Advanced Video Conferencing
Remote professionals LOOK professional, and so do their video calls. Immense value is realized within a remote work setting by simply getting ‘visual professionalism’ right.
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Remote professionals LOOK professional, and so do their video calls. Immense value is realized within a remote work setting by simply getting ‘visual professionalism’ right.
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Was this helpful?
“‘Professional’ is not a label you give yourself. It's a description you hope others will apply to you.” ~ David Maister
“In business, ‘Professionalism’ is not a tactic, but a moral value.” ~ Amit Kalantri
The key to effective video conferencing is to heighten professionalism by creating an in-person feel to the calls, as much as possible. Unfortunately, this is something that even tenured remote professionals often get wrong.
On the other hand, by getting it right, you set yourself apart from other less-professional remote workers. The good news is that it’s easy to get right if you incorporate just a few simple tips.
As you learned at the beginning of this curriculum, . Common misconceptions about remote workers include:
They are digital nomads working from the beach, or from the road
They lack professionalism, or are just plain lazy
Along your journey as a remote professional, every single interaction you have is an opportunity to reverse these negative stereotypes.
In the , you learned the basics of presenting yourself professionally during video conferences. The following tips are designed to further elevate the level of professionalism you present, and the level your fellow participants perceive.
The simple orientation of your camera is the most important (and most commonly neglected) factor in adding a highly professional, in-person feel to your video conferences.
By placing the camera at the same height as your eyes, you achieve a ‘straight on’ angle that best resembles how you appear during an in-person meeting.
Small variations in camera orientation make a big impact on how you appear to others. If your angles are off by even a little, you risk losing the in-person feeling of in-person.
When you’re working from a laptop, the view of your face from the onboard camera is usually straight-up-the-nose, which less than flattering.
However, it is possible to achieve the proper orientation of a built-in laptop camera by satisfying a few simple spatial requirements:
Screen angle
Laptop height
Distance from camera
First, eliminate the angle of your laptop screen by positioning it to 90° (i.e., perpendicular to the desk). Then use a stack of books, or other stable object, to raise the height of the laptop until the built-in camera is at eye-level.
Finally, increase the distance between you and the camera by moving the laptop away from you, or by moving your chair away from the desk, or both. The extra half-meter of distance this provides may feel awkward at first, but soon becomes familiar.
More importantly, it ensures that your torso fits properly in the screen to achieve the correct orientation, like the first image above.
They say, “Professionals look professional.” And a professional background is no different.
An ideal background is understated. Clean, empty walls make a great impression. Artwork, if any, should be understated, or at least not distracting. Nice-looking office furniture - such as a neat bookshelf, lamp, or table - can also create a very professional setting.
The entire setup costs less than $75, which is quite reasonable when compared, say, to investing in a co-working space. Most importantly, the virtual background looks realistic, presents a professional image, and positively impacts the quality of your calls.
We’re all familiar with noise cancelling headphones. But did you know that noise-cancelling microphones are also a thing?
The difference is simple. Noise-canceling headphones block out local noise in your working environment, for you, the listener. A noise-canceling microphone, on the other hand, actively cancels noise - again from your local environment - but this time, for the receiving side.
The truth is, nothing is more annoying than unnecessary and distracting background noise during a video call. And, we believe we may have heard it all. From dogs barking outside, to children crying inside, to flushing toilets (more common than you’d think!), and everything in between.
Go beyond simply muting your line when you’re not talking. Elevate your video conferencing game by “muting” background noise, even when you are talking. You can do this by investing in a noise-canceling microphone.
Whatever path you choose (hardware or software) to noise cancelling, your investment will be well worth it.
The default settings for most (maybe all) video conferencing platforms are standard definition (SD). This is probably in an effort to conserve users’ bandwidth, reduce the service provider’s computing requirements, or both.
Utilizing high-definition (HD) settings is a simple way to enhance the professional look of your video calls. However, there are two important considerations to make before jumping to HD:
First, your internet connection should be strong enough that HD utilization won’t impact the quality, or continuity, of your call.
Second, HD will only highlight and expose any unprofessional aspects of your background setting. Adding a layer of high-definition to an otherwise off-putting background isn’t going to help your cause. Instead, it negatively impacts, not just a single call, but your entire career.
So, first things first. Ensure you’ve taken care of the preceding criteria, and then let the HD fly!
Effective video conferencing happens when we achieve a professional, in-person feel for our video audience. Considerable value is realized in a remote work setting by simply getting ‘visual professionalism’ right.
Overcoming negative stereotypes not only increases the adoption of remote work models, but ultimately adds to the value we provide our customers. Visual professionalism sets you apart from fellow remote workers, but it also sets your company apart from its competitors in the marketplace.
Make sure you use your company account for taking the quiz.
You’ve already learned the importance of having a . But the potential impact (positive or negative) that this single detail can have on your remote career is so profound, that we want to revisit it here.
If you’re unable to achieve a professional looking background in your actual workspace, you can use a virtual background. A variety of enlarged are available at Amazon.com, along with the needed to hold them in place.
Here again, you’ve already learned the basics of this topic in a . But it’s so critical to your success, that we won’t pass up an opportunity to reiterate it.
Or, for the more tech-curious among us, an alternative approach might include a service like , which provides robust, web-based noise-canceling subscription ($3/mo) software.
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