Zoom Rule #1: No ceiling fans or nostrils

Chances are when you were little, your parents told you things like:

• never touch a hot stove
• always look both ways before crossing the street

• and if someone invites you to the Super Bowl, say yes.

Still waiting for that last one to apply to me...

Which brings me to working from home, and the ever-present Zoom meeting. (or Teams, Google Meet, etc.).

How you show up on camera matters. And yes, you should show up on camera.

As for "how" you show up on camera, follow this advice.

No ceiling fans. No nostrils.

Imagine you are an anchorman, in the tradition of Peter Jennings, John Oliver, and Ron Burgundy.

Your camera should be at eye height..

you should be looking right into the camera...

and above all else, Stay Classy.

Now occasionally one of my coaching clients will struggle with implementing this advice.

• They may not have a standing desk or another way to prop up their laptop.

I remind them that the camera hides what you use to prop up your computer...so fine to use cardboard boxes, overdue library books or even a Home Depot 5-gallon bucket.

Here's a couple of my home office set-ups once upon a time...and you'll notice another "SIP" in the screenshot.

• Don't like speaking to a lifeless green dot?

Take a sticky note and draw a smiley face on it...and place it just above your camera.

No Post-It notes hanging around your home office?

Find a picture of your dog or a family member, and spend your meeting speaking to that familiar face : )

Working from home and powering through hours upon hours of virtual meetings is still fairly new to most of us. Now is the time to boost your habits on this front.

So give these 2 SIPs a try: elevate your camera and speak to a familiar photo.

...and if you are brave, share a screenshot of your setup in the comments. We can all learn from one another on this front.