Blueprint | 01 Setting Up Your Online Work Environment

B L U E P R I N T SETTING UP YOUR ONLINE WORK ENVIRONMENT In this session, you're gonna learn about how to set up your workspace. We’ll talk about the video you’re using, how to get the most out of your camera and conferencing software, and the lighting you’ll be using, how you can position what you have, or if you want to augment with artificial lighting. HOW TO SETUP YOUR CAMERA There are a couple of best practices you should know for setting up your camera. 1. The camera should look like it’s about 2 feet away from you - If the camera is too close to your face it can be unflattering and if it’s too far it will be hard to see your face and engage with you. 2. Make sure you have the optimal camera angle - If your camera is above you then you have to look up at it - leads to the person on the other end looking down on you. The opposite is the case if your camera is too low. HOW TO SET UP LIGHTING If there is one thing to focus on to look great on camera, it’s the lighting setup. The most common mistake is having too much backlight behind you. You will look a bit like Darth Vader and others won’t be able to see your facial expressions, making your call less interactive. A foldable lamp at your desk (such as the one shown in the image) is enough for you to be able to manipulate the lighting. Have it set up so it points at your face from in front of you at a 45-degree angle. If you plan on having many remote meetings and want to be set up to look your best, you can buy a starter photography kit, or umbrella lights to place on each side of you and in front of you.

B L U E P R I N T SETTING UP YOUR ONLINE WORK ENVIRONMENT WHEN TO USE A VIRTUAL BACKGROUND Virtual backgrounds are great for when you take meetings from different places and you don’t want the people you’re speaking with to look around and become distracted. Zoom.us has built-in backgrounds that you can use with or without a green screen (without a green screen only works with newer computers). Background tips when not using a virtual background: ● A fan spinning in your background can both take-up bandwidth and be distracting. - Try moving the camera so the fan is out of the picture. ● A blank wall is best - this removes distractions and it looks like you set it up this way on purpose. DRESS CODE FOR ONLINE MEETING Working from home dress code means many different things to many different people. I.e. Should you dress formal, informal, or business on top and pajamas on the bottom? During video calls, this becomes more important since even though you are at home you want your client to know you are a professional. This means wearing what you would wear if you were meeting them in person. Just as importantly, think about the culture of the client. If you’re too formal you may stick out, and if you’re too informal you may look unprofessional. i.e. If they wear suits and ties every day, consider wearing a suit and tie. If they’re a startup where everyone is casual and in backward hats, think about dressing casual (don’t necessarily wear a backward hat). When in doubt choose to dress one step more formally. Wear appropriate colors for your background and camera ● Wearing black against a black background will make it look like your head is floating ● Wearing any other color against the same color background will look boring due to lack of contrast ● Wearing green can make your face look red due to how the cameras auto balances ● Wearing stripes on camera can create a weird optical effect and be distracting Different colors work great for different people, cameras, and backgrounds, so experiment and see what works best for you! PARTICIPANT EXPECTATION SETTING Video is better than phone calls when it relates to any sort of sales meeting because we’re all visual and we like seeing other people. Given the preference, we would rather see them than just hear their voice. From a scientific perspective, we are way more likely to be distracted if it’s audio-only. Here’s how you set the right expectation for whenever you’re meeting with somebody on video:

B L U E P R I N T SETTING UP YOUR ONLINE WORK ENVIRONMENT ● Make sure calendar invite shows that it will be a video meeting - people don’t love being surprised by being on video when they think it will just be a phone call - suggest “we’re going to be chatting by video” ● When the meeting starts, set expectations by being the first one with your video on so they don’t feel uncertain about turning theirs on. If they don’t turn the camera on, don’t call them out in a way that makes them uncomfortable. ● Say - “I always love putting a face to the name, and it allows me to connect deeper for our conversation. Are you able to turn the video camera on?” ● Don’t say - “I was told it’s best practice to have your video camera on.” ● If they say - “I’m sick” or “I wasn’t ready for this” don’t push them, suggest “Okay. We’ll jump on video next time.” If you need to turn your camera off during a call, make it the exception and not standard practice. Everyone should have their camera on during a meeting, even if you’re in the same room. This makes sure each person is front and center in the meeting, which is the most like being in the same room with them. If 5 people are 10 feet away from the one computer camera they’re sharing, you can’t see their faces properly. AUDIO It’s hard to hear when you’re in an open office or a loud coffee shop. As the host of a meeting, you have controls to mute others on the call. If multiple people are on the same call and using video in one shared room, all but one person should have their volume and output all the way down to avoid a feedback loop. TOP 3 MISTAKES TO AVOID WHEN SETTING UP YOUR ONLINE WORK ENVIRONMENT X Avoid too much backlight. This results in bad shadows or the inability to see you at all. X Avoid angling your camera from too far under you or too high above you. You don’t want to make it look like you’re looking down on someone, or vice versa. X Minimize distractions. Turn off notifications, stay on mute when not speaking. Try to control any movement and noise happening behind you to maintain a professional environment.