Photo by Chris Montgomery on Unsplash
Since the beginning of the lockdown, online conferences have been booming via zoom and other systems. In principle, we can transfer anything from small meetings to conferences lasting several days into the virtual room. This works surprisingly well with standard equipment. Now we are thinking about what we could leave permanently in virtual space and how virtual and physical encounters will interact in the future. The meeting, conference, and learning culture will change and integrate more virtual formats.
But there is also a noticeable uneasiness about online encounters. If the actors have already met in person, handling meetings on everyday routine topics via the computer screen is not a particular problem. But we all know that some topics and situations are better dealt with among those present.
The screen does not convey the same information that you communicate in a meeting in the same room. That starts with the well-rehearsed seating arrangement. Also, the impressions and perspectives I get from my conversation partner are different. Body language and facial expressions are only transmitted from a single view and only partially. Less information flows, and there are other ways to control the information sent.
Therefore it is worthwhile to improve virtual communication by following a few simple rules. It depends on how the image of the participants appears on the screen. After all, facial expressions and the gaze are the essential information, along with language, that we can use in virtual meetings.
Lighting
At first, the speaker should always be clearly visible. Dark outlines against a light background or a window can preserve anonymity if journalists want to protect informants. In online meetings, such a picture should be taboo. But my impression is that many participants are not even aware that as dark men (and women), they reduce possible communication. That is, unfortunately, rude.
You don't need perfect studio lighting. You will find a suitable light source in any office or apartment. The light source should be placed behind or beside the screen so that the light shines at your face. A daylight lamp of 5500 Kelvin is ideal, but any desk lamp or floor lamp will do. If the light is too harsh, place the screen in front of a bright wall. Then direct the light onto the wall so that the reflected light illuminates your face. A light cloth over the lamp also provides soft light (but please make sure that the light source does not overheat). Neon light is crap, always.
Well, now you have made sure that you appear in a good light. Therefore, you should not sit too far away from the camera. Ideally, your head and shoulder should fill the screen. Of course, you may also prefer to show yourself behind your wide desk in a chic, large office. That is a matter of opinion. In any case, you should consider how you want to communicate and if you wish to give the participants a chance to catch your facial expressions.
Camera angle and eye contact
Often the laptop is placed on the desk. The speaker looks down at the camera, which shows the neck, a broad chin, and a face that narrows towards the top. Or we see a lot from the ceiling, with a small head protruding into the picture at the lower edge. If you are convinced that you look best in this perspective, that's okay. Otherwise, a little consideration helps. In an online meeting, we want to see the faces of the people we are talking to in the same way that we usually see them when we are sitting opposite each other in a conversation. The faces, an imaginary line between chin and forehead, are on parallel planes. Therefore the camera belongs at eye level. You then look straight into the camera, the line between camera and eyes is in the right wrap to your face. If the camera is built-in, the screen should not be angled backward, or only slightly. So put a stack of books under the laptop until the camera is at eye level. Now you communicate with the other participants at eye level. Your eyes should be on the camera or the top third of the screen. The same applies to separate cameras or the mobile phone: mount the thing at eye level and look at it. Not rigid and not always, but usually. Before a meeting, I simply check with Facetime whether the lighting is right, whether my eyes appear in the upper third of the screen and whether I am sitting so close to the camera that my entire head appears on the screen as in a framed portrait with a piece of my shoulder.
Electronic background
A particular topic is the electronic insertions that replace the background. Here it is particularly important to pay attention to proper illumination and contrasts. Otherwise, the electronics will react confused, fade over a part of your face, or jump back and forth. That looks very unattractive.
Some conference systems make it possible to display the background completely out of focus. That is useful if you want to ensure that the design drawings and topic lists on your whiteboard do not appear on the Internet. Otherwise, the following applies to the electronically generated background: stay in the center. A tremendous alpine panorama is probably not the ideal solution. The company logo or a product may appear if it does not put the speaker in the corner. The background should convey depth without distracting. In the press club on Phoenix, the background of the electronically inserted journalists shows a panorama of the city from which they are being recorded. That is an excellent way to convey additional information about the person. But the less intrusive the background is, the more attention the speaker gets. A slightly blurred background corresponds best to the impression made by those present.
Spatial background
Without this technology, it is almost impossible to avoid that the camera shows a part of the speaker's environment. That provides highly interesting insights into previously private areas. Therefore, it is worthwhile to think about what information you transport. If you align the camera with a little care as described above, the exciting insight into your private or office world is small, because you now appear prominently in the center of the screen. It's all about communication between people, less about your bookshelf, potted plants, and stereo. The background should not be distracting. Ideally, it should be slightly darker and have depth. Otherwise, when illuminated from the front, you will have distracting cast shadows on the wall. So the background should contain as little distracting bits and pieces as possible and offer the camera enough space so that the background appears distant and somewhat blurred. However, some "personality" of the room can be a nice addition to the speaker.
Sound level and fresh air
Those who can use a terrace, garden, or balcony will usually find a way to align the camera so that the background has depth. Make sure that your face gets the daylight and is not darker than the background. In this case, you should test the microphone. The microphone built into your Mac is oriented so that distant background noise (such as traffic noise) is blocked out. All microphones have a specific characteristic during recording. Therefore, you should check with a friend to see if distracting background noise is transmitted. Or, if you are making small talk before starting the session, ask whether disturbing background noises are transmitted.
Improvisation
All these measures aim to reduce the less pleasant side effects of online meetings and to create a discussion situation that appears as natural as possible. Even those who use their smartphone to connect up while on the move can positively influence the transmission situation with a few simple adjustments to available lighting, headroom, and surroundings.