Working from home? 5 tricks to look great in your Zoom meetings
Appearing good should be your top priority
As we prepare ourselves for two more weeks of working from home (at the very least), we’re also bracing for even more Zoom meetings at all hours of the day. Sure, you can turn off the video setting on Zoom so no one realises you’ve not had a bath or haven’t shaved for the last three days but even you’d recognise the frustration of looking at a blank screen instead of a face during a video call. Now, we understand that facing a camera may not be everyone’s cup of tea, which is why we’re listing out these five tricks to help you look your best so you feel confident enough to turn on that camera during your next Zoom meeting
1. Clean up
No amount of setting changes will help if you’ve chosen to not groom yourself well. So, instead of looking like you’ve just got out of bed and sat before your computer, it would help to actually take a shower, shave etc and look presentable before the camera. Keeping a routine – which includes waking up on time, taking a shower and dressing up for work as if you would if you were going to your workplace -- is one of the many ways you can also be more productive. The fact that it will help you look better on your next Zoom call is just an added bonus.
2. Get your lighting right
When it comes to facing the camera, lighting is crucial. The way you set yourself up while working may not always be a flattering in front of the camera. Which is why most often, people tend to look like silhouettes against a bright window because they’re with the back to it. A bright background causes the camera to underexpose and the person across the line can only see an outline of your frame. It helps to face the brightest side of your room (say, your window) during your next Zoom call. Alternatively, you can simply invest in a small ring light that attaches to your display or laptop and gives you plenty of light that helps you look your best.
3. Clean up your room
We understand it’s your home and homes aren’t necessarily always presentable. While you don’t have to go about cleaning every single room of your house (although it would help to know that you need to clean these six things more often than you usually do) it would help to make sure that the background your colleagues see is presentable. A pile of unclean laundry is definitely a no-no and while a blank wall isn’t unacceptable, you could do well with pointing your camera to a wall with, say, a painting or a photograph or even a bookshelf. If you have absolutely no interesting backdrop to offer, consider setting a custom background that hides everything that’s behind you.
4. Adjust your camera
Your camera angle is crucial in the way you’re seen. A low angle tends to offer the least flattering view of the person in front of the camera. Not to mention the fact that no one necessarily likes to see the hair in your nose. Adjust your laptop or phone in a manner that the camera is at your hairline and pointed ever so slightly downwards. Always look into the camera while speaking and not at the screen (as most people do) and you’ll see how you nail that next meeting.
5. Use the beauty filter
Zoom’s beauty filter was perhaps a game-changer in the video-calling space. Use it. Turn on the ‘touch up my appearance’ option that applies a skin smoothing filter to your camera and makes you look camera ready, even if you’ve just stumbled out of your bed for the meeting.
