Beware the Background! The 5 Most Common Issues During Virtual Meetings

Available for Interviews:  Leni Rivera

Leni Rivera is a Workplace Experience specialist and author of its very first book in the industry, Workplace Experience. Her passion is creating work environments that enable employees to be both productive and happy, regardless of where that is. 

What Leni Rivera can say in an interview
on How to Have Visually Appealing Virtual Meetings
:

During the pandemic, we have probably seen it all. When it came to virtual meetings, mistakes and mishaps were common and sometimes comical.  Here’s some savvy advice from an interior design expert.

1: Bookshelves Beware

    • Messy shelves cause eye fatigue for viewers and will be distracting 100% of the time.
    • Be cognizant of the book titles of the books on display. What you read says a lot about you, so be aware of that.
    • Make sure your decorative items are appropriate. 
    • Personal photos. Photos are great, but you might want to reconsider photos of you and your family scantily dressed on the beach, or of you and your buddies that night you were wasted at a karaoke bar.

2: Places you should
never work from again

    • bedroom
    • bathroom
    • closet
    • other problematic places: garage, kitchen, outdoors

3: Avoid backgrounds that will be
visual distractions for viewers

    • Anything moving (water fountain, moving displays, digital photo displays, etc.)
    • Activity outside your window. (Cover your window if you have kids playing in the yard, ongoing construction/yard work, a bird feeder, a rainstorm, etc.)
    • Working in kitchens, dining areas, family rooms, especially during mealtime or after-school time. 
    • Rule of thumb: Be prepared to talk about anything that people see in your background. So if something is too personal, remove it.

4: Lighting is everything

    • Warm lighting in front of you
    • Sitting in front of a window 
    • Make sure you have lighting in front of you that’s brighter than the light behind you (room lighting, ceiling lighting, natural light from other windows in the room)

5: Camera angle

The camera should be directly in front of you, with your face in the upper center of the screen. Watch out for too much space above or below your face. Avoid an angle that is too low (we look up your nose and see the ceiling) and an angle that is too high (we see everything that’s on the floor behind you.)

Paying attention to all of the above details will allow the viewers to focus on what’s most important—you and what you bring to the meeting!

 

Interview: Leni Rivera

Leni Rivera is a Workplace Experience specialist and author of its very first book in the industry. Her passion is creating work environments that enable employees to be both productive and happy, regardless of where that is.

With a 20-year career spanning three continents and in corporate leadership roles in Interior Design, Real Estate Development, and Global Workplace Services, Leni has the unique ability to understand the impact of a physical environment on employee behavior, and corporate cultures.
Today, as the world begins emerging from the pandemic and organizations start to rethink the future of their workplace, Leni is front and center helping leaders and peers develop a Workplace Experience that drives safety, flexibility, and productivity, allowing employees and businesses to continue to thrive.

Contact:
Jo Allison
Managing Editor
Director of Public Relations
MEDIA AMBASSADORS
Success In Media, Inc.
Jo@SuccessInMedia.com

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