Zoom, Zoom, Zoom...

I have been on three ZOOM calls today and we are only halfway through. It is becoming very clear video conferencing is here to stay and will not fade away if and when the pandemic retreats.

I made some notes today of ZOOM FAILS that are important for you to consider:

1. Consider your staging! Today I was on a six person speaker call with 100 plus participants on view only mode. Three of the six presenters were "broadcasting" from their bedrooms. While flowery bed covers are soothing they don't impress a business seriousness. Nor did I find appealing one of the speakers who had three sweatshirts hanging from the wall behind him. Impressive den book cases stocked with trash novels, comic book binders, the history of Kama Sutra and political extremist works also don't impress. Think the background view behind the Lincoln Desk in the oval office or the Arizona Cardinals GM's family room during the NFL draft...

2. Anything less than business casual is unacceptable. None of us are the late Steve Jobs. Save the black t-shirts for audio only and please comb your hair. On one call today I was notably impressed by how great a blond haired woman had succeeded at being perfectly styled, pandemic be dammed...

3. Invest in a great, pro quality, bluetooth headset, ear buds or EarPods. Computer audio is mediocre at best. With high end headsets you have "active noise canceling" options. Great ones reduce the impact of outside gardeners, dogs barking, ceiling fans, loud TVs from apartment next door, etc... for you the listener and for those listening to you. I am a big fan of Jabra 75 headsets, Jabra 65t buds and Plantronics Voyager over the ear setups. Worth every penny!..

4. Do your best to appear attentive. Same skill as a boring in-person meeting. If your eyes are darting the room, glancing down at your phone or closing slowly it is a very bad impression. Toothless smiling, interspersed with appropriate looks of gravitas, directly at the camera, is your best look. Think Ron Burgundy or better yet Walter Cronkite...

5. Upgrade your Wi-Fi connection. Locked video and every third word audio doesn't cut it. If you appear like an astronaut from the Apollo missions no one will be impressed. $50 more dollars a month is cheap to appear a 21st Century video warrior. One small step...

Looking forward to ZOOMing with you soon!

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