1 00:00:05,360 --> 00:00:09,720 Speaker 1: Good morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the New Corner Office, 2 00:00:10,240 --> 00:00:12,920 Speaker 1: the podcast where we share strategies for thriving in the 3 00:00:12,920 --> 00:00:16,680 Speaker 1: new world of work, where location and ours are more 4 00:00:16,720 --> 00:00:21,160 Speaker 1: flexible than in the past. Today's tip is to really 5 00:00:21,480 --> 00:00:25,560 Speaker 1: think about your backdrop. After a month of social distancing, 6 00:00:25,880 --> 00:00:28,440 Speaker 1: Eve long since realized that when you're on a video call, 7 00:00:28,840 --> 00:00:32,400 Speaker 1: your colleagues see whatever is behind you. You may have 8 00:00:32,440 --> 00:00:36,840 Speaker 1: already experimented with goofy backdrops. I get it, we're all 9 00:00:36,840 --> 00:00:40,800 Speaker 1: desperate for entertainment in tough times. But even when things 10 00:00:40,840 --> 00:00:43,879 Speaker 1: return to normal, video calls are going to be a 11 00:00:43,880 --> 00:00:47,120 Speaker 1: more common form of communication. So now it's time to 12 00:00:47,120 --> 00:00:49,760 Speaker 1: recognize that your backdrop can actually be a form of 13 00:00:49,800 --> 00:00:53,559 Speaker 1: personal branding. By thinking about what you're sharing a screen with, 14 00:00:54,040 --> 00:00:56,400 Speaker 1: you have a chance to shape how people perceive you. 15 00:00:57,320 --> 00:01:01,160 Speaker 1: And yes, that may be superficial, just as clothes and 16 00:01:01,320 --> 00:01:04,959 Speaker 1: haircuts are superficial, But if you think about those things, 17 00:01:05,440 --> 00:01:08,520 Speaker 1: there's no reason not to put some proactive thought into 18 00:01:08,600 --> 00:01:12,840 Speaker 1: what's floating behind your head. I'll offer three principles for 19 00:01:12,920 --> 00:01:17,600 Speaker 1: thinking about your backdrop and your personal brand. First, consider 20 00:01:17,640 --> 00:01:21,120 Speaker 1: what message you want to convey. I would venture that 21 00:01:21,240 --> 00:01:23,480 Speaker 1: all of us want to communicate to our colleagues that 22 00:01:23,520 --> 00:01:27,160 Speaker 1: we are steady and self possessed. There may be disorder 23 00:01:27,400 --> 00:01:30,640 Speaker 1: and uncertainty in the world, but we are the calm 24 00:01:30,880 --> 00:01:33,520 Speaker 1: in the storm. You know better than to have a 25 00:01:33,560 --> 00:01:36,120 Speaker 1: pile of laundry or an unmade bed in your background, 26 00:01:36,920 --> 00:01:40,479 Speaker 1: but even chaotic bookshelves and messy stacks of paper might 27 00:01:40,520 --> 00:01:44,680 Speaker 1: be problematic. So either turnip minimalist or shift your position 28 00:01:45,040 --> 00:01:48,000 Speaker 1: until you find a view behind you that's more appropriate 29 00:01:48,200 --> 00:01:52,360 Speaker 1: for work. Second, be aware that anything in view in 30 00:01:52,400 --> 00:01:56,680 Speaker 1: the backdrop is fair game for conversation. This should be 31 00:01:56,720 --> 00:02:00,880 Speaker 1: taken as both warning and opportunity. If there are parts 32 00:02:00,920 --> 00:02:03,680 Speaker 1: of your personal life that you don't want to discuss, 33 00:02:03,720 --> 00:02:07,040 Speaker 1: like say a photo of a relative who passed away recently, 34 00:02:07,720 --> 00:02:10,760 Speaker 1: find a new home for it. Of course, you've also 35 00:02:10,840 --> 00:02:13,360 Speaker 1: seen in dozens of video calls now that people are 36 00:02:13,440 --> 00:02:16,760 Speaker 1: often desperate for a subject for small talk, so you 37 00:02:16,840 --> 00:02:20,000 Speaker 1: might purposefully put something in your back drop that allows 38 00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:23,680 Speaker 1: for this. Maybe it's a rotating set of house plants 39 00:02:23,800 --> 00:02:27,960 Speaker 1: or fresh flowers. Maybe it's your current reading material stacked 40 00:02:28,080 --> 00:02:31,400 Speaker 1: so people can see spines. I have a video call 41 00:02:31,520 --> 00:02:34,000 Speaker 1: once a month with a gentleman whose pet turtle is 42 00:02:34,040 --> 00:02:37,320 Speaker 1: in view. It's hard to control a pet dog's noise 43 00:02:37,360 --> 00:02:39,840 Speaker 1: and cummings and goings, but something like a turtle or 44 00:02:40,120 --> 00:02:44,560 Speaker 1: fish don't distract as much and offer ready options for conversation. 