Getting Your Zoom Room Approved
Presented By: George J. Kappas, MA, LMFT, CCHt
This short self-study course is designed to assist you to developing a professional Zoom Room and preparing for HMI Zoom Room Approval. This course consists of these written guidelines, a sample Zoom Room Approval video, and a short quiz.
You are required to have a successful completion certificate in-order to request Zoom Room Approval in a Live Zoom evaluation. Please watch the short video included for ideas and guidance before taking your quiz.
Introduction
In today’s new world, having a professional Zoom Room opens the door for you having an unlimited geographic range for your private practice. As a result of the COVID Pandemic there are not more than 200 million people using Zoom on a regular basis that had never used it before 2020.
Your professional Zoom Room is the new “hypnotherapy office.” Seeing clients on Zoom not only opens your private practice up to a world-wide pool of potential clients, it also greatly reduces cancellations that commonly occur with in-person sessions do to schedules, traffic, transportation and even illness. Your clients can have their hypnotherapy sessions from the convenience and safety of their own homes.
Getting Started
The key concept to remember for creating a professional hypnotherapy Zoom Room office is that you are attempting, as much as possible to re-create a similar experience that the client would have visiting you in an in-person, face-to-face office. Here are some important elements to get right.
That’s it, we look forward to seeing your wonderful Zoom Room and getting you approved to start seeing clients, representing yourself professionally, and launching the exciting career of helping others with hypnotherapy that you came to HMI to achieve.
- Test Zoom Session: To get started in the process it is best to open a Zoom Session with just you in the room. Think of this as a mirror for you to look at your Zoom Room through the eyes of the client. Keep this session open while you work on your room and make adjustments so that you have immediate feedback.
- Eye Level Contact: In an in-person office, you and the clients would be sitting in chairs or sofa at the same level. They would not be above you looking down and you would not be above them looking down. There is a clear power implication there and one that we take for granted when we meet in-person. On Zoom it is common mistake to over look this important element and have your camera either too high or too low. There are two choices for getting the right angle for your Zoom Room. Raise of lower your camera, or raise of lower your seat. Many office chairs can be raised up or down with a level. This is an easy way to get yourself at the right level. Adding a pillow or cushion to your chair seat is also and easy, low-tech way to get yourself in the right position. On Zoom no one will know that your sitting on one or two cushions. When you are looking level in to the camera you have achieved your goal. The viewer should never be looking at your ceiling. If you ceiling is showing, your angle is to low.
- Lighting: Lighting is one of the most important elements in your Zoom Room. Here are some general tips. Use a designated Zoom light like a “Ring Light.” They are generally inexpensive and there are many to choose from. The HMI Student Resources provides links. Whatever you do, do not use an overhead light. It creates bad shadows and is not flattering. It is best if you light allows you to adjust the brightness and color. Your face should be the brightest thing on the screen, meaning brighter than your background. Remember your face is what you are communicating with and what people are programmed from birth and dna to respond to. The more natural the lighting the more pleasing, attractive and suggestible your face will be to them. You can also use white pillow cases or soft white sheer cloth to drape over a light to soften it even more.
- Camera: While most computers come with built-in camera’s, they vary greatly in quality. External plug-in Zoom camera’s are relatively inexpensive and easy to use and position. See the HMI Student Resources page for links.
- Microphone: Because we are using our voices to communicate and hypnotize, using a quality external plug-in microphone is one of the most important investments you can make in your hypnotherapy practice. Keep in mind we often make recordings for clients as well. Having a warm, clean, non-echo sound is very important for rapport and attractiveness/increasing suggestibility with your clients. Some computers have decent mics, but even those you are going to hear much more of the room, and echo then you will with a professional external mic like the ones recommended in the HMI Resources Page.
- Set Design: Think of decorating your Zoom Room as decorating the “set” of a TV studio. All that matters is what shows on the screen. You can literally use a corner of a room and the what’s in the rest of the room does not matter. Your Zoom Room set says volumes about who you are as a person and as a hypnotherapy professional. Your Zoom Room sends a powerful message to your clients who form instant opinions and perceptions about you in the first minute of your Zoom contact. We encourage you to really put some effort into it. Take pride is planning and designing your Zoom Room. The best way is to turn on a Zoom session with just you by yourself. The sit and look at what’s behind you. Then work on the set with the Zoom going like a mirror. If you have a situation where you are in temporary space or for what ever reason cannot create a Zoom set behind you because of space, etc. There is another solution and that is a Zoom Backdrop. This is not a green screen. HMI does not approve green screens for your professional Zoom Room. A Zoom backdrop is an actual large canvas picture that you can hang on the wall behind you. It is surprising how good and realistic they can look. There are links for them in the HMI Resources. Be sure to iron or steam all the wrinkles out of your back drop. It ruins the whole effect to see lines, wrinkles or waves in your background.
