Without a person in front of us, it can be difficult to come across as comfortable and attentive during a video teleconference. Below are a few guidelines that address this dilemma:
Shut down programs that send notifications. This will limit distractions and annoyances. Notifications may be easy to ignore when working on your own; when they pop up during a virtual meeting, however, they take on distracting and derailing superpowers – combating your efforts to make the other participants feel valued, understood, and heard.
Wear camera-friendly clothes Avoid overly bright and very dark colors as well as busy patterns. The first two can blur on the screen. Busy patterns can be distracting and appear distorted.
Be mindful of gestures Because space is small, small gestures can be distracting. Keep arm and hand movements within the width of your body to avoid turning your body language into distracting gibberish.
Following simple, practical rules can turn a virtual meeting into another arrow in your quiver for generating business and advancing your career.
