Tech
I
was watching a TV
interview with a
government minister and
he was sitting in his kitchen
with a mess behind him, in
a suit and tie – and that got
me thinking. Whilst he was
sporting a ‘business as usual’
dress code, the image was
completely out of context.
First of all, who wears a suit
and tie in a kitchen? Second,
why the kitchen in the first
place?
Most meetings and events
are now taking place online.
From regular internal
meetings to external client
meetings and conference
calls, as well as education
and industry-wide events,
and image is even more
important than ever. But
what sort of image? During
lockdown we want to look
as professional as possible,
and whilst you might hate
the idea of having to shave
or do your hair and make-
up, it is still as important
to look your best within
an appropriate context
and make sure that the
technology you are using
is optimised. So, I have
put together some tips for
readers to create better
viewing experiences for
colleagues, clients and
other professionals they are
engaging with online.
Top ten tips to looking good
online
1. Always use a quality
HD webcam, or good
quality internal camera
and microphone. Its best
to use either a desktop
computer or a laptop. The
connection on an iPad,
smartphone or tablet
is not always stable or
Putting your best foot first
Tech expert James Morgan explores how to look
your best in a digitally connected world
good enough quality.
During a call do not
make too many extreme
movements as some
webcams and internal
cameras are not always
capable of displaying
extreme movements
without stuttering (lag).
2. Make sure you have a fast,
stable internet connection
in order to transmit
images. A fixed line rather
than WiFi will provide a
better signal. If you are in
a busy home environment
and members of
the household are
downloading lots of data,
you may want to ask them
to stop during your call so
that the upload speed is
not affected.
3. Place the webcam at the
right height so that you
do not have to look down
or upwards, to avoid
the ‘double chin’ or the
‘dark eye socket’ look. If
you are using a built-in
webcam on a laptop, place
the laptop approximately
20cm higher than your
eyeline. You can use a few
books to create the height
required. Have a look at
the shot and make sure
that your eyes are in the
top third of the screen.
You don’t need to be
centre screen. You can be
off centre to create space
to the left or right of
the shot frame and with
something interesting in
the background.
4. The backdrop is just
as important as seeing
you. People love to look
into others personal
space. A decorated
wall with pictures or a
bookcase is much more
interesting than the
fridge in the kitchen.
Some of the popular
meetings platforms such
as Whereby and Zoom
have an option to add a
virtual background. This
can be fun, or you could
create a slide and save it
is an image that has your
company logo, or image of
your last event being used
as the backdrop.
5. Daylight is the best
lighting to work with.
Sit in front of a window,
facing the window. Do not
have a strong light source
behind you or sit with
your back to the window.
The webcam will have to
compensate for the large
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