Now that many people are working from home, colleagues are making video calls. One does this in a chaotic living room with children running around in the background, the other sits in an office in front of a sleek, white wall. What does that do for your image?
With 122,000 followers, the Room Raters account is a hit on Twitter. TV journalists who report from home are judged on their virtual background. Everyone gets a grade between 1 and 10. The assessment takes into account books and art, but also plants and the colour of the wall.
According to image expert Zabeth van Veen, it is very important to think about your virtual background. “You can really score on it”.
Colours
Zabeth recommends that you think carefully about the colour combination. “Color contrasts radiate authority and dominance. Do you have a white background, grey hair and are you also wearing a white blouse? Then you almost fall away. Put on something dark instead, as long as it doesn’t make you too pale, gives more space. ”
Turquoise
The colour turquoise is doing well according to her. “That gives more colour to your skin and looks good on the screen. Moreover, it reminds us of the sea.”
So if you are planning to paint your home office wall, choose turquoise. “You don’t get wet with that colour. If you also have blue or green eyes, you are completely a picture. I also have a dark turquoise wall.”
Irritations
You will never catch her wearing a green vest during a video meeting. “That curse at my wall and the other will feel: something is wrong here. That is a subconscious process. The other can look for that irritation is something I do or say, and that is, of course, a shame.” So you can always use a Free Zoom Meeting Backgrounds to present yourself in meeting etiquettes.
Diversion
Also, you should make sure that your background is not distracting too much. “It’s hard enough to keep your attention. That’s why a calm background is important. Otherwise, the other person just sits looking at what is on that painting, or what books are in the cupboard.”
If there is a bookcase to be seen, make sure that the titles cannot be read. “It can, of course, be beneficial to your image to show that you have books. Or else, you can always Free Virtual Team Backgrounds if you are using the
Teams for your remote meetings.
It is not self-evident for many people to think about this, Zabeth knows from experience. “I recently gave training to a group those often video calls with each other. One saw the dishes in the background, the other a whole collection of dressing gowns. And some had a very distracting design.”
Clothes
After all, it is important to choose an image that matches the image that colleagues have of you in the workplace. “As a director, you cannot come with a T-shirt. It is understandable not to sit in your suit at home, but at least choose a polo shirt. A shirt is always good too.” Along with that, you need a Virtual Office Backgrounds, to match your clothes and the purpose.
