How to Make Your Zoom Calls Awesome 😎

Here are some tips to make your video calls sound great, look great, and have as few problems as possible. Keep in mind, you may not have any of these things, and that’s okay. I’ll work with you no matter what you have! If you do wish to improve your experience with online lessons, these suggestions are listed in order of importance, starting with the most important.

Your Internet Speed

This is the most important aspect of your Zoom call experience! If you don’t know what internet speeds you’re getting, do a Google search for “speed test,” click on the blue button to start the test, and let it do its magic. Ideally, you want at least 3.8 Mbps for “download speed” and at least 3.0 Mbps for “upload speed.” Chances are, your download speeds are much higher than necessary, but your upload speeds may be slower. Zoom calls will still work if your connection is slower, but you may experience laggy video or dropouts.

Your Device

Zoom calls work better on computers than phones or tablets, with just a few exceptions - the newer iPads, for instance, work great. And if your device allows you to use an ethernet connection instead of WiFi, I recommend doing so.

Use Headphones

I highly recommend using headphones or earphones during your lessons. Not only will you hear more clearly, but they will prevent your microphone from picking up sound from your computer, causing that awful echo that is common in video calls.

Your Microphone

Using an external microphone is a great idea, and will greatly improve your audio quality (mostly because it can be placed closer to you). The Blue Snowball is a mic that sits on your desk, and it sounds great. For even better sound, you could get the Blue Yeti or the Audio-Technica AT2020USB.

Your Camera

Using an external camera can improve your experience, especially if it’s on a tripod, which is easier to move around. Plus, it makes you look great! The Logitech C 920 is an external webcam that can be attached to a tripod or be clamped on the top of your computer monitor. It plugs right in and works right away. If you want your image to be even more beautiful, we can talk about more professional options, such as using Canon cameras.