Is your Zoom background destroying your credibility?

Is your Zoom background destroying your credibility? Here’s what the science says…

I am forever being asked if my rainbow-organised bookshelf is a virtual background. No, it is not. It’s real. Turns out, as well as being pretty, it’s also boosting my trustworthiness…

Researchers from Durham University explored the impact of Zoom backgrounds on first impressions, and whether they affect perceptions of trustworthiness and competence in virtual meetings.

People with home or novelty backgrounds were seen as less trustworthy compared to those with backgrounds of plants, a bookcase, a blurred home, or a blank wall.

When it came to competence, backgrounds of bookcases, plants, and blank walls led to higher ratings, while blurred, home, and novelty backgrounds received lower competency ratings.

The moral? Pop a plant and some books in your background.

Record a voice memo, receive it as email.

I am forever having random thoughts on the go. Sometimes, I’ll ask Siri to create a reminder, however, that only works for short and sharp thoughts. Other times, I’ll try to remember the thought, but inevitably, I forget it.

After discovering Whisper Memos, I no longer have to record wordy reminders or rely on my faulty (read: human) memory. Whisper Memos is a simple app that lets you record a voice memo, which it then transcribes and sends to you as an email.

I am very much in love with this app - it’s a game changer for making it easy to remember stuff when I am on a walk, in the car, or just having random thoughts at inopportune times.

Uncover your hidden potential

I am a huge Adam Grant fan, so whenever he releases a new book, I pre-order it and devour it on the day it arrives. And that’s exactly what I did last week with Hidden Potential.

If you have been guilty of thinking talent is something you are born with (and bad luck if you’re not), you must read this book. It’s made me re-think a lot of things, especially how I help my daughter find her hidden potential and the most important character skills to foster.

Speaking of books…

My new book The Health Habit is now available for pre-order!

In The Health Habit, I explore cutting-edge research into what we should eat, how to get fit, and how to sleep better, having interviewed professors at institutions including Harvard and Oxford, plus health experts such as Dr Norman Swan, Dr Layne Norton and Jessie Inchauspé, among many others.

The book is packed with bite-sized health advice and takes you through designing your own personalised and actionable plan to change your habits.

If you are feeling stuck repeating the same habits and looking for practical solutions that will improve your health for good, then I promise you: The Health Habit is your solution.

​Pre-order your copy today.