News Flash! Virtual Backgrounds Don’t Work

Virtual backgrounds for on-screen meetings are very popular.

Why not hide that messy bedroom and look like you’re in a conference room, sitting under the aurora borealis, or sunning yourself on a beach in Tahiti?

Here are a few reasons:

1. If you want to look like a hard-working professional, that beach scene isn’t going to work in your favor. How would your boss feel if you videoconferenced into a meeting from an actual, physical beach?
2. The clock in the virtual conference room you’re pretending to be sitting in is only correct twice a day! Why do so many people put clocks in virtual backgrounds?
3. And here’s the most important one: If you don’t have proper lights, a green screen, and software that’s adjusted to distinguish you from your background, you risk having your hands, face, or hair disappear as the videoconferencing software struggles to show and hide the right parts of your image.

Do you really want to risk having your face disappear in the middle of your dramatic story?

Wouldn’t that be distracting?

Professional speakers either make a small investment in the gear and software required to look good in front of slides and backgrounds…

Or they assemble an attractive physical background that requires no special effects.

A third option is to use a printed vinyl backdrop that you can hang behind your performance space.

Cheap technology tricks won’t impress your audience.

They won’t give you recorded content you’ll want to share.

Either skip the virtual backgrounds or make a small investment in the basic gear you need to look like a professional speaker.

Virtual backgrounds just don’t work.