How to Look Good for Online Meetings

Why It’s Important to Look Good online

Looking good on a video call isn’t all about vanity (or at least it shouldn’t be). We’re not talking about dressing to the nines or ordering professional-grade studio lights on Amazon. However, it is important to appear professional when meeting with your colleagues, even if it’s through a screen.

Putting at least a little bit of effort into how you present yourself portrays a positive image to your teammates. It shows you care about your meetings and aren’t just going through the motions while working from home.

Plus, little self-care rituals like getting dressed and combing your hair for a Zoom meeting can have a significant impact on your mood. Considering many people are feeling isolated since implementing social distancing, any self-esteem boost is more than welcome.

Additionally, there are technical aspects of video calls to consider. Poor lighting can make it hard to see you, lowering the overall quality of the meeting. Activity or clutter in the background could cause distractions that derail your conference and lower your team’s productivity.

Dress in Business Casual Clothing

First things first – business casual is the new normal. If you’re wearing a suit while working from home, feel free to hang it up in the back of your closet for the foreseeable future. Even if your office did require you to wear a suit every day, rules are generally relaxing across the board now.

If you’re looking to impress your boss via Zoom, go for a sober button-down shirt or blouse. Depending on the climate where you live, polos or sweaters may also be acceptable. Stick to solid colors and neutrals as much as possible, as loud prints could be distracting.

Fortunately, it’s hard to go wrong when it comes to pants and skirts. However, it’s wise to at least wear jeans, even though you’re probably going to be sitting down for your Zoom meetings. You never know when you’ll have to get up to grab a report or other materials, and you don’t want to get caught in your sweatpants.

Position Your Camera for the Best Angle

Since you watch video calls on your laptop’s screen, it can be easy to prioritize the angle of your display and overlook that of your web camera. However, you don’t want to leave your colleges staring at your hairline or your chin for the duration of your meeting.

To put it simply, you want to avoid odd angles. You shouldn’t need to incline your head up or down too much to look directly at your camera.

However, if you’re using a standard table or desk, your laptop likely sits below your head. If you only have to tilt it back slightly, this setup can still work. To play it safe, we recommend lifting up your laptop a bit, so its camera is on eye-level with you. A monitor stand or a few books should do the trick.

If you’re using Zoom on your mobile device, the same general rules apply. Ideally, you want your camera to be eye-level or slightly higher. It can be difficult to hold your smartphone at this angle for extended periods of time, so consider investing in a tripod if you don’t have a laptop with a web camera.

Make Sure Your Background Isn’t Distracting

Last but not least, you need to make sure the area behind you during your Zoom call isn’t too distracting. As far as tips go, this one is pretty simple. A plain wall or even a subtle piece of artwork makes for the best backdrop.

However, many of us don’t have dedicated spaces we can use to join Zoom meetings with pristine, distraction-free backgrounds. If that’s the case, here are a few ways you can improve your call’s setting:

Clean up any messes, such as piles of laundry, toys, or dishes.

Send children and pets to another room to minimize activity and sound in the background of your call.

Avoid sitting in front of bookcases or other ‘busy’ backdrops with lots of objects than could be distracting.

Fortunately, Zoom includes backgrounds you can use if finding a distraction-free zone in your house is too difficult.

Looking good on Zoom comes down to four simple factors:

Everyone feels self-conscious about the way they look on camera. Keep that in mind during your next virtual meeting, and don’t worry too much about what your team thinks about your looks. With that in mind, there’s plenty you can do to appear more professional online. That way, you’ll feel less nervous when it’s your turn to speak up:

Dressing appropriately in business casual clothing.

Finding a spot with flattering light.

Positioning your camera for the best angle.

Making sure your background isn’t distracting.

Do you have any questions about how to look good on Zoom? Shoot me a note and get in touch.