People think that since they don’t enable the webcam, they could use whatever posture they want when talking on Skype.
That’s not true. If the call is essential, if you’ve to present something, if people expect something from you, it’s better to sit up straight or to stand tall. In this way, your voice will be stronger and more enjoyable to listen to; this is the way body language works, also if people do not see you.
If you’re “presentable”, well dressed (or just covered 😊), if your room is not a big mess, and IF the connection could handle both voice AND video (sometimes it hurts living in the countryside), please, consider enabling the webcam. People will see you, your body language, your gestures, and all these things will help you to build better connections.
And remember, always do what I say, not what I do… I’ll never turn on the webcam, but I have a good excuse: it’s one of the benefits of living in the countryside 😊
Custom backgrounds during calls
Microsoft Teams has a new feature (in preview) that allows you to add a custom background while you’re doing video calls:
I tried both the “Office” and “Beach” custom backgrounds, as you can see, there are some artifacts near the ears, but only because the image is static. During the call, the problem is nearly noticeable.
(This post is based on a LinkedIn article I published in 2017, with new additions.)
P.S. if you want the underdesk hammock, you can look here: http://www.dudeiwantthat.com/gear/office/under-desk-hammock.asp
