Do some Feng shui ahead of time
- Make sure your surroundings are clean and uncluttered
- There should be enough light
- Make sure decorations are appropriate for the occasion
- Choose the right space
Get acquainted with the Software
Having the right software installed and being familiarized with it is key in order not to find yourself in embarrassing situations. If you’re not a tech savvy person, then at least make sure you know when the camera is recording and when it isn’t.
Make sure nobody can interrupt you
These situations probably wouldn’t cost you a job, but you can avoid an awkward situation by taking some simple measures:
- Be alone in the room
- Let the people you live with know you’re doing a video conference and when
- Ask them to be somewhere else while the video conference is taking place
- Lock the door
Do a test run
Before the actual video conference, call a friend or a coworker to test your hardware. It would be frustrating to go through all of this process only to find out during the video conference that your microphone is not working properly or the wifi connection is awful.
Things to check for:
- Image sharpness
- Internet connectivity
- Sound quality
- Compatibility with other software you might need during the video conference
Respect the video conference etiquette
During regular meetings, you’re expected to silence your phone and pay attention. Same thing applies for video conferences, except that there’s an added difficulty level since technology is involved. Still, if you keep these notes in mind then your video conference should go smoothly even if it is from home.
- Make sure the camera is at eye level
- Look to the camera instead of to the screen when you’re talking
- Mute the microphone when you’re not talking
- Dress like you’re going to a regular in person meeting
