We all want to make a good impression when representing our business to others. In the world of virtual offices, that often means using video conferencing and calls. Here are some of the best virtual office practices for making those video calls successful.
Camera
The cameras built into laptops can be disappointing. Many of them are only 720p resolution. As an author at Digital Trends put it “You can find a better front-facing camera on a $200 phone than on a $2,000 laptop.” If you want to look like a 1970’s news anchor, then leave the camera alone. But if you want to put a better image forward, especially if your business is related to technology or creativity, then using an external camera is probably a good idea. There are many affordable options that support 4K UHD resolutions. In a pinch, you can use your cell phone as the camera (on a tripod) since the camera in it is likely better than the one on your laptop.
Lighting
Some rooms are lit quite well, while others present challenges. We don’t want to sit facing a brightly lit window because it is hard for us to see and it lights us poorly. Likewise, sitting with our back to the window makes it difficult for the camera and leaves us either underexposed or the background washed out. LED ring lights are one of the inexpensive options that can help this problem. Many ring lights or LED panels have color adjustments that allow you to fine-tune the lighting for the particular room or time of day.
Improving Performance
Nobody wants their video to be choppy or freezing up. Even though we all understand that sometimes those things are unavoidable and beyond our control, there is still the danger of giving the impression that you are using old equipment or a slow connection because you don’t value those things. Improving the performance of your computer can help make your best virtual office impression. We love all things wireless, but in the case of video conferencing, wired is better. There is a reason that high-level gamers used a wired connection. The signal is more consistent and at the highest speed possible.
If a hard-wired connection isn’t an option for your setup, try to move closer to the router and have a direct line of sight. Using applications like Speedtest.net can help you see if your speed changes with different locations.
Close Them Down
Closing down other programs and applications that you are not using during the video conference can help your computer perform better. Not only does this keep unused programs from draining resources from your laptop, but it makes it cleaner for you to navigate during the meeting. Nobody likes trying to share a document on a screen and accidentally putting up their email inbox… or something worse.
Related to that, it is a good idea to shut off notifications and close up any messaging applications. If we are sharing our screen, those notifications are, at best, a distraction. At worst, they could be embarrassing and even cost us a business relationship.
We shared some success tips in a previous post, so you may want to check that out as well.
First Street Executive Suites offers virtual offices starting at $99.00 a month. You can have a prestigious business address in the historic Earnhardt building in downtown Fort Myers. Take a virtual tour of your new virtual office and start seeing the possibilities. Contact us for questions and details of the different packages.