In these exceptional times of corona, working from home is a must. Thousands of companies’ employees furnish their homes as offices and get ready to help their customers in the best possible way. Fortunately, in today’s society there are plenty of ways to ensure smooth communication between client and employee. We are switching from face-to-face communication to virtual communication. Skype is one of the most important tools to be in virtual contact with another customer or interviewer. We would like to prepare you for a professional conversation:
Check the sound and the camera
It is useful, before you start a Skype call, to check if the camera and the sound of your computer are working. Test with a colleague to see if everything works. It is not pleasant for you opposant to start a conversation with a search for technical defects. Moreover, it is very time-consuming for your conversation partner sitting on the other side of the screen.
Look into the camera, not at the screen
We can also tell you that looking into the camera is a lot more professional than staring at your virtual self. We know, it is very tempting to look at yourself or the person you have an appointment with during a Skype session. But try to avoid this. Looking into the camera is the only correct way to keep eye contact with the interviewer. It gives them to feeling that you are highly interested.
Dress neatly
A Skype conversation is exactly the same as a physical conversation when it comes to clothing. So it is important to dress yourself (or the part that is visible to the camera) in the same way as when you are having a face-to-face appointment. When you work from home, it often breaks your day when you get dressed in the morning. After working hours it is even more rewarding when you can switch back to your training clothes.
A profile that looks professional
Your Skype photo and username is the first impression that the person on the other side will have of you. So make sure that it is professional. Nicknames are not suitable for this purpose. Companies often take pictures of their employees on which their logo is also placed, this is the ideal photo for your Skype profile. Avoid beach photos or selfies. Recently Skype has added a line where you can add your function, now you can briefly add which task you perform in the company, for example: HR Officer at Le Grand & Associates.
“We switch from face-to-face communication to virtual communication.“
Consider your environment
To end, we encourage you to provide a neutral background in a quiet environment so that your conversation partner is not always distracted. Ask your partner, children, housemates or other persons present not to come in for a moment. If noise is unavoidable, use a headset or earpods. Also try to isolate yourself from unavoidable noises as much as possible. In addition, a headset or earpods improve the sound quality of a conversation and are therefore highly recommended. Also, close other unnecessary programs on your computer. Getting Whats App notifications during a Skype call is difficult and very unprofessional for yourself.
“When everyone takes these tips in consideration we are sure that we will improve the virtual communication.”
Blogpost written by Jasper D’Haens, Marketing intern at Le Grand & Associates.
