How To Fake Paying Attention in Zoom Video Calls
Since social distancing rules became the norm, Zoom and Skype meetings have become popular. Companies use them to meet remotely with their employees, and many schools run classes from afar.
How To Fake Paying Attention in Zoom Video Calls
Of course, the transition to a fully digital world does not change the standard behavior. People still want to mess around in meetings and in class, using Zoom, Skype, or in person.
In a Zoom meeting, it can be difficult to pretend you’re paying attention. After all, the video service was known to be able to communicate to you when you weren’t paying attention thanks to its “attention tracking” feature. If you clicked more than half a minute away from the zoom window, it jerked.
Not happy with the idea? There were also few users. Zoom has removed this feature as of April 1, 2020. However, you can still get arrested for stepping away from the screen, so here are the ways to simulate attention when invoking Zoom.
How to distract attention further
Without Attention Tracking, Zoom users’ attention levels can only be measured by their engagement in conversation. For example, your boss might be chatting about the last numbers, or your teacher might comment on something that is not relevant to the lesson.
Perfect time to go to the bathroom, right? Not if they notice that you are gone. Fortunately, there is an easy way to make you feel like you’re in the room, even if you got up to make a sandwich or grab a drink from the fridge: a looped video of yourself that you set as the background. Here’s how.
First, download the Zoom app for Mac or Windows. Once you’ve downloaded the app, created an account, and signed in, click your profile icon in the upper-right corner of your screen and select Settings.
Select Record and then make sure the Optimize for 3-Way Video Editor button is clicked. Check where the video will be stored as you will need it later.
From here go to the “Backgrounds & Filters” tab and select “Virtual Backgrounds”. At the bottom you will see two options: I have a green screen and Mirror my video. Leave the Flip My Video check box selected by default. If you have a green screen, select this option so Zoom can interpret it correctly.
If you don’t have one, consider streaming from an area with a solid background color. It also helps to reduce the amount of extraneous motion in the video, such as a ceiling fan or other moving object. Keep them off-screen.
Exit the settings menu and go to the main menu. Click New Meeting and position yourself in the center of the frame where you usually go to a meeting. When you are done, click on “Record” at the bottom of the screen.
Let the video record for a few seconds (5 seconds is a good amount of time), then stop recording and click End to end the meeting. The recording will be converted to an MP4 file and saved in the specified folder.
Now go back to the Backgrounds & Filters tab and click the + sign on the right side of the screen. Click Add Video and navigate to where your saved recording is. Select your MP4 file and add it as background. Once you have done that, you can select a background and it will play in a loop when you decide to get up and leave.
Important considerations
Before doing this, however, there are a few things to keep in mind. Make sure the time of day in the recorded video matches the time of day for the appointment. Also make sure you are wearing the same clothes. Both would be pretty easy to spot.
If you plan on skipping an appointment, make sure your background is looped at the start of the day so that all elements match. Or, you know, take it easy and sit in a meeting.
While we discourage or recommend trying to slip out of a meeting or virtual classroom, if you feel the need to do so, this trick will help you get there. The more people participate in the meeting, the more likely you are to get away with it. However, if there is a lot of attention or attention on the screen, the looping effect will be much more noticeable.
The bad news is Skype doesn’t allow for background video looping. This means that if you can’t take an impressive still-shot photo, you’ll need to be present during Skype meetings.
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