How to look professional on video calls

If you want to make a good first impression in that important business meeting, it is no longer about wearing the sharpest suit or the firmest handshake. In the modern world, it’s about making sure that the little Zoom window with your face in it projects professionalism. But this isn’t always easy. So what can you do to make sure your video calls project the right image? Here are some top tips. 

Let’s start really basic: If you absolutely must join the meeting on your phone and not your computer, then don’t hold it in your hand—prop it up against some books, or better still obtain a tripod or stand to hold it.

That way, your colleagues won’t see your picture swinging about wildly, distracting everyone, and the camera won’t suddenly look up your nose when you naturally pull your phone closer to your face.

How the light falls on our faces can make a big difference. So make sure that you don’t have a big, direct source of light behind you, like a window, because all it will do is make your face dark and hard to see—and that’s the most important part!

If you can make it work, the best thing to do is to design your lighting in the classic “three point” format: With one light directly on your face (the “key” light), one pointing at you from another angle to reduce the shadows, perhaps slightly more low down, or on the other side of your face (the “fill” light), and then a light low down, pointing up at you from behind (the “back” light).

It sounds complicated but it can be achieved with relative ease. For example, you could pick up a ring-light designed for video calls to sit directly behind your camera, then use your desk lamp as the fill—and then use either the light from your window or another lamp in the room as the backlight.

The built-in microphones inside our computers can be pretty good, but they’re never truly great. So if you have the budget, it’s worth spending the money on a dedicated external microphone like one made by Shure or Blue. It’s important because, in my experience, good audio can make up for even the crappiest video, as the most important thing is that people should be able to hear what you’re saying. 

As a dedicated piece of hardware that you can mount on a microphone stand, you can ensure that it is perfectly placed to pick up your words, and it will instantly make you sound as good as a professional broadcaster.

Oh, and if the call is really important—don’t forget to wear headphones. That will minimise the feedback of the sound from your speakers going straight back into the microphone and giving everyone on the call a headache.

The ideal position for your camera is straight-on, with the camera roughly at your eye-level—that way you’ll be better placed to create the illusion of eye contact on the call. However, this isn’t always easy, especially if you’re using a laptop and are sitting at a desk, towering above it.

So similar to the microphone, it might be worth splashing out on an external camera you can put on top of an external monitor or a tripod. Most built-in cameras aren’t very good anyway.

However, there is one other alternative. I’m a big fan of an app called Camo Studio, which lets you use what might be the best camera you own as a webcam: The one on your phone. Simply install the app, buy a phone mount for your monitor and tell the app on your computer to connect to the phone—and it will seamlessly work just like a webcam. Brilliant.