How Can You Look Good When You Present at a Videoconference?

I have given dozens of presentations at in-person conferences over the years, but now everything needs to be online. That means, at least for now, no more uninspiring talks in a crowded, musty room with dim lighting. No more trying to show PowerPoint on a conference center projector that doesn’t work. Professional life, however, still requires us to attend conferences, so now we are going on Zoom (or whatever software your organization uses).

I’ll skip the technical stuff – thousands of people know more about that than I do – and just talk about making a good visual impression. I will write about vocal delivery and visual aids sometime later.

First, how should you dress? Suggestion: dress the way you think your boss will dress. How will the top people at the conference dress? Follow their lead. You don’t want to look like an also-ran; you want to look like someone who could lead the conference yourself in a few years. What counts as dressy casual for your group? For men, maybe a nice, long-sleeved dress shirt and a jacket with an open collar. That worked for former President Obama in his May 2020 commencement speech. For women, consider wearing a nice blouse and jacket. Is there a tropical vibe? A tasteful aloha shirt could be fine. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with full business attire, but, then, I’m a bit old-fashioned.

If you are a main presenter, and not a mere conference attendee, then please dress the part. If you want people to think that you're important, you need to look important.

For everybody, watch out for wrinkles. Avoid stripes and vibrant colors. Cameras love to show every wrinkle and they hate stripes. Solid colors are safest. In pre-pandemic days, I usually wore a white dress shirt at live conferences, but, on-camera, that's risky unless you are a lighting expert. Consider light blue or beige.

Unless this is a hiking and camping conference, absolutely avoid T-shirts, jeans, and anything that a teenager would wear to a picnic

In any case, never underestimate how important it is to project a professional appearance. Should people judge you by how you dress? Of course not. Do they judge you by how you dress? Yes, all the time. Deal with it.

Next, watch your background! Dr. Anthony Fauci set the Internet on fire when he testified online from his book-littered home office. His role was to be an academic expert, and the massive book pile established his ambiance. I’m sure he didn’t think about it for a minute, but it was a terrific look – for him. That same look would not work for a company CEO. Obama gave his graduation speech in front of neutral, neatly-arranged shelving. Most of us will want to keep the background simple.

Please, please, make sure there’s nothing embarrassing behind you. If you’re trying to show people that you're professional, you don’t want to get 10,000 views on YouTube of your overflowing trash can. 

If you're speaking from your home office, use a critical eye to check behind you while you are setting up. Imagine that your worst office enemy will pour over your background looking for a way to criticize you behind your back (so to speak). Or, if you want to invest a few bucks, would you like to use plain photographic background paper (not white)? It's boring, but how can you go wrong? If you wish, you can backlight it softly and gently.

Finally, use a zoom lens, if you have one, to focus on your head and shoulders. If your image is just going to be a tiny square on a computer screen (or, worse, on someone's 6-inch cell phone), you want people to see your face. That makes it easier for you to maintain eye contact with the camera and interact with your audience. And, yes, even if you don’t see them, they can see you! Why a zoom lens? If you get a close-up with a wide-angle lens, your nose and mouth will look too big. Not even Katy Perry can look good that way. Most of us look our best if the camera points directly to the face, and maybe just a tiny, tiny bit to the top and side. A high angle can make you look weak, while a low angle reminds people of Boris Karloff.

In other words, you want people to notice you, but you want them to notice you in a good way. Just because many people are quarantined does not mean that conferences aren’t important. We still need to make that human connection, no matter what profession or walk of life happens to be. We need to learn from other people; we need to stay in touch; we need to share what we know with others. How else can we grow?

We will still need to talk about PowerPoint, vocal presentation, microphone use, and so forth. Maybe later . . . keep an eye on my blog.  

Follow-up Post: How Can You Sound Good at a Video Conference?

P.S. Yes, they do make zoom webcams. They are expensive. I can’t afford one myself but, if you can, good for you. Check any photo or electronics store website.

P.P.S. You are using a computer or tablet with a webcam, aren't you? Surely you're not using a cell phone to attend a professional online conference, are you? Don't all of my readers know better than that?