About mid afternoon, my brother in law pulled out his cell
phone and then his pad computer and announced, “It’s time for some face time.”
I thought, “Do I have to?”
Today there are a myriad of ways to use technology to see
who we’re having a conversation with. The results run the gamut from awkward to
zoftique.
You can use:
- An app on your Smart Phone
- An app on your Pad Computer
- Your Laptop or Desktop computer via Skype or meeting
software.
But you have to have a camera and microphone on the device.
Consider these things before you opt to call or
receive a “Face Time” call. No matter what device you are reading this on,
I want you to just turn around and look at what is behind you. Go ahead, I’ll
wait.
- Would you be comfortable with an unannounced visitor
seeing that? - Does the view of you and your surroundings convince
people of your expertise? - Will the prospect have a better impression of you?
- Will they remember you or your background images?
- Most importantly, does the background meet their
expectations about you?
Face Time used to
mean an in-person meeting. You knew it was going to happen. You dressed for
it. You got ready for it, reviewing information and honing your observations
and questions.
Today, you could be
face to face in a heartbeat. Here’s how to be ready:
- Plan for these calls. If you know
it is going to happen you can be ready. If you plan for it you can better
control what is going on around you. You won’t wind up talking from the
back of cab on our way to a costume party which is where we connected with
my nephew. - Be aware of the background. In
your office take the look suggested above. In the field, try to find a
quiet place with a neutral background and a low probability of people
wandering through it. - Look at yourself before you answer
and make sure to disconnect.
Too often people that work from home simply forget where they are and the
fact they are in their pajamas (or less). Then, too you can stay online
with some technologies and not know it. Just disconnect if someone forgets
to do so. You probably don’t want to know what you might see or overhear.
As Humphrey Bogart
would say, “Here’s lookin’ at you kid.”
Jerry Fletcher
speaks: www.NetworkingNinja.com