The most important thing about getting people to pay attention to you and what you’re saying is to help them focus on your face and your torso in the center 1/3 of your Zoom box.

Stand out as much of you as possible. The best way to accomplish this is to wear a different color from your background – one that is brighter, more vibrant or just plain different. You are always the main focus in the foreground. Draw the viewers eye toward your face and body using color and contrast by creating a bullseye.  This is the best way for people to pay attention to you, read your non-verbal communication and increase engagement.

Wear a solid color that is a different color than your background. You will act as a color block in the middle third of your zoom box to attract the attention away from what is behind you and have people focus on you.

Avoiding larger patterns, ie, checks, plaids or abstract prints, so you are not just another pattern in your painting. This makes it more challenging to focus on you.  Eliminate any distraction to draw the eye elsewhere. You want all the attention on your face and torso.  Afterall, isn’t that what we’re aiming for?

Be aware of the colors in your background to avoid blending in and not being front and center in your zoom box.

What colors work best on Zoom?

“No white”   You want your face and eyes to be the first thing people notice, not your clothing. The camera focuses on the white and light areas in your zoom box and darkens everything else to adjust for the light…so don’t wear white!  Avoid mostly white, very light blue, pale pink and ivory which will often appear white on camera.

“No black” and other very dark colors.  Black, navy, dark grey, dark burgundy, brown etc…will all appear black and make you fade or blend into the background, making you appear smaller. This will detract from people being able to easily read your non-verbal communication, unless you’re sitting in front of a (mostly) solid white or light background.

The best colors to wear are bolder, brighter solid colors that contrast your background, often red, fuchsia, blighter blue, turquoise, teal, purple etc…. Small to medium size patterns are OK as well if you have a relatively plain background. Most people don’t have a large selection of bolder colors in their closet since the color palette available in the stores these days is relatively grey and muted.

YOU want to be the “main event” in your zoom box, so sit up, stand out and be noticed.