Better Video Calls with a Few L.A.F.S.

Ah, video calls. Have we ever had so many? Gone are the days of hiding safely behind a keyboard or phone with omnipresent video calls upon us.

We feel stressed—always at the ready to have to turn on that camera at a moment's notice.

We feel awkward—with our face and environment on full display.

We feel exhausted—having to focus on these cameras and screens so much.

But, hey, it's the new normal, right? (Side note: I'd be fine never hearing that term again...amIright?)

Well, if you gotta do it, might as well look and sound your best by having a few L.A.F.S.

You see, there are four common mistakes people make when showing up to a video call. Making one is bad enough. String two, three, or four of them together and you look like a convict that just escaped through the prison sewer system.

Well, fear not intrepid Zoomsters because you, too, can look like the J-Lo and A-Rod of video calls by simply having a few L.A.F.S. Let's get after it...

L: Lighting

I've got one word for you—BACKLIGHT! It's the number-one way to ensure you will look horrendous on camera. Behold...

Aren't I hideous? The simple fix...don't sit with your back to a window and place a light source in front of you. Voila...

Hey, look at me! Great. Now that we've sorted out the lighting it's time to move on to...

A: Angle

If I had a nickel for for every time I've had to stare up someone's nose lately I'd have...well...a Dwayne Johnson-sized pile of nickels! To wit...

That's not flattering, is it? I'll answer for you; no, it's not. How can you fix it? There are a few simple options.

1. If you're using your laptop's built-in camera, place your laptop on a box or something that raises the camera to eye-level.
2. If you want to get a bit more fancy, there are a bunch of nice laptop risers that can adjust the height and angle of your laptop and camera.
3. If you're using a separate webcam, instead of clipping it to your laptop, try picking up a stand or arm on Amazon. If you have a small tabletop tripod, those work great, too.

Okay, now you're well-lit and no longer showing off the inside of your nasal cavity. That brings us to...

F: Framing

For some reason people have a tendency to fill the entire frame with their face. Like this...

Imagine if when we met with people in-person we were all nose-to-nose? Why so close? Zoom out. Sit back. Relax. This is a meeting, not a mugshot. Plus, if you zoom out a bit people can also see your hand motions, which makes the conversation even more natural.

See that? Look how natural I am! Alright, so now we're well-lit, at a good angle, and nicely framed. Just one last thing...

S: Sound

In today's video-call world, it's not enough just to look good; you also have to sound good. Fortunately, that's pretty easy to do...

1. Use your computer's built-in microphone. They're generally pretty good.
2. If you want to step-up the sound quality you can use an external USB microphone.
3. Needless to say, eliminate all background noise (kids, dogs, lawnmowers, jackhammers, opera singers, horror movie scream rehearsals...you get the idea).
4. Close programs that ding and dong like email and chat messages.

So, that's it. Have a few L.A.F.S. and you're good to go. Dial-in your Lighting, fix your Angle, Frame yourself nicely, speak naturally for good Sound, and Bob's your uncle.

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