First impressions are everything, even when they’re being made on camera and not in-person. Having a clean, put-together personal appearance is of the utmost importance when presenting online. But while you’re deciding what tie to wear or how to fix your hair, don’t forget about making what’s behind, to the side, and around you look nice, too. The appearance of the room will also be in their view, and it should be looking its best to make you look good.
In just five steps, you can have your space looking nice, neat, and ready to impress for your next videoconference.
Table of Contents
Uncross your wires
Cables and cords are often in abundance in conferencing rooms due to the many technologies that businesses employ when holding virtual meetings. Make sure that all of your cables, cords, dongles, etc. are in good working order and not broken or tangled. Use only the exact number of cables that you need, and put the rest away in a drawer or closet. Keep the cables out of sight – no one wants to see that distracting mess when they’re trying to videoconference!
Eliminate unnecessary clutter
The term “unnecessary clutter” is actually a little redundant, because anything that’s in the room and isn’t necessary can be considered clutter. If there are papers, books, and other materials piled in the room from some other meeting (or put in there for storage), relocate it somewhere else, even if temporarily, for the duration of the meeting. Make sure trash cans are empty and not visible to remote attendees, and that the room is free of odors, as bad smells can be distracting to in-room event participants.
Eliminate background noise
There’s physical clutter, and then there’s sound clutter – those pesky background noises that serve no purpose but to distract from the videoconference. Silence is golden, as it keeps the meeting from getting off-course when sounds interrupt. Before starting, make sure that everyone’s devices are placed on silent – there’s nothing more annoying than a stream of “pings” or “beeps” when you’re trying to think. Your conference space should already be in a quiet area, so maintain that and make sure to keep the door closed to any outside interference.
Move extra furniture and equipment
One thing that can really cramp your video conferencing style is having too many chairs, tables, and other furniture in the room. A little extra is fine, but if there is a huge difference between the number of people in the conference room and the amount of furniture, move it out of the way. The same goes for equipment; if there is a TV and DVD player on a stand, for example, and you don’t need it for the meeting, it’s best to roll it out of the way.
Wipe down windows and surfaces
You might not think that online event participants can see your dirty windows, dusty computer screens, and smudged surfaces, but in certain lighting they might actually be quite visible. To avoid this embarrassment, give everything a quick wipe-down beforehand. There’s nothing like a fresh, clean meeting room to get your videoconference off to a good start.
Loading...
