Before Video Calls, Do A Background Check

Provided by Alyssa Gelbard, Founder & President, Point Road Group

Working remotely has blurred the lines between our professional and personal lives, but when we’re “at work,” we still make impressions on our bosses, teams, colleagues, the board, business contacts, potential employers etc.
 
Your digital presence, including how you come across on video calls, is a critical opportunity to make a good impression and lead by example. Optimizing on-screen presence includes many things like camera positioning, lighting, outfit choice and managing distractions, and one area that’s often overlooked is your physical background. Before you get on your next video call, look behind you and consider what others see.
 
Just because you may have to take a video call in a suboptimal setting like a bedroom or kitchen table, it doesn’t mean that you still can’t make a decent impression. Ideally, sit in a space with a relatively clear, solid wall behind you. If that’s not possible, take a minute and remove a few things to reduce visual distractions (like too many pictures -- especially any that might be inappropriate, piles of paper, laundry, toys etc.). If your “office” is a bedroom, make the bed and close closet and bathroom doors. If you’re in or near the kitchen, clear off cluttered counters.
 
A window may seem like a good background, but the backlighting can actually make it hard to see you (and you may appear as a silhouette). If using a virtual background (which isn’t recommended unless you have a strong and stable internet connection), make sure people can see you consistently and that you don’t go in and out of the image (which happens frequently).

Ensuring what people see of you and your surroundings on screen every day will influence their impression of you. This doesn’t mean you need to eliminate anything personal in your background, but cleaning up and simplifying your surroundings can make a big difference. While many things go into building a good visual presence during video calls, what people see behind you is an easy place to start.
 

Other Helpful Articles
https://pointroadgroup.com/managing-distractions/
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/294107
https://thewirecutter.com/blog/professional-video-call-from-home/