Watch Your Back
This is an amazing time in our history, with the entire world trying to figure out how to keep going and be isolated at the same time. Many corporations are deciding to allow telecommuting into the foreseeable future. Most of my current work in training executives from Fortune 500 companies now involves using a video platform. I really enjoy the experience, even as others find it less intimate than in-person meetings. To some extent, this can be true, but if you adjust your thinking, you may find meetings via video platforms enjoy an intimacy of their own.
Think about it. During a video meeting, you can see your image in addition to the person you’re talking to, which means you can monitor and adjust your reactions and how they’re being perceived in real time. The speaker appears only a nose away—which is kinda’ cool especially if you’ve ever been in the back of an audience where the speaker seems a football field distance away from you.
It’s essential that you pay attention to your video background. What do your viewers see when they video conference with you? Is it just you in front of a screen and a plain wall, or do they glimpse into your bedroom? Are you sitting on your bed?
I have been stymied by the number of people I’ve met with during video meetings who are unkempt to the point of having bedhead. Even if you’re meeting with colleagues or a client you also consider a friend, your background matters. What you’re showing is sending a message: The person sitting on a bed can’t be trusted. Why? You didn’t take the requisite steps to make the viewer / chat partner feel important and respected enough to dress appropriately or even deign to get out of bed for the meeting. Would you walk into a traditional office situation in your PJs? I doubt it. Yet, I’ve met with people on video chat wearing their wrinkled, slept-in jammies. What the….?
If you live in a small dwelling and the only place where there’s decent light is in your bedroom, consider having something behind you to block out your personal space. Invest in a portable screen that folds up and can be stored in a closet or corner of a room when not in use. These screens cost anywhere from $9.00 to hundreds of dollars. Whatever your budget, you should be able to find a great solution to both show respect for your audience and cover up the private areas in your life. Also, many video platforms have a function that can blur your actual background or provide you with a virtual background. With Zoom, for example, you can choose from their offerings or upload a background of your own.
Work via video is here to stay. Even if we ever go back to the office, it’s not going away, so you need to find a way to put your best foot forward on screen.
Get more tips about getting out of your own way in Your Self Sabotage Survival Guide by Karen Berg: https://tinyurl.com/y786t4ax