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Over the past few months, many people in the workforce have been working remote and utilizing video conferencing tools, such as Zoom, to communicate with clients and coworkers. As employees become more dependent on these virtual meeting and collaboration tools, it’s important to know some of the best practices on how to improve virtual meetings. Similar rules apply to when our team does on camera interviews. Take a look below at some of our top 6 best practices from our video team so you can nail the visuals of your virtual meeting setup.
You will want to make sure you are in a room with minimal objects (or people) in the background that could be potential causes for distraction or disruption of your virtual meeting. Try to locate an empty wall and set yourself up where that is what is behind you. Once you find the perfect wall, make sure the room is lit well enough to where your full facial features can be seen clearly. Another tip on how to improve virtual meetings is to place the brightest light source in the room behind your camera. Do not place yourself in front of a window. Set up in a room or space where there’s little to no noise (away from loud AC, TV, ETC.) If possible, set up in an area you can have privacy and avoid people walking in.
Preparing your setup before the meeting ensures that you are able to get your full upper body (shoulders all the way above your head) into the frame. Place your camera slightly above eye level to accomplish this.
Another great tool on how to improve virtual meetings is by using a custom background in Zoom. Use this set-up time to upload your custom background and test it out to make sure there are no glitches. When you get ready to join your meeting, ensure that all other computer windows besides the Zoom meeting are closed.
Tame is the name of the game when it comes to your attire! Avoid loud patterns, bright or neon colors, or really anything you are not sure about wearing for your meeting. You want to look as professional as possible and avoid any clothing that could distract others. Just like you would do for any in-person meeting, make sure your clothing is clean, appropriately fitted, and ironed. Just because your coworkers or clients are behind a screen doesn’t mean they can’t see wrinkles or coffee-stained shirts!
During your meeting, the last thing you want is malfunctioning audio! Make sure that your microphone is functioning properly and your voice is not muffled or staticky. If you are concerned about your computer microphone, you might want to consider presenting with wireless headphones or a USB microphone.
You will want to make sure you are in a room where you have strong enough WIFI connection to sustain a video conference without lagging. If you are doubtful about your connection or having issues with it, you can always look into a personal hotspot, ethernet cable or other backup options. Watch out for any audio feedback. Computers nowadays have the technology to avoid this with anti-feedback features. If you have an audio feedback during your soundcheck, a headphone could be your solution.
If you have slides you need to screen share during a meeting, make sure to test these out beforehand. You might want to consider rehearsing this. Organize your tabs/slides and other items so you know where to quickly locate them when you’re ready to present.
Our digital marketing and video production team have hands-on experience with Zoom and other video conference platforms and have helped a number of businesses host webinars, meetings, events and more. If you would like additional support and tips on how to improve virtual meetings, reach out to us.
Want to know more about video pricing. Check out our article here.