Some time ago ago I attended a webinar on building your professional brand, one of my favourite topics(!) and now that the horse has left the barn I would like to help the presenters whose video presences were not in keeping with their levels of accomplishment. Yes, it's too late to help them this time, but hopefully I can help people for next time!
The importance of making sure your online presence reflects your professional/personal brand cannot be overstated. When you present you want to make sure what your audience is seeing reflects your credibility and supports the clear communication of your message. When I attend a (virtual) presentation I want to have my expectation of the credibility of the presenters reinforced by what I see. Bad lighting and distracting backgrounds negatively impact these goals.
When these boo boos are noticeable, the message I get as an attendee is that you, as a presenter, don't think they matter. That in itself is not a good message. So, they do matter. And, they are easy to fix.
1. Don't use whatever overhead light happens to be in the room, because it will usually be very unflattering and will mostly light the top of your head and your nose, and leave your eyes in shadow. Do use a soft, flattering, daylight balanced light and shine it on your face from the front (from a higher angle if you wear glasses).
2. And I know this is less easy to fix but consider avoiding the blur function. It makes most people's hair look like a helmet and it looks as if you are trying to hide something (which you are...fair enough!). If you want to hide the room behind you, one solution is to get a cheap "t-stand" (Google it...it's what it sounds like it is) and hang a nice piece of fabric behind you like I did in my example here.
3. Great idea to include the book(s) you wrote or the award(s) you won tastefully displayed on a shelf behind you, or to add in a nice plant in a vase to decorate your set-up a little, but DO NOT put them right behind your head. Make sure they are off to the side. There should be no object(s) poking out from behind you, showing up a little more or a little less every time you move.
And that's it for today! If you take care with just these three things you will elevate your video presence above that of anyone who doesn't. :) You've worked hard to get where you are...don't undermine yourself,,,show up well!
If you have any questions, I can help!
kathryn@hollinrake.com
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