Your Zoom Background Matters!

Your Zoom video call background actually matters to people. That’s according to new research from the communications skills firm Quantified Communications.

And what you wear matters, too… a lot!

They recently polled nearly 500 professionals for their opinions on video call aesthetics, and people expressed surprisingly strong opinions. For example:

The majority of people prefer a business casual dress code for video chats.

Men prefer a bookshelf background more than women. Women prefer artwork.

But the study also found you should definitely ditch your funny or creative Zoom background.

The study authors say, when it comes to backgrounds, showing the actual room behind the speaker was the most popular choice – even if the room doesn’t look great. Using a virtual, scenic background makes people seem less authentic, trustworthy, and credible. But a blank wall isn’t great either. It makes people think you’re not serious or sincere. So make sure there’s something behind you. That’s preferable to a fake background or a blank wall.