EXPERT ON HOW TO MAKE A VIDEO CALL

What Not To Wear

If you’re Face Timing friends, Skyping siblings or having a Houseparty with Auntie Heather then there’s no need to dress up. Loungewear and PJs are fine for social calls. I’d recommend a slightly smarter outfit if you’re talking to the boss... or someone you’ve matched with on Tinder, maybe?

Dress to impress?

The camera should be at eye-level. Too high and you’ll look weird, too low and you’ll appear to be made of chins. Lighting should be warm and bright, but not too bright and not too close. Don’t sit with a really bright light or the sun behind you unless you want to look sinister. If you normally wear make-up it’s a good idea to use some here. You don’t need to do a full night-out face (unless you want to, of course) but a bit of tinted moisturiser and eyeliner goes a long way.

Background checks

If your home’s a bit messy Skype enables you to blur the background and Zoom can replace it with a photo. Use your own, or visit Pexels.com to get some nice free photography. If you share your home, it’s wise to find a space other people aren’t using. If that’s not possible, wearing headphones can make it easier to concentrate on the people you’re video chatting with.

Take your turn

You’ll often experience a short delay when you’re chatting: it can take a second or two between saying something and everyone else hearing it. That means it’s a good idea to pause for a bit after speaking so that you can avoid everyone talking over each other. And of course because you’re on video you can see what everyone’s doing, which makes it easier to tell when someone’s about to pass the virtual mic or if they’re desperate to say something.

Embrace the silence

Turn off anything in your room that makes a noise, mute the mic when you’re not talking, and close other apps on your computer. You don’t want Facebook pinging or YouTube to start playing something when you’re in the middle of your funniest story.