You really have to give it to Zoom.

Instagram snagged 100m monthly active users in about 24 months. Zoom snapped 200m daily users in just 3 months. Talk of an idea whose time has come – but without a user manual!

So here is a beginner’s guide to communicating on Zoom, as I myself familiarise with the app that has become a part of my lockdown life.

Mute button:

Learn to master this button. An unmuted mic can waft myriad (and often undesirable!) background sounds into your meeting. I last heard a participant’s wife shout at him because he had chopped the wrong vegetables!

 Beginner’s tip!

Keep your mic on mute unless you are asked to or want to speak.

Keep it neutral:

Yes, there might be the urge to flaunt your fancy home or your designer walls. But it would be best to keep your background neutral to keep the focus solely on the meeting.

 Beginner’s tip!

If you are looking to make an impression to a specific audience, then you might want to carefully choose your background.

Don’t hide:

Dress well for your meeting and keep the camera switched on. Putting a face to the voice helps improve the quality of the meeting – and can help you make your point better.

 Beginner’s tip!

Not showing your face can create a wrong impression – that perhaps you’re not confident.

KISS:

KISSing on Zoom is what I find to be most useful. Now don’t get me wrong, but keeping it short and simple (KISS) is the best communication tactic. Attention spans are short – and they are way shorter in the virtual world.

Beginner’s tip!

KISS will inform your participants that you are well-prepared. So ditch long-winding jargon and be crisp and to the point.

Present yourself well:

Hemmed in by the lockdown, most of us are facing Hairmageddon. But that is no reason why one shouldn’t bed down the hair to appear more presentable. The more personable you are, the more confident you’ll be to face the virtual world.

Beginner’s tip!

Get a snip at home. My wife did it for me. Get onto Zoom with yours truly if you want to see how I look…

Embrace innovation:

Just like the way Zoom has. It has a tool with which you can touch up your virtual face.

Beginner’s tip!

Don’t believe me? Try it!

I’ve always found that the enduring principles of good communication stand – even on Zoom. Do begin your conservations complementing your teams or colleagues, talk about the weather and even how you have emerged stronger from the isolation. Positive small talk can help – in breaking the virtual ice too!