I learned something very cool this week from Nick Morgan, a public speaking coach and the author of “Can You Hear Me?: How to Connect with People in a Virtual World.” (This book has never been more timely—I highly recommend it!)
When someone is looking at you on a video call, their brain is working overtime to try to pick up communication cues that would be easy to read in person. We don’t share an environment, so tiny things like how sound moves in the room or air pressure isn’t shared. Our brain is constantly trying to mitigate this disconnect.
One of the most confusing things for the brain is trying to place you in space. When someone is very close to the camera or has a featureless background, we can’t make that out at all. How far away are you? Are you in a void? It distracts the brain and also becomes difficult to regulate volume, especially if you’re on a call with many people, all of whom have different environments.
So here’s a tip Nick Morgan shared that I thought was great, partly because it goes against the conventional wisdom out there right now. Many tip sheets will tell you to create a background that “doesn’t distract” the viewer, leading people to find the most bland wall in their home to set up their laptop in front of.
Morgan suggests that having a background with depth of field, and something to allow the viewers’ brains to understand scale, is helpful. For example, I was on a call with Ignite coach Vivian Smith yesterday, and she typically sits in front of a lovely painting. After we learned this great tip, she pulled in two side tables so that the frame captured just a sliver of them on either side of her, and the lamps that were on them. I immediately felt a sense of relief—my brain could understand where she was so much more clearly now! I could see her in relation to the furniture around her, and it made much sense.
And if you’re using the Tiger King as your background, points for pop culture relevance! But maybe switch that out after a couple minutes to something that helps your fellow meeting attendees place you in space.
Tuesday April 21 at noon Eastern, Angie will be leading the How to Make Podcast That People Actually Listen To masterclass! It’s one hour, and totally free. More info here!
