If you do a decent amount of video calls, I’d love to get your advice. Whether you are using Skype, FaceTime, or, my new favorite, Zoom, there are several things you can do to prepare well for your call.

Here are my tips:

1) Lighting – Make sure the lighting of the room is such that your face can be seen. It really looks bad when you are shaded and hurts the quality of the video.

2) Interruptions – Make sure you are not going to have interruptions. This includes people, devices, etc. Turn on “Do Not Disturb” on your phone and laptop. Make sure those around you know not to interrupt you. Turn off (unplug) any landline phones. Interruptions really are unacceptable.

3) Headphones – You probably know this, but you can hear better and, more importantly, others can better hear you if you have headphones.

4) Background – Depending on the purpose of your call, you may want to seriously consider your background. It is a statement about you. In fact, unlike any other form of meeting (phone or in person), your background is an added opportunity to make a statement. Make sure it is clean best represents you to your audience. BTW, college students, make sure not to have your roommate running through the background of your job interview!

5) Dress – You will want to dress for the occasion. Dress like you would if you were meeting in person. Your audience will notice.

Whether for work or life, these tips are a good first step for a successful video call.

What advice do you have? Please share in the comments or on social media. Thanks!