How to Look at your Audience when using Zoom
Copyright © 2020
We are using Zoom (Skype, Facetime, etc.) more and more these days. But have you noticed that the people speaking to you seem to be looking away? That’s because they are looking at the pictures on the screen.
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They see you in much the same way, because you are also looking at the images on the screen. How do we improve the feeling of eye contact?
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I originally thought that you should look into your laptop camera, but that doesn’t work either. That’s because your screen is not normally at a 90 degree angle and the camera is not at eye level. You could do that but you would need to set it up, and then you would be looking away from the screen which is almost impossible.
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Here is an easy-peasy solution using your desktop and your regular sitting position that allows you to stare at the screen and still appear to have direct eye contact.
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The first thing you do is go on Zoom by yourself and stare at yourself on the full screen (we all love doing that). Now play with the angle of your screen while you stare at the image of yourself.
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When you have found the angle that looks like you are looking right at yourself you are almost done! That is where you need to be looking during your conversations/lecture/online meeting. Now we just need to mark the sweet spot.
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So what I did was to pull the two ear elastics from a used mask, tie them together and affix a little sticker.
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You can now place the elastic round the laptop screen and move it down to the level of your eyes. That’s it – if you look at the sticker, it will appear as if you are looking directly at everyone. This is not difficult to get used to, as you will still have peripheral vision of the rest of the screen. Try it and let me know how it works for you.
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Published: Jun 15, 2020
Latest Revision: Jun 15, 2020
Ourboox Unique Identifier: OB-873038
Copyright © 2020
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