Let's just not make it NORMAL, 3 Common Virtual Meeting Mistakes

Only when things were getting back to normal and most of us took a sigh of relief, the second wave hit us hard. Organizations are again shifting to Work from Home mode gradually. While we aren't sure when and how things would get back to normal but how about making 3 Common Virtual Meeting mistakes not NORMAL!

Mostly focus is always on the content and engagement factor, sometimes the virtual meeting set up stands tall as the biggest turn off for other attendees.

Here are 3 most common mistakes people make while setting up for their online meetings:

1. When the lighting doesn't LIGHT UP:

In virtual meetings, it is important to be seen and heard by the meeting fellows PROPERLY.  We have all been to virtual meetings where some participants can't be seen because of poor lighting quality.

A Quick Tip: Avoid setting up your camera where bright light is directly falling on your back such as in front of windows in day time. It would make us look backlit. Insufficient light in the room also makes us invisible during video calls. Ideally, light should fall on you from right and left side at 45 degrees to create a balance of light on your face or place the light in front of your face at a reasonable distance.

2. When camera shows either your nostrils or your head pores:

Bad placement of laptops also makes an uncomfortable view for others. The least attractive angles are from down below. Nobody wants to see our nostrils. It also looks odd when half part of the face is visible.

A Quick Tip: Elevate the laptop a few inches above your desk, a stack of thick books would serve the purpose well. Your eyes should naturally hit the top third of your screen when you look straight ahead. The rule is that your camera must be at your eye-level. Trust me it would be a more flattering view!

3. When the background is distracting:

The amount of comfort virtual meetings provide is amazing. Sitting in our cosy place with a mug of coffee in shorts that couldn't be seen by others, how wonderful but one thing that is very much there is your BACKGROUND. Yes, sorry to break it to you, many can see the bed back & pillows behind you. Background can be distracting for your audience and can take away the impact.

A Quick tip: Distracting and messy background is a bad background. Plain walls, book shelves, or curtains are preferable. Otherwise make sure your background is properly set.

I would like to assume you found these tips helpful & relevant because the only way to be sure about it is when you would comment "Yes Usman, good tips!"

Regards,

Usman Gulzari