Become experts in Remote Selling

How to set up your lighting

Before starting your meeting, ensure that your workplace has excellent lighting for your camera. While on a video call, your screen should be away from direct sunlight to avoid overexposure or glare. Instead, you can improve your lighting quality by placing a small lamp in front of you. The best angle for creating the appropriate lighting and shade on your face is a 45-degree angle above your head. If you’re video calling frequently, investing in a high quality photography lighting setup may be worthwhile.

Setting expectations with participants

While video calls are an excellent way to increase participation in the workplace, it’s important to set expectations with your participants beforehand to ensure a productive meeting. Include details about audio and video requirements and other information on the invite. Preparing your team ahead of time keeps everyone from being caught off-guard by a meeting where you expect them to turn their cameras on.

Always make sure your camera is on and you’re setting a good example as the meeting leader; this will encourage others to do the same.

When working in a mixed team where some members join from your business’s office and some are virtual, encourage all participants to turn their video cameras on. This measure equalizes everyone in the room and prevents a hierarchy between those in the meeting room and those who are remote. By using just one audio output, you can avoid or minimize echo and feedback loops.

3 common remote work mistakes to avoid

To keep distractions to a minimum and create a more productive environment, be sure to avoid the following three common mistakes:

1. Lighting: Too much backlight can distort your profile and make it difficult for those in the meeting to see you.
2. Camera location: Make sure that your camera is far enough away from you and that you have about one fist-worth of space between the top of your head and the top of the frame.
3. Action: Try to minimize background actions whenever you’re in a meeting. Some background or ambient noise may be appropriate in more casual settings, but others call for a more quiet and professional environment.

Leverage online tools

Before starting your meeting, ensure that your workplace has excellent lighting for your camera. While on a video call, your screen should be away from direct sunlight to avoid overexposure or glare. Instead, you can improve your lighting quality by placing a small lamp in front of you. The best angle for creating the appropriate lighting and shade on your face is a 45-degree angle above your head. If you’re video calling frequently, investing in a high quality photography lighting setup may be worthwhile.

Using screen-share, chats, and polls

By using elements such as screen-share, chats, and polls, you can increase the amount of interaction in your meeting and keep everybody focused on your agenda.

There are a few simple rules to follow when screen sharing. When taking notes in a meeting, try taking notes in a document that you share on the screen for the whole team to see. Any other content needed? Have that open and ready in other tabs in your browser. Tab-based selling is an excellent way to show your team how professional and well-researched your pitch is right from the beginning of your presentation. Before sharing your screen, make sure that you have the materials you need to present ready to go.

If you want to make your meeting go as smoothly as possible, it’s essential to speed-test your technology before you begin presenting. You can test the speed of your internet using tools such as fast.com. If you’re concerned that your internet speed may be too slow during a meeting, consider bringing on a co-host who can help you run the meeting if your technology goes down.

Using the whiteboard

All you need to create videos and get your idea across clearly during meetings is a large whiteboard. We recommend starting with a 4-foot-by-6-foot whiteboard to give yourself enough room to work with and let your audience see your ideas. When writing, it’s okay to leave a bit of silence and let your audience take in the concepts you’re presenting.

The first rule of using a whiteboard to present is writing in large and clear letters. Cursive is difficult to understand on a screen, and big block letters are ideal for creating penmanship that everyone in the room can read. Visual learning is great for everyone, and even small doodles can add tremendous value to your presentation. Don’t be afraid to share your drawing skills, no matter how grand or limited they may be.

As for presentation or video length, clear and concise videos always reign supreme. It’s essential to clearly state the purpose of your video from the beginning and keep your work tightly focused on what your audience needs to know.

Slack & Zoom best practices

Before a Zoom meeting begins, it’s important to establish and state the rules of engagement that you want to use during your presentation. Zoom’s software allows participants to perform actions like raising a hand and asking questions in the chat. You can increase the interactivity of your session through features like polls and break-out rooms.

One way to encourage audience participation before, during and after a meeting is by opening a Slack channel. In Slack channels, you can keep track of meeting notes and start subthreads based on the questions asked during the session.