{"id":28694,"date":"2023-01-06T12:00:50","date_gmt":"2023-01-06T12:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hooplaimpro.com\/?post_type=resource&#038;p=28694"},"modified":"2023-01-06T12:29:22","modified_gmt":"2023-01-06T12:29:22","slug":"zoom-calls-stay-heres-properly","status":"publish","type":"resource","link":"https:\/\/www.hooplaimpro.com\/resource\/zoom-calls-stay-heres-properly","title":{"rendered":"Zoom calls are here to stay\u2026 here\u2019s how to do them properly"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Who\u2019d have thought, way back in January, that, \u2018Karen, you\u2019re on mute\u2019 would be one of the phrases of the year? And, oh how we laughed at that poor Professor when his kids came dancing into his office when he was live on TV. Now we\u2019re all trying to keep the show on the road while our three-year-old flicks soup at the kitchen wall, like a demented Jackson Pollock. Unfortunately, whether you are Zoom fatigued or not, virtual calls aren\u2019t going anywhere. Luckily, there are some easy wins to help you look the part.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Your set-up<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">First things first, make sure your face is well lit. We\u2019ve all been on calls where some numpty is sat in near darkness, his face silhouetted as if he\u2019s in the witness protection scheme. Bad lighting makes you look unprofessional, but there are some simple fixes. The secret is to have two different light sources, positioned so you get equal coverage on your face. Natural light from a window is best. If that isn\u2019t possible, use a couple of different sources of artificial light. To look like a real pro, I recommend buying a ring light off Amazon for around thirty quid.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Get your computer propped up on something so the camera is at your eye level. This ensures you are framed in the picture in a way that gives you maximal presence. You can buy a stand, but you needn\u2019t bother. I put mine on top of a big box of Articulate. Alternatively, you can play book Jenga-even Hilary Clinton does it.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Position your screen an arm\u2019s length away from you. This allows you to use your hands for emphasis when making points and, again, helps frame you nicely on the screen.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Delivery<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Watch your posture. It\u2019s easy to slump on virtual calls, but to project authority take up space. A quick hack here is to tuck your bum underneath your spine a little. This will push your chest out and pull your shoulders back. Stick a pillow behind your back for comfort and support.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If the camera adds ten pounds, then Zoom calls dilute our energy by about 20%. This means that when we speak virtually we need to be 20% more energised than if we were having a conversation face-to-face. That may feel mad to you sat in your living room, but the people on the other end of the call will appreciate it.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The biggest place energy shows up is in your voice. You don\u2019t need to go all Smashy and Nicey, but you need some light and shade otherwise you\u2019ll bore them to tears. And don\u2019t forget you are still allowed to pause: it\u2019s easy to forget there are human beings on the other end of the line and go into robot mode.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Make eye contact. You should be looking at the camera when you speak-not at people\u2019s faces on the screen. This can feel odd on virtual calls, but it adds intimacy in what can be an alienating medium. A good tip is to use a Post It note with a face drawn on and stick it near the camera to remind you to look into it.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Including others<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Don\u2019t monologue! In face-to-face meetings, we pick up on a load of non-verbal cues that tell us that other people want us to stop talking. Maybe they\u2019re bored? Or have something to contribute? Perhaps they are on fire? It\u2019s easy to miss many of these cues on virtual mediums. (And it\u2019s also harder for them to interrupt.) So, remember to keep it brief. And be more pro-active in bringing other people into the conversation, especially the natural introverts. Not only does this take the pressure off, you\u2019ll look more collaborative too.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is not Netflix! Research suggests that people behave worse on Zoom calls than they do in real life meetings. You can\u2019t just sit there passively, head slumped, with a face like a smacked arse. You\u2019re not a spectator, even though it feels like that, and your lack of engagement is contagious. Remember: we can see you. (I\u2019m looking at you NYT guy!) So, if you are going to put your hands down your trousers, do turn off your camera. Or, you know, do it on your own time.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Set yourself up to listen. Listening well is tricky, especially if you are on calls all day. To help, turn off your phone; shut down your email and internet browser; and activate the \u2018speaker view\u2019 function on Zoom. This way you can focus on what is being said, rather than wondering exactly what version of the karma sutra Dave in the middle window has got on his book shelf.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Don\u2019t have Zooms at all. I know, novel idea. But do you actually need to Zoom or would a phone call or email suffice? Online meetings are tiring for everyone and remember: you\u2019ve got soup to clear off the wall.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Max Dickins is author of <em>Improvise! Use the Secrets of Improv to Achieve Extraordinary Results at Work<\/em> which is out now. He is co-director of improvisation training company <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hooplaimpro.com\/\">Hoopla<\/a>! Hoopla run <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hooplaimpro.com\/improv-classes-london.html\">improv classes<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hooplaimpro.com\/improv-comedy-club-london-bridge.html\">shows<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hooplaimpro.com\/improv-corporate-training.html\">corporate training<\/a>.<\/strong><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":28696,"template":"","format":"standard","class_list":["post-28694","resource","type-resource","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","resource-category-corporate-resources"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Zoom calls are here to stay\u2026 here\u2019s how to do them properly | Hoopla<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hooplaimpro.com\/resource\/zoom-calls-stay-heres-properly\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Zoom calls are here to stay\u2026 here\u2019s how to do them properly | Hoopla\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Who\u2019d have thought, way back in January, that, \u2018Karen, you\u2019re on mute\u2019 would be one of the phrases of the year? 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