Still more Zoom tips...
By now you've read at least 10 articles with the "top 10 ways" to improve your Zoom meetings. Now that you've accumulated at least 100 tips, allow me to add a few more.
Use a cheap ring light. Everybody has one; you should, too. Position it higher than your head and slightly off center. Some lights have variable brightness and you can choose a color temperature, so see what works best.
Have a second laptop ready to go. If your laptop decides to die in the middle of a meeting, it should take you only a moment to sign back into the meeting IF you have a second laptop up and running. Bonus - you can use the second laptop for notes, emails and messaging so you're not toggling back and forth between screens on your Zoom machine. Your backup laptop can be cheap as long as it can handle a simple meeting.
Use an outboard microphone. I have a Yeti with multiple directional patterns and a handy mute button in case I need to cough, sneeze or curse. The button is much faster than mousing over a mute icon somewhere in the corner of the screen. Bonus - it has a headphone jack with a volume control.
Put a big analog clock in your line of sight. It gives you a visual representation of how long you've been meeting (or talking). If I am meeting with clients in another time zone (Anchorage and Glasgow are five time zones away) it helps me be aware of their time of day, lunch hours, and quitting times.
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Use a countdown clock for breaks. Most platforms have the ability to display a countdown clock on the screen, and they are quite useful for breaks. It allows participants to see how much time is left before they are expected to be back in the meeting. It does wonders for keeping things on schedule.
No fake backgrounds, please. Show off your books and artwork, but stop using fake backgrounds. They can create visual blurring and artifacts and will distract everyone even more than your prized collection of 13th century Italian poetry.
Learn the platform ahead of time. I mention Zoom, which has become the "Kleenex" of online meetings, but clients often prefer various other platforms (WebEx, Teams, Meet) for their own reasons. Download the apps and get familiar with buttons and menus ahead of time, and learn how to display and present your own documents and PowerPoints.
It's likely that we'll continue to meet via online platforms (and discuss their pros and cons) for a while. The platforms will continue to improve both functions and security features, but meanwhile let's do our part to make the meetings relatively pleasant and painless. Feel free to unmute and add your suggestions in the comments.