should also be clearly recognizable, without hair and not cut out in the picture. Clothing is best contrasted with the background to make you stand out and be more recognizable. All this contributes to the first impression!
Our tip: wear contrasting lipstick colors such as red or brown so that the audience pays more attention to you and what you are saying.
Your facial expressions and gestures are also important parts of your online presence. In analog they are very easy to spot, which is not the case in digital. One has to properly exaggerate the body language to make it easier to perceive.
4) Background
The background is the image of the room you are in. He is examined by the other person. In order to build more trust with the interlocutor, you should make the background visible. Tidying up and paying attention to spell cards are also tips here. To appear more professional, your environment should be organized. Therefore, it is important to choose a suitable place in your home, where it is tidy and quiet.
Virtual backgrounds could also be an option if you can’t avoid a messy environment. But if you’re aiming for relationship building, it’s better to show the real background. Then there are more contact opportunities and you show his or her personality. That’s when you’re feeling good. When you’re uncomfortable, it’s even harder to build a trusting relationship. In that case it would be better not to show the background. Virtual backgrounds are good for big events as it makes it easier to spot the moderator.
5) Technique
For the technology to work well, you should stop all possible synchronizations, close background programs and, if possible, connect a Lan cable. If your connection drops often and you already know it, the best way to do it is to announce it beforehand and communicate openly. Even if you get an error message, you can announce it. This is in favor of building trust. The relationship building is not interrupted if you are honest!
Behavior in online meetings
In video conferences you behave differently than in meetings in the office or in general in presence. Many understand remote work as more free and self-determined than analogue work, and it can indeed be the case, but with online meetings you have to pay attention to certain points:
- Staying Focused: Being present and focused encourages collaboration in the digital environment and motivates others to join in and not just show up. It also helps to make a good impression not to eat or obviously do other things.
- Don’t do other things on the side: in online meetings you can simply minimize the tab and read e-mails, surf social media or do other tasks. The other participants in video conferences notice when you do something else and just listen. This can be recognized, for example, by the eye movement or facial expressions that we make unconsciously.
- Respect the other participants: both in analogue and digital, one must respect the speaking time of the other participants. You always have towait for the pauses in the conversation to get involved in the conversation. It’s also respectful not to speak louder than others or interrupt them.
- Use microphone and camera functions: if you are not speaking, you should press the mute button so that the background noise (which is also there, even if we cannot hear it ourselves) does not disturb the other participants. If you are not there, for example to go to the toilet, you can (but do not have to) turn off the camera to show the others that you are not available.
- Articulate clearly: As already mentioned, the volume of your voice is very important in video conferences. Speaking appropriately loud, slow, and clearly is essential in online meetings to be well understood and noticed.
Summary
Now we’ve gone through a few good tips for presenting well in video conferences. It is very important that you assert your presence and appear appropriate in order to be well noticed. How you behave and how you come across in online meetings have a huge impact on the first impression you make. In a digital work environment, it is particularly advantageous if all team members not only communicate openly but also have good first impressions of each other in order to build a trusting atmosphere.
Do you have any good tips for appearing in online meetings? Share with us in the comments!
