Zoom Zoops
Zoop. The “oops” moment on Zoom. When something you wish hadn’t happened, happened. We’ve all become used to the everyone-on-video meetings during the pandemic, and now we’re adapting to the “hybrid zoom” meeting. Here’s a quick checklist of almost 20 things for you to (re)consider about how you show up on Zoom.
- You’ve got eyes. Actually look at the camera. It’s interpreted as paying attention. Beware of the camera height: too high, and we’ll think you’re looking to the skies; too low, and we get to see exactly what shade of eye make-up you wear. And we can usually tell when you’re actually reading email.
- Show your hands. Especially if you’re a gesturer. The “you” in real life encompasses more than just your chin to your hairline. Sometimes hands are our primary point of expression.
- Don’t be a speck in the dark. Yes, I just said to zoom out a bit in the point above; but don’t do it so much so that we’re actually looking at your entire home office, which you just happen to be in.
- Invest in a good one. Camera that is. A $200 investment is not a lot for your image … plus you’ve saved more than that on suits and shoes last year.
- Get lit. Consider a (built in) light. You don’t want to be the villain in the shadow in the dark.
- Jumbotron it. Consider a big display monitor so you can actually see life-sized faces, even in gallery mode.
- Lift your buns. Consider a standing desk option – which can even just sit on top of your worktop. Our backs don’t appreciate marathon Zoom days and standing is supposedly better for your health anyway. Plus, you’ll get a more grounded and assertive presence. And maybe buns of steel.
- Think like Alex. We’ve likely grown up with “in person meeting” styles and white boards but we likely haven’t had training in on-screen presentation. Think about how Alex Tribek, the Jeopardy game show host presented for 37 seasons. He doesn’t look like a stiff news cast reader. Plus, he was Canadian-American like me.
- Beware the background. Depending on how much you move, background filters can make you look like a magician cutting their hands or head off and magically putting them back on.
- Trespassers will be shot. Chair climbing cats, face licking dogs, and the occasional undressed housemate may be cute, but they can be distracting (either good or bad). Or, just plain embarrassing.
- Catch the clutter. While many of us use home offices for other things like gyms, bedrooms and even laundry rooms, some people really don’t want to know so much about your personal life (or maybe you don’t want them to). I seriously had a client who forgot their ironing board & lingerie were drying in the background.
- Know on from off. Check the mute and video buttons. Sometimes gremlins (well, fingers) accidentally change them. We all have a funny story about that. Hopefully not our own story.
- Consider reacting. Those little hearts and waves, if culturally appropriate, stand out more than raised hands, nods and smiles.
- Beware the share. Unanticipated “can you share your screen?” moments reveal what else is also on your computer desktop. And that includes incoming messages if you aren’t careful. Lots of potential for embarrassment with that one.
- You’ve got the look. Sometimes the look of spinach stuck in your teeth after lunch. It may not be noticeable live, but it sure is on up close and personal “speaker view.”
- Screen-shot-not. Remember that anything … yes, anything, can be screen shot with a com-shift-4 (at least on a Mac). It’s silent, and you never know where preliminary finances and juicy performance reviews might end up.
- Are you out there? Know the protocols for turning videos off (temporarily) in meetings. It might mean you just didn’t need to be seen and are saving bandwidth, or it might mean you’ve left for lunch.
- What’s the attire? In general, we’ve become more casual over zoom in the last several months. But as many return to the office and “office casual,” your jammies and unwashed face may not send the message that you’re “just working from home.”
Just some things to think about. Any good ones I’ve missed (like #19 and #20)?
Anna Minto
Founder & CEO, Transformational Change
LinkedIn.com/in/annaminto
Anna Minto - Transformational Change 
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