In the Comfort of Your Own Home

Today marks the beginning of the month of June. While that normally indicates school will be out soon or the flowers will come into full bloom, in this unprecedented year, it means the fourth (4th) month for working at home for many office workers. For those who felt it would only be weeks not months broadcasting from your bedroom or living room or basement, clearly expectations were wrong.

Before Video Conferencing became the preferred method of communication for the quarantined or those whose countries “paused” and required them to work from home, a group chat at work meant a conference phone call. You could call in from your favorite Man Cave, She Shed, Barcalounger, or outdoor Patio Oasis. And the best part? You did not have to get dressed up! Why? Because it was a phone call and no one could see you. You just needed to be in a place where you could be heard and you had a good phone connection.

Oh, how times have changed! Now, the preferred method is NOT the conference team call, it is the Office Skype, Zoom, Webex, and the many other creatively named Video Conference Services. Now, it is time to clean up your look. Since others can see you and your surroundings you really need to identify the look you wish to convey to your colleagues and clients. This new world we find ourselves in is as much about branding your personal identity as it is about ensuring your space at home can be a productive space and not just a comfortable one.

Here are some options to consider when planning that Video Conferencing Space. What image of myself do I want to project? My home doors are no longer closed to those around me. My sanctuary has been breached. How to make the best then of the unwanted house guests? Two words, for me, come to mind. Art & Books.

Most of us want to project an image of professionalism and intelligence when it comes to our colleagues and clients. And what delivers that branding better than a background of bound books by Kafka, Dante, or Tolstoy? Those of us who love art might choose a painting of our favorite contemporary artist or a print of one of the fine grand masters. It does not matter if you never read the books behind you or cannot pronounce the name of the artist, it just looks good. Give your audience something to be impressed by, not to be distracted by. It is your moment of brand awareness, seize it, use it to your advantage.

Having attended many Video calls in both my banking career and now post-banking, I have seen my shares of fails. The person who chose the kitchen island as a backdrop and kept getting up throughout the video to get more food, more drinks, more food, more drinks chose unwisely. They projected a strong disinterest in the content of the meeting and a showed us their very bad nutritional habits! And the person who chose a room with a large window as a backdrop where all the goings on of the neighborhood were front and center, including the dog walking by who decided to stop and relieve himself. This person also chose unwisely.

The real winners in this game of Show & Tell are those who project a calming, interesting, non-moving backdrop. The print of Matisse Florals, the bookcase full of Lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter, the amateur photographer taken photo of your favorite beach vacation featuring only a climbing ocean wave. These are some of the backdrops that have been impressed me and changed my view of that person.

I would add that if your personal preferences do not include artwork or books, a soothing solid wall of paint will do the trick and keep the focus on you, not your style or lack thereof, not your impressive work of art or lack thereof, and not your library or lack thereof.

I currently have chosen to work on my patio when I am mostly on mute for the call. My backdrop is a solid area of my butter yellow stucco. It is a calming color and the stucco gives some texture behind me. Of course, if I turned the camera around, the squirrel bullying another for peanuts, my goofy dog upside down baring it all, and my swamp of a grass patch that is supposed to be a well manicured lawn would all be in full view.

So, take this time as you continue to work at home to rebrand yourself or reinforce that brand perception your colleagues and clients already have of you. It is your choice, from color to texture to view. A glimpse into the personal side of you can likely either seal your next big deal or send it elsewhere.

This week’s blog model, Windsor the Weimaraner, sets her own stage. She is clearly the Queen of her Castle. Are you? If not, be like Windsor. Choose your style, decorate your space, empower your brand image.

Be well.