Raise your hand if you have a love/hate relationship with Zoom…
Dealing with glitches, the sound not working, bad connections, and so much more can make a regular meeting seem even more draining than usual. Of course there are positives, like wearing your nice button-down shirt with sweatpants, and not having to deal with the morning traffic— overall, it can definitely be frustrating. #ZoomFatigueIsReal
Unfortunately, it’s looking more and more like the past 6 months wasn’t just a phase. With COVID-19 rates continuing to spike across the country, it looks like virtual meetings are here to stay…
SO, as your trusted video experts, we want to help you lean into this whole video-meetings-thing with renewed confidence and ease!
Read on for our list of 3 virtual meeting tips that you may not know about or be utilizing.
(NOTE: While we are specifically using Zoom as an example, these tips still apply to all video meeting platforms such as Microsoft Teams, Google Hangouts, etc.)
Tip #1: IMPROVE YOUR LIGHTING
We've all been there before— we sit down, flip open our laptop, and suddenly find ourselves sitting across from what appears to be… a Bond villain! You know, the type of lighting where all you can see is their dark silhouette, shadowy face, and the evil cat on their lap. All because they chose to sit in front of a window.
Mr. Villain: if you're reading this, it's a great idea to sit near a window for natural light; however, please make sure you are sitting down and facing the window, instead of having the light from the window behind you. That way, we can see who you are.
If you don't have access to a window for natural light, the same principles still apply: Position your camera in relation to your light source to solve any lighting issues. For best results, you'll want to have the light centered right above your camera or have two similar lights on each side of your camera to balance out the lighting on your face.
Be careful, though; if your light source is too bright, it can wash out your face and make it difficult to concentrate on your facial features. To fix this, try moving your lighting source further away from your face and let your camera automatically adjust the exposure.
TIP #2: RECORD YOUR MEETING
There are lots of reasons why you might need to record your meetings.
Maybe someone on your team can’t make it, or maybe you’d prefer to focus on the person you’re meeting with, without having to constantly look down to take notes in order to retain all of the information. Don’t worry, you can make sure you still get the information you need with the Record feature!
On Zoom, once you enter the Zoom meeting room, click “Record” (toward the bottom right of the screen), and then choose if you want to “Record on this Computer” or “Record to the Cloud.” You can also “Pause” or “Stop Recording” using the menu bar at the bottom of the meeting room if something comes up— just don’t forget to resume the recording!
After your meeting ends, you’ll be ready to send it to someone, repurpose the content for a post on social media, or store it for your own future use.
TIP #3 USE THE '“TOUCH UP MY APPEARANCE” FEATURE
(Yes, this is a real feature on Zoom!)
Navigate to Settings > Video > Touch Up My Appearance.
Similar to the filters Snapchat and Instagram offer, this feature will help your skin appear smoother with an airbrushed look. The best part is: it’s natural enough that it won’t be obvious that you’re using it.
You may be able to skip your make-up routine for the day, but showering will still probably be necessary, sorry.
Before you go, here’s one more bonus tip since you read all the way to the end. Thank you!
Raise your camera up to your eye-level.
This will give you immediate improvement in the look of your video call. If you have a built-in camera, you may have to put a few books underneath your computer to raise it to your desired height.
An eye-level shot is a camera angle where the point of view is set at the subject you are capturing. The head of the subject should be level with the camera. It is considered “neutral.” (Plus it will put less stress on your neck since you don’t have to look down or up.)
That’s it! May your next living room meeting go better than the last one.
At Lux Lab, we’d love to help improve your life in more ways than just Zoom meetings.
Schedule a meeting with us today!
Fiat Lux!!
