We should probably get good at Zoom calls. Even when social distancing is relaxed, many groups and businesses may still use virtual meetings and webinars to connect participants and members. I miss meeting with people in person, but I also recognize the benefits of virtual meetings and webinars, so I imagine some combination of in-person and on-line as we all go forward.

And, of course, as I offer suggestions about getting better at virtual calls, I’m not talking just about Zoom. These suggestions could work for Google Meet, Skype, FaceTime, etc.!

Load your virtual meeting app(s) on all your devices. Because sometimes tech fails or hits a snag. Or your device isn’t fully charged and you don’t realize that until 2 seconds before this week’s virtual staff meeting. It is good to have options.

Look around you, and look through your camera’s lens:

• Early on in this social distancing time, I considered what I want people to see around me as I attend webinars. (A friend shared on FB how her parents were attending family Zoom calls but the camera was always pointed at the ceiling fan.)
• While you ARE NOT ON A CALL, try out different spaces in your home for the best vantage point of what is behind you. Turn the camera on your laptop / iPad on and take a tour to find a nice backdrop. Perhaps you like the framed Chicago sports pictures on the wall behind your couch, or a warm and cozy bookshelf look in your office, or the nondescript sunset picture on your bedroom wall (just so long as it doesn’t look like a bedroom wall – awkward!).
• Make sure you choose a backdrop that won’t change – like if your backdrop is near a door where people might wander through during your call!
• Check your devices for the best camera. After some research (read “trial and error”), we determined my Ipad camera is better than my laptop camera. If I am presenting and need to share my screen for a handout, then I need to use my laptop. But for a better camera, I can use my Ipad.

OR… Consider Using a Virtual Background.

• Also in the first weeks of this strange time, I tried out virtual backgrounds for my Zoom calls. I quickly discovered my laptop camera did not support virtual backgrounds without a green screen (which I did not have). If you’ve looked lately, on-line vendors aren’t shipping green screens until August.
• My first solution was to create a green screen using green foam board, green masking tape and binder clips from a local office or educational supply store to mount the whole thing on the wall behind me. This works well!
• The other solution is for Zoom calls that I attend (but not deliver). I attend on my iPad for that better camera, to support the background better with or without the green screen.
• Plan ahead for the virtual background, and BEFORE your next meeting populate your saved photos for virtual backgrounds.

Once you have chosen your space, pay attention to lighting.

• Don’t use overhead lighting, it casts unflattering shadows.
• Don’t rely on daylight since much can change in an hour.
• Use soft lighting in front of your face or to each side (almost equally).
• Lighting is one of those areas in which the following is true: “You won’t notice it if it is good, but you will certainly notice if it is bad.”

Bring Your Supplies With You. If your chosen space is not your usual seating spot (one of mine is at my desk but the other is in a different room where I can close the door), plan to bring supplies with you. I have a tray for my stuff that I need during my own virtual presentations. The tray hold tissues, water or tea, my phone and charger if necessary, laptop and mouse, iPad and stand, etc.

Practice, practice, practice. After you’ve added the apps to your devices, start a meeting on one, invite yourself and join from the other devices, and get used to navigating between them, choose the better and view, etc. If you have been in a call having technical difficulties, you know you don’t want to be that person!

Spend a little time and practice this week to put your best virtual self forward!