Do you look, or even care, at what is behind virtual participants in meetings? Unfortunately, I do. When I started my virtual business I was so concerned about the wall behind my desk (my Zoom Wall) that it became a mission to find an array of things to hang on the wall behind me. I started drawing out my idea placement and what those things would look like and include. I am not sure why this was so important to me, but if you think about it, a virtual wall can show your personality, that you are a professional, and that you care about your virtual appearance.
Some people blur out the background, but I suppose I am part Italian because I talk with my hands and this filter doesn't seem to work so well for me, as little glimpses of things in the room show up when I move around too much.
Here’s what I recommend when thinking about your virtual appearance and virtual office:
1. Find a permanent place in your home to make your new fab office. It’s important to make sure this place is quiet, noise free, and is a place you feel comfortable. I gutted a spare room and started moving in.
2. Take time to plan out your space. This requires planning ahead. scoping out your new area and making it your own. Drawing out your ideas of what you want your office, or space, to look like. For example, my vision included a clock in the center of everything, because...let's face it... time management is everything in my business. I also wanted to remind others of how much time we are spending during meetings. Hopefully, keeping us both on track.
3. Start shopping for the items to place on the wall. I went to Wal-Mart, Target, and Michaels. I printed off poster-size pictures from a photo kiosk that mean something to me and that would fit in the inexpensive frames I purchased. "Joie de Vivre" means the Joy of Life (someone once described me with these words, so they are special to me), a picture of a succulent (I am quite the succulent hoarder), some local art purchased at a local flea market, seashells, my initial, and a couple of plants.
4. Put it all together. Using your drawn design, start in the middle and work your way out. If you can't use a hammer, find someone who can. My husband was the lucky one in my case.
5. Someone once told me to dress for success. I took that to heart and always make sure that my makeup is done and that I have on something that I feel good in. I pair a dressy top with denim cut offs (or maybe some dressy shorts if I'm feeling it).
6. Try using a lot of eye contact. During the call, I place what I need to look at the most during the call right under the camera so that it looks like I am looking at the person I am talking to. This is much harder to do when you are sharing your screen.
7. Don't eat on camera! Make sure that you have a snack prior to jumping on a call with your client or team.
8. Lastly, did you know that you can change your appearance on Zoom? Play around with the settings. Go into the gear in the upper right corner, click video, touch up my appearance, and drag that little ball to the right! It's fantastic!
Decorating your virtual wall and dressing for success is a powerful way to say "I'm in business and I'm professional!"
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