Turn off those corporate Zoom backdrops!
Back in the ‘90s when I worked at the Unique Broadcasting Company one of my favourite roles was Special Projects Manager. It meant I had a remit to explore things that were new and interesting. And that involved going out to meet people. MTV Networks, the Financial Times, Cartoon Network, Bloomberg, The Ministry of Sound, Mentorn Productions, Gala Bingo are some of the meetings and relationships that come to mind.
The meeting spaces spoke volumes about the personality of the company, whether that was in a chaotic office on the top floor of a building in Wardour Street or a corporate HQ in Nottingham.
And now? A lot of my meetings happen online, like they do for most of us. Now we often don’t get much of a sense about someone from their online setting, especially when many who work in big organisations have their corporate backdrop displayed on Zoom or Teams.
So I was struck by a meeting I had with a young man at one large organisation: Jack had turned his backdrop off, revealing shelves full of books and old cameras behind him. It was a wonderful talking point to start the meeting. ‘Tell me about your books!’ and ‘I love old cameras - where did they all come from?!’
When we share our real background, it’s like we’re sharing a glimmer of a story.
Pictured above is Lauren Jones's (it says a lot about who she is and the branding agency she runs) and below is mine!
Lauren writes:
“The zoom background is the new first impression, that all important visual storytelling that people subtly pick up on, where values and personality can be embedded and speak volumes without you having to say anything. More than fuzball tables and lounge seating, it can be a demonstration of the organisation’s culture and values. During lockdown, I did a series of intakes for an organisation in the music royalty distribution and legislation industry. Each person we interviewed had gold discs, records or instruments in their backgrounds. And not one of their values as an org was ‘we love music’. It was a miss and one that truly came to light through these zoom backgrounds, seeing what those leaders decided to surround themselves with. It was a great insight and changed their positioning as a result.”
And of course I know many of us don't have the luxury of a dedicated workspace at home. So if you're WFH from your bedroom or a messy kitchen you might have a good reason to put a backdrop on. I get that too ;)