- Head Room and Framing: This is by far the most common mistake in Zooming. It is also the most important part of your Zoom presentation. First and foremost, you should be in the center of your Zoom picture and you should fill the frame. That said, you don’t want to be too close either. Too close and it makes people uncomfortable. Too far away and you seem disconnected and standoffish. In your zoom frame we should see from the top of your head to your mid chest. Anything closer than that is too close. Head room is the most common mistake. There should only be an inch of so of space between the top of your head and the top of the Zoom frame. Also, we should never be looking or seeing your ceiling. Arrange the height of your camera/computer so that we are looking at you and you at us a close to eye level as possible. Also remember to look at “US” the client. This can be tricky. You have to find the right angle where it looks like your looking right at us and not above, below and to the side.
- Resolution Quality: The resolution of your picture or your picture “quality” is a very important factor. People are used to watching television and they have come to expect and take for granted the really high production values, crisp bright picture and 4K resolution of today’s television. Think of your Zoom Room and a mini television studio broadcasting your hypnotherapy show.
There are four reasons why you picture may not be providing you a sharp bright picture.
- You don’t have enough light.
- You are using the camera built into your computer. Some have good quality, but most do not.
- Your Internet connection is not strong. Specifically you need an upload speed of 10 Mbps or better.
- The video card in your computer is not up to speed. This could be because your computer is old or the model of computer you have was not built for “gaming” and did not come with a high-speed video card.
The tricky part to items 3 and 4 is only the person on the other end of the Zoom can give you feed back if your picture quality is low due to low speed. It will look fine to you on your end.
First thing you do is Google “test my internet speed.” You will get an “Upload” and a “Download” speed. The download is for watching movies. For Zoom you are concerned with the upload speed. If your upload speed is below 10 Mbps, contact your internet provider and tell them you need more upload speed. Sometimes they can help you over the phone. Sometimes you may need to change providers.
If your upload speed is 10 Mbps or more, then it’s not your internet that is causing the problem. Try using an external camera. They are not that expensive anymore and you can find links for them in the Zoom section of your student resources. If your internet speed is good and you are using a nice external camera, then it may be that your computer is old or not equipped with a good video processing card. When purchasing a computer or laptop for Zoom, you want one that is intended for “gaming.” These have the best cards for video.
- Links to Equipment: From the Student Resources and Forms link on your HMI Personal Home Page of Hypnosis.edu scroll down to the Zoom section for links for a variety of Zoom products.
- Taking Your Quiz: There is a quiz to complete this course. You will get a certificate in your “Certificates” section of your Hypnosis.edu menu. You must show your certificate to the person approving your Zoom Room. Please do not ask for Zoom Room Approval without completing this course first.
- Getting your Zoom Room Approved: Zoom Room Approval can be done with your Student Counselor after the 6:00 PM (Pacific Time) Case Conference. You can also contact Lenora@Hypnosis.edu for Zoom Room Approval.
Here are some suggestions for Zoom Room Approval.
- Please have your Zoom Room course certificate ready to show the approver.
- Please do not tell us you have a light or a microphone, but it is not hooked up yet.
- Your professional attire is an important part of your Zoom Room Approval.
- Please watch the video in the course before asking for your Zoom Room to be approved.
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Real Time Student Comments
Required Getting Your Zoom Room Approved
2024-10-13 at 01:39 Pacific Time
It was a great help and inspiring.
V.C. from Virginia Beach, Virginia, US
Required Getting Your Zoom Room Approved
2024-09-04 at 13:09 Pacific Time
This was direct and to the point. Great examples.
J.D. from Sacramento, California, US
Required Getting Your Zoom Room Approved
2024-07-28 at 08:31 Pacific Time
Great questions and I wish most were asked this way.
L.J. from Agoura Hills, California, US
Required Getting Your Zoom Room Approved
2024-07-06 at 05:04 Pacific Time
This was a great session. I gleaned many tips and great exemplars to get Zoom Room approval.
D.S. from Southaven, Mississippi, US
Required Getting Your Zoom Room Approved
2024-07-05 at 14:56 Pacific Time
That was really quick and painless. Ten question quiz for a five minute video. That went by fast, blink and you've missed it.
C.D. from Owensboro, Kentucky, US
Required Getting Your Zoom Room Approved
2024-07-05 at 10:51 Pacific Time
I’m ready for whatever is coming.
C.F. from Los Angeles, California, US
Required Getting Your Zoom Room Approved
2024-05-21 at 13:29 Pacific Time
Essential tips for the aspiring professional!
B.S. from Petaluma, California, US
Required Getting Your Zoom Room Approved