Your background can be a detriment when you’re on camera. You don’t want to distract your audience, you don’t want to be off-brand, and you don’t want to look unprofessional.
In today’s blog, Pete shares his thoughts about how to steer away from those problems so that you can have your audiences experience your unhindered screen presence.
Check out Müd Modular here as one potential solution!
A lot of people have been asking us lately about backgrounds—specifically what to use when you’re presenting on camera or leading virtual meetings. In presence coaching and leadership communication work, backgrounds matter more than people realize. They influence how your message lands, how confident you feel, and how easily your audience can stay focused.
If you spend a lot of time on camera—virtual presentations, hybrid meetings, AEC interview preparation, client communication training—we strongly recommend a physical background. At SagePresence, we partnered with a company called Mood Modular to create ours. They learned our visual brand and built three-dimensional, brand-consistent panels that feel like us without being overwhelming.
Digital backgrounds, on the other hand, often create problems: hands turning into fuzzy shapes, hair disappearing into pixels, harsh outlines, or strange distortions. They can undermine confident presence in ways that distract your audience from your message.
If a custom background isn’t right for you, aim for a setup that feels clean, professional, and warm enough to support strong presentation skills coaching principles. Some clients tell us that in internal meetings, they love seeing glimpses of people’s real lives—pets wandering by or kids appearing for a moment. But in higher-stakes scenarios such as interview skills training for professionals, BD conversations, or shortlist interview coaching, you need a polished space.
A bedroom, for example, rarely works. It’s too personal, and it sends subtle signals that can diminish your professional presence.
As you scan your background, remove anything that pulls the eye away from you. Common distractions include:
These elements draw attention away from your face and weaken client engagement skills, business speaking skills, and storytelling for business in virtual settings.
Ultimately, the goal is to support confident presence. When your background is clean, intentional, and aligned with your message, you feel more grounded. Your audience stays focused on you—not on your environment. That’s essential whether you’re leading a training, presenting to clients, pitching a project, or engaging in professional services communication.
Assess your space. Adjust what you can. Choose a background that elevates your presence rather than competes with it—and let us know what you experience when you do.
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