I also like to bring a water bottle and cup of coffee to my meetings. If you are using a laptop, have a charger plugged in and ready for when your battery gets low. Although I like to sit on my bed, I found that sitting crossed leg for more than 20 minutes is not comfortable for me, so I moved my video call setup to my standing desk. Start with a comfortable place to sit or stand for a long period of time. Much like being in a physical meeting, once you join a call, you shouldn’t be getting up and moving around. Test different microphones to find the best audio quality. In Zoom, I use the feature that lets you unmute yourself while holding down the space bar. You might be used to your neighbor’s midday thrash metal, but no one else is. Most videoconferencing apps have a tool in their settings for testing your mic, and I recommend collecting all the mics in your house (headphones often have one built in) and testing them out to find the one that sounds clearest.Īs a courtesy to others, please keep your mic muted unless you are talking. Also keep in mind that your headphones might have a better mic than your computer. Most of us don’t have a great deal of control over audio, but you’ll sound better if you take a call in a quiet place. Find a quiet place (and your best headphones) Zoom and WebEx have options for showing a video preview before entering calls while Skype will show you this by default. You can do that in Zoom by right clicking on your own video window and choosing “hide myself.” It can be easy to forget you’re on camera without your video preview, though, so try not to pick your nose. Not only will you be less prone to fixing your hair or moving the angle during the call, you will also be less distracting to yourself and others. Once the call starts, I recommend hiding your video preview from yourself. Skype will show you this preview by default, but when using other videoconferencing apps, such as Houseparty, I open Photobooth to check my video before entering a call. If you select this option, a video preview will pop up before you enter a call to check how everything looks. Both Zoom and WebEx have an option for showing you a preview of your video before the call starts. You want to show up to your meeting already looking good so that you’re not adjusting your surroundings, screen brightness, angle, or hair live for everyone to see. Do whatever you have to do to get your camera at eye level. You don’t want people to feel like they are looking up or down at you. Use a set of books, a stool, or a higher table to make sure your camera is at the same level as your eyes.
Your table is almost certainly going to be lower than your face, and that means people are going to get an unflattering look up at you.
There is one, and only one, acceptable camera angle: head-on and at eye level.
It’ll look better for you and everyone else on the call. A bright screen can blow the highlights on your face out, making you look more like Casper the Ghost than a video calling champion.įace your brightest source of light (usually a window). Also be aware that your screen can be a large source of light, so adjust your screen brightness, too, especially if you are taking a call without natural light. I recommend having your largest light source either right in front of you or no more than 45 degrees away from directly in front of you. Open up your shades and let the natural light pour in, but don’t let all that light hit your back. It’s best to start with lighting because that will dictate where you are sitting. Here are my tips and tricks to becoming the video call MVP you were meant to be. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been optimizing my own video chat setup: from knowing where to sit to get the best light, to choosing the right microphone, to just staying comfortable. From virtual weddings to work meetings, we all suddenly have to be on camera in our homes, and as a Verge video director and host, I’m no stranger to having to be camera-ready at all times and in imperfect spaces. I’ve been on enough video calls this week to know that everyone could use a little help looking their best.
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