One idea
On a video call, it's hard not to watch yourself. You catch your face in the corner, it looks a little dark, you sit up or fix your hair, and you miss what the other person just said.
So check how you look before the call starts. A camera sets its brightness by the brightest large thing in the frame, so a window behind you or a white shirt makes your face go dark. Face the window or a lamp instead of sitting with it behind you, and wear a solid mid-blue or charcoal rather than white. Then raise the camera to eye level, so it isn't looking up at you. Once that's set, there's little left to fix during the call.
Then hide your own video. Most video apps let you, and everyone else still sees you. With your face out of the corner, you watch the person talking and catch what they say.
One style tip
Understand how someone feels before you tell them what you think.
One quote
"In the real world, if somebody was following you around with a mirror constantly – so that while you were talking to people, making decisions, giving feedback, getting feedback – you were seeing yourself in a mirror, that would just be crazy."
Jeremy Bailenson of Stanford, in Stanford News
One thing worth reading
The Stanford piece that quote comes from gives three more reasons video calls wear you out, each with a simple fix.
One thing you can use before the weekend
Open your laptop's camera app, record 10 seconds of yourself, and watch it back on mute. Whatever you notice before your face is the thing to fix, whether it's a lamp behind you, a busy shirt, or a view of the ceiling. It works because that's the same picture the call will send.
Hit reply and tell me what you noticed first.
Grant
P.S. Big video call coming up? My guide, "What to Wear on Camera," covers the shirt, the light and the background: houseofstyle.com/camera