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.