Many of us find ourselves in completely different circumstances right now than a year ago and for many using Zoom or video conferencing has become an everyday normality. People are regularly finding themselves on camera but they can find it all quite daunting too! Staring at a camera can feel uncomfortable.
The set up of your call and getting your brand image across is so powerful and in this series I have given you an insight and reminder of the easy and quick ways you can level up your Zoom style confidence for your personal brand.
So far we have covered how to look good on screen and how to ensure you have the right set up around you but none of this will come across well unless you have the right lighting around you for your call.
#5 - Lighting is key
Good lighting is the key to how you are seen, sitting in front of a window with plenty of natural daylight filtering into the room is ideal. However, I understand that you don't all have this set up so you will need to create the correct lighting for your room.
Lighting should ideally be in front of you, if you have a light above you it casts shadows, from behind you become a dark silhouette, too bright and you can look washed out. So lighting from the front is best. Change the bulbs in your lamp for daylight bulbs or invest in a ring light that you can stand in front of your device or attach to your phone. You want an even distribution of light directly on your face. You don't want the light to come from below or above you. This can get technical and there are lots more lights you can add but this is a simple and effective way to get your lighting right.
Note: If you use a ring light and wear glasses be aware the light will show up in your glasses lenses so angle the light to the side slightly or move it further away from your face to combat this.
Finally, becuase we all love a bonus... I will leave you with my final tip for Zoom confidence ...
Bonus Tip - Where to look!
Difficult to do I know, but honestly one of the best final tips I can give! You want to come across as being engaged a, you ideally want to look like you are talking directly to your client or you audience. I know its tempting to look at the persons picture on the screen in the gallery, but what they see is you looking down or over to the side - not at them!
When you are speaking, look direclty at the camera - you can usually see this lit up in green, if not place a post it note with the words ' look here ' and an arrow directly next to the camera. Once you get used to this though people will feel more connected to you - genuinely.
And finally a few housekeeeping rules for Zoom- If you are going on a video call and you are not the host always mute yourself on entry, the microphone picks up every noise and believe e nobody wants to hear you shuffling around or whispering to people beyond the camera! It's so easy to unmute yourself when you need to. Also don't switch your camera view off unless you really need to. If you want to be seen as being an engaged participant in the conversation or the event keep your camera switched on.
If you want to Power Up your confidence for work or in your brand image why not book a Personal Branding Power Hour with me and let's get you out from behind your logo, style confident and visible in your image.
Janine
Style Coach & Brand Image Consultant.
Online and face to face VIP services available
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