45 00:02:45,520 --> 00:02:48,519 Speaker 1: If there's something you're particularly proud of, you could also 46 00:02:48,560 --> 00:02:51,680 Speaker 1: make sure that's visible. I do video chats with a 47 00:02:51,760 --> 00:02:54,480 Speaker 1: friend who's got framed covers of her books behind her. 48 00:02:55,280 --> 00:03:00,400 Speaker 1: You know immediately what she's accomplished. You might consciously display 49 00:03:00,440 --> 00:03:03,480 Speaker 1: a favorite piece of art or something that conveys lesser 50 00:03:03,560 --> 00:03:06,920 Speaker 1: known details about you. If you're viewed as a strict 51 00:03:07,000 --> 00:03:10,320 Speaker 1: task master, for instance, you could lighten this image with 52 00:03:10,440 --> 00:03:16,079 Speaker 1: something fun, like a model airplane or a lego creation. Third, 53 00:03:16,280 --> 00:03:19,839 Speaker 1: you want to look good and not be upstaged. If 54 00:03:19,840 --> 00:03:22,560 Speaker 1: the best spot for your home office features a bright 55 00:03:22,680 --> 00:03:27,280 Speaker 1: pink wall or busy wallpaper, well be careful what you're wearing. 56 00:03:28,160 --> 00:03:32,359 Speaker 1: Television personalities tend to wear bright, solid colors, and this 57 00:03:32,400 --> 00:03:36,600 Speaker 1: is a good idea for video chats too. Lighting really matters. 58 00:03:37,120 --> 00:03:40,240 Speaker 1: Experiment with this. If there's an open window behind you, 59 00:03:40,640 --> 00:03:43,080 Speaker 1: the light will put you in the shadows, so close 60 00:03:43,120 --> 00:03:47,080 Speaker 1: the shutters or draw the drapes. Bright overhead lights can 61 00:03:47,120 --> 00:03:49,920 Speaker 1: also wash you out, not to mention that the lights 62 00:03:49,920 --> 00:03:52,720 Speaker 1: will show up as bright dots behind your head if 63 00:03:52,760 --> 00:03:56,400 Speaker 1: your screen is angled in a certain way. Many people 64 00:03:56,480 --> 00:03:59,240 Speaker 1: do best with a lamp that is somewhere off screen, 65 00:03:59,680 --> 00:04:03,560 Speaker 1: a uminating your face. Of course, all of this is 66 00:04:03,560 --> 00:04:06,000 Speaker 1: harder if you are quarantined in a small apartment with 67 00:04:06,120 --> 00:04:09,839 Speaker 1: multiple people. You can use the background feature or tack 68 00:04:09,880 --> 00:04:13,280 Speaker 1: a tapestry to the wall, use a folding screen, or, 69 00:04:13,520 --> 00:04:16,840 Speaker 1: suggest Sophie Donaldson in The New York Times, a tablecloth 70 00:04:17,080 --> 00:04:20,920 Speaker 1: will also do. But try taking a screenshot and see 71 00:04:20,920 --> 00:04:24,080 Speaker 1: what message you are conveying. It's easy not to see 72 00:04:24,120 --> 00:04:26,840 Speaker 1: things in our homes that have long been there. Now 73 00:04:26,880 --> 00:04:30,159 Speaker 1: that everyone is seeing them, it's worth taking a closer 74 00:04:30,200 --> 00:04:35,920 Speaker 1: look and seizing this opportunity to shape perceptions. In the meantime, 75 00:04:36,600 --> 00:04:40,360 Speaker 1: this is Laura, Thanks for listening, and here's to succeeding 76 00:04:40,640 --> 00:04:47,440 Speaker 1: in the New Corner Office. The New Corner Office is 77 00:04:47,440 --> 00:04:51,000 Speaker 1: a production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts, visit 78 00:04:51,040 --> 00:04:54,159 Speaker 1: the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you 79 00:04:54,200 --> 00:04:55,200 Speaker 1: get your favorite shows.