Do you have your camera on in remote meetings? What’s in your background? Do you blur or use filters?

I tend to keep my camera on and decided I should give people something interesting to look at. In my background you’ll find Star Wars LEGO sets, a fallout bobble head, mechanical keyboards, books of interest, gadgets, artwork, shelves, and more!

Group Meeting

For groups it often comes down to personal preference and bandwidth. However, I’ve noticed a trend within my organization

  • Running the meeting - The lead and/or person presenting keep their camera on to allow others to read visual cues, know when to inject input, and their response.

  • Attending the meeting - Anonymity rules! Having your camera off means you can pay attention (or pretend) without being watched. Convenient if you need to eat lunch, multitask, or just don’t want to feel like you’re being watched.

  • Bandwidth - When anyone on the call is having bandwidth or connectivity issues, having everyone kill there video can allow for audio and screensharing to continue.

One on One

When one-on-one with a coworker or member of your team, the default is to have cameras on. This has many benefits since it allows a more personal connection. Outside of building and maintaining professional connections with your coworkers, it can lead to meaningful interactions since many are feeling isolated.