How to look great on video calls and chats

Do you dread video calls? Hate the way you look and sound on camera? Feel awkward and ill at ease? The fact is video calls are here to stay. Between 2020 and 2022, videoconferencing grew from 48 percent to 77 percent, and that number is still on the rise. Video calls save companies money on overhead costs and employees money on commuting costs. Plus, 70 percent of remote workers find virtual meetings less stressful than in-person meetings, making video calls very appealing to both companies and individual employees.

Video calls also make it much easier than phone calls to connect with people. Why? Because in a video chat, you can see and pick up on body language and expressions making for more natural conversations and fewer awkward silences. We’ve already compiled some videoconferencing best practices that you can start implementing today. To help you look, sound and feel your best on your next video chat, here are further tips.

Before the call

As you prepare for your next video call, there are a few remote worker video tips you can follow to ensure that you appear prepared, relaxed, authentic and professional. The following will help you step up your A-game before you’re even on camera.

Consider your background

Your background is important in a video chat. It should give clues about you to the person on the call but not distract from you and the meeting. A blank wall is overly boring, while a cluttered and busy background is distracting. Instead, go for a happy medium.

Choose a space and background that is tidy, free of clutter and professional. Consider a wall with a piece of art or picture as your background or a bookshelf with tidy books and a plant. Don’t use a high-traffic area like your kitchen as the background.

Virtual backgrounds

If you don’t have many options when it comes to a background, consider video call filters or virtual backgrounds. You will need a strong computer processor to blur out your background with video call filters. For both video call backgrounds and filters, you can purchase a cheap green screen to hang behind you. This screen prevents you from blending in and out of the background and provides an easier environment for your computer to pick up and replace with virtual backgrounds.

Minimize noise and distractions

In addition to a visually appealing background, you want to keep your surroundings from distracting from the call. To eliminate distractions, put the barking dog away before the call starts, tell your family members and roommates not to disturb you and even consider hanging a Do Not Disturb sign on your office door. You can even take it one step further and put a Do Not Disturb sign on your front door if you know that Amazon delivery will set your dog off barking in the background.

Dress for the meeting

Just because you aren’t physically going into the office doesn’t give you the freedom to stay in your pajamas all day. Get dressed like you would for an in-person meeting–at least on your top half. That means put on a professional shirt or blouse, do your hair and if you wear makeup, do that, too. No one will take you seriously if you hop on a video chat in your pajamas with bedhead.

Set up your lighting

Make sure that you’re facing a light source on your call. For instance, if you have a desk lamp, turn it on and angle it so that you’re facing it and it’s not behind you. Also, consider your window. While natural light is good, you don’t want a window directly behind you for a few reasons. First, it can be distracting if something is happening outside your window while you’re on a call. Second, it can cast your face in darkness or produce a weird glare on your screen. Instead, face your window–natural light is, after all, best. If you can’t do that, position yourself so it’s to the side of you.

Eliminate glare

If you wear eyeglasses, you need to worry about glare on video calls. This glare can block your eyes, making it hard for those on the call to make eye contact with you. To prevent glare, you need to work with your lighting. Ideally, you want one light in front of you and another to the side of you. The front light makes you clear on the call, while the side light balances you out and eliminates the glare. One solution is to face a window and use a floor lamp off to your side for ideal video conference lighting.

Test your image

Before you start using video calls, run a test. Hop on with a friend for a few minutes to test your video call camera and video conference lighting. In this test run, have your buddy point out any glare they see, report how your sound is working and comment on your background. Making little adjustments before you’re actually on a video chat will put you at ease when it’s the real deal.

Prepare yourself

In order to feel ready for video calls, consider a little preparation before you hit Join. Prepare by:

• Knowing who will be on the call
• Having coffee, water, pen and paper nearby
• Using the restroom
• Preparing some positive small talk ideas in case there is downtime waiting for people to join
• Gathering links ahead of time to share in the chat
• Creating an agenda and sharing it with the group in the chat or ahead of time
• Taking a few meditating deep breaths
• Listening to some uplifting tunes

During the call

Lights, camera, action! During the call, there are also ways you can look and come off as cool, calm, collected and professional. Let’s explore.

Arrive early

Just like you would arrive early to an in-person meeting, the same applies to a video chat. Arriving late to video calls starts the call off on a bad foot for both you and the person on the other end. They’re going to be annoyed waiting for you, and when you do arrive, you’ll be flustered and rushed. It’s not a good look. Instead, plan to log in and arrive or hang out in the waiting room at least five minutes early to ensure you’re there and ready even if technical issues arise.

Give a happy “Hello”

Instead of a mumbled “Hi,” opt for a natural smile, a cheerful “Hello” and a wave. Yes, a wave with your hand. People respond to hand gestures making a wave a great way to kick off a call and project confidence while putting others on the call at ease.

Back away from the camera

During your test run and throughout the actual call, pay attention to your position in relation to the camera. Try to position your screen two to three feet away and slightly above you so the camera is angled slightly down on you. The reason behind this is simple: While your face is the main point of a video call, users also respond well to hand movements, which increase your charisma. If all that is seen on the screen is your face, viewers won’t see your hand gestures. Make sure your whole upper torso is centered on the screen and that you use hand motions when you talk and present.

Incidentally, having your hands within view of the camera also proves to the audience that you are paying attention when they’re speaking. This means you aren’t multi-tasking and doing something off-screen that diverts your attention from the meeting.

Look at the camera

One mistake most people make on video calls is to look at themselves the whole time. Don’t do that. Focus on the person you’re speaking with. Or look directly at the video call camera to make eye contact with your audience. The personal connection is the value of a video chat. Ensure it happens, and you aren’t just staring at yourself the whole time.

Don’t be afraid to mute

If there is background noise around you—even the quiet hum of the dishwasher or washing machine, use your mute button. If you worry that a dog will bark or a kid will scream, use your mute button. No one on the video chat will be offended if you mute yourself when you aren’t speaking. Just be sure you know how to take yourself off mute quickly when you need to talk.

Focus on what you deliver

Sure, it’s important to dress and look professional for a video call, but that’s about the extent to which you should worry about your appearance. Don’t focus on bags under your eyes or your (perceived) double chin. Instead of worrying about your appearance, focus on what you bring to the meeting. That is, after all, the point of the video call.

Need more help?

By now, you should feel confident about preparing and presenting yourself in your next video chat. Feel even more prepared with Ooma. Videoconferencing is part of the Ooma Office Pro and Pro Plus plans, and provides tools to enhance your next video chat, such as background noise suppression, screen sharing, a meeting recording option, live captioning, an online whiteboard and the opportunity to preview your on-camera appearance before your call.