How to Zoom Confidently & Effectively

It’s been over a year of Zoom meetings and events and we’re sick of seeing people shrouded in bad lighting, with a cat face during a court appearance or with some unmentionable items in their video frame! Last month, we hosted an event to show how to craft an exceptional Zoom space so that your setup doesn’t detract from what you have to say.

We selected Anthony Bolognese, our very own Capital Hub council member, to host the panel and interview our other experts. Anthony owns Capitol Hill Photo, a professional photography business dedicated to making brands and individuals more marketable from top to bottom. He also owns Capitol Hill Clothiers, founded to keep the upper echelon of DC ready for the spotlight. 

For our experts, we lined up Sue Zoldak of the Zoldak Agency, who regularly appears in the media via her in house Zoom optimized office and Stephen Rowe, Director of Digital Training at the Leadership Institute who not only commands the camera with his personal and curated office setup but also with his energetic and friendly approach to virtual meetings. 

During the panel, we picked their brains and got the scoop on their secrets to Zoom success. Here’s a quick summary of what we covered: 

Question: Why does having a nice zoom space matter? 

Answer: Great lighting, picture quality, and a curated background convey professionalism and purpose in alignment with your personality and brand. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with a plain white wall behind you on a zoom call, creating an environment that exemplifies who you are, what you do, and how “put together” your environment (and as an added bonus, the perception of how “put together” your life) is will help you stand out way more than that solid white wall ever could. Even if every inch of your room off-camera is piled with laundry, what’s on camera matters!

Question: Can a virtual Zoom background be useful?

Answer: Short answer, a real set is better visually. Long answer, you can tailor the branding or information behind you far more easily with a virtual background, but play that game delicately. It should not distract from what you’re talking about by being too visually stimulating. Having your brand or contact information on-screen can be useful in Zoom networking events, speaking engagements, or other calls in which you want your brand to be recognizable.

Question: What are your tips for individuals in normal Zoom calls? (i.e. not presenting information, not being recorded, etc.) 

Answer: You can’t go wrong with good lighting and a simple background. Having a good balance of light that’s flattering for your skin tone/color and making sure the light in/on the background complements that is the best way to improve a zoom environment for any purpose. As for your background, you don’t need a whole podcast set, just a background that looks inviting and professional. Less is more!

Question: Do you have any tech recommendations?

Answer: The essentials are a quality microphone (Ranging from lower priced options like the Snowball or Yeti from Blue Microphones all the way up to a professional condenser microphone through an audio interface, good lighting such as a ring light or an LED light bar, and a good webcam from Logitech.

Thanks to our industry professionals Sue and Stephen, we’ve got a bit more clarity on what it takes to exceed expectations and make yourself stand out (in a good way) on Zoom calls. 

If an online event like this interests you, become a member at America’s Future today!