ZOOM ZOOM! BETSY'S BEST DESIGN-WORTHY VIRTUAL MEETING TIPS

Are you still taking meetings in your PJ’s with a faux background of Bali behind you? It’s been over a year since we’ve all been working from home and spending copious amounts of time on Zoom. It’s time to take your Zooming to the next level. With Betsy’s easy to follow tips (as recorded on her podcast) you can put your best foot forward in no time!

Tip #1: Lights, Camera, Action

What’s more annoying than looking at blinding glare or a black hole? Nothing people. Nothing. Make sure your light source is in front of you and not behind. And for heavens sake keep the mirrors and glass artwork out of your office space.

Image via Mansion Global

Tip #2: Green Life

It only ups your credibility if you have a beautiful green, leafy plant behind you. For one, it says you can keep something alive (will anyone really know if it’s faux?) and secondly, plants emit a natural, organic energy to play against technology. Plus, they’re sculptural and just really pleasing to the eye

Image via Wayfair

Tip #3: No Bed Heads

You may be wearing 10 year old sweats (which, thank goodness no one can see) but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t present a professional setting. When attending a virtual meeting, keep it in a work frame of mind. If there’s a bed in the room, angle your screen so it can’t be seen. Bed head isn’t for the workplace and it’s not on-brand.

Image via Mansion Global

Tip #4: It’s All About the Shelves

Oh, how we love a styled bookshelf. Not too packed, not too empty, just right. A good way to DIY – Google “styled ladder bookcase” (or whatever type you have) and replicate the look with items you have laying around the house.

Image via Architectural Digest

Tip #5: Be Aspirational

Think about the person or people with whom you’ll be meeting. What can you place behind you to inspire and intrigue? Betsy has a very intentional gallery wall using her fave Benjamin Moore blue paint topped with bright white RIVA frames from IKEA. She knows this presentation excites her clients and helps them trust her design sensibility.

Tip #6: The Change-Up

If possible, change your background where appropriate. For clients, you may want to stick to that gallery wall. For business meetings, Betsy changes her angle to her what she calls her business wall which contains a map of her upcoming projects and a project pin board. Show yourself in your best light!

Image via House Beautiful

Tip #7: Don’t Kill The Messenger

Betsy has a two major no-no’s. The first is don’t take your meeting anywhere distracting. No traffic or people walking into your frame. It’s just hard to keep your mind on a meeting when we’re all watching the mailman deliver a package to the office across the street.

The second no-no you may not like. No fake Zoom backgrounds. Really. They make you look like you have something to hide; like you don’t want to let us see who you are and where you live. Plus, they don’t always align perfectly and lots of times we can see your real space peeking out. Not cool.

Image via Revved Design

So there you have it. Follow Betsy’s best Zoom tips and you’ll be impressing your fellow meeting attendees in no time.