5 rules to achieve the perfect Microsoft Teams video call set up

A few years ago, a video call was an exception; a source of excitement in a calendar of wall-to-wall in-person meetings. These days, a Teams call is the norm and getting a good Teams call set up is essential to creating the right impression on your colleagues, employers or customers. Here are our 5 things to think about before joining that call.

Get the view right

First, you need to ensure your laptop or camera is at the correct height.

Too low and you’ll get a double chin, or too high and the dark circles beneath your eyes will betray your late-night binge watching.

Using a riser or monitor arm can help you position the top of the screen, and therefore the camera, at eye height or just above. This reduces pressure on your neck too, making it less likely that you’ll suffer from posture issues.  Risers come in all sorts of different shapes and styles and you can choose from a riser for a screen (to be used with a PC) or one with a shelf for a laptop.

Perfect the light

Try to ensure you have equal lighting on each side of your face. If your window is to one side, balance out the lighting with an inexpensive ring light like this one that can be powered from a USB socket and sits just behind the camera. This will reduce the likelihood of one side of your face being in darkness and the slightly gothic look that can result.

What’s behind you?

Ensure that there’s nothing behind you that will detract the other participant’s attention from you in your call. We talk a lot about getting the backdrop right in this blog ‘It’s Behind You’ but the best tip I can give you here is to join an empty call in advance, or a Google Meet call and just check there are no wastepaper baskets or laundry draped over radiators in view. You’d be surprised what the camera reveals that isn’t so obvious to the naked eye.

Get comfy

Many experts recommend standing for calls and even video calls as it helps breathing and, in turn, energy. If you don’t already have a sit/stand desk, these can be a great way to ensure that your screen is always the right height, whether sitting or standing. And, when you need to inject a little more energy into your presentation you can set your desk to standing and away you go.

Choose your colours carefully

When decorating, choose the colours behind you carefully. Neutrals are easy on the eye and won’t distract. For those who prefer a pop of colour, a sofa with some cushions or a picture will provide a point of interest on an otherwise vanilla wall but a neutral wall will ensure that the camera identifies you correctly and that you won’t appear to have anything growing out of your head/ears etc.

And if you’re one of the few who really can’t do anything about your background, there’s always Filters.

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