A new study by psychologists at Durham has found the answers to creating the best first impression in a virtual meeting, such as Teams or Zoom, is a visual background of house plants and books.
Virtual first impressions
In this latest research, Associate Professor Paddy Ross and colleagues from our Department of Psychology, investigated what is really contributing to best, and worst, first impressions in a virtual environment.
The study assessed the views of more than 160 individuals, who were asked to evaluate a selection of images of people against a variety of virtual backgrounds and with a mix of neutral and happy facial expressions.
The importance of backgrounds
The research found a background of books and/or plants significantly contributed towards creating a trusting and competent first impression.
While on the contrary, comedic or living room backgrounds consistently scored the lowest.
The study also discovered that gender is having an impact, with women consistently appearing more trustworthy and competent than men regardless of the kind of virtual background.
Additionally, a smiley, happy demeanour was found to be an extra ingredient that can help towards creating a trusting and competent impression.
Practical tips for virtual introductions
The findings offer practical tips for anyone preparing for a virtual audience, such as an online job interview or business meeting, and especially as many more people work from home and use virtual platforms on a daily basis.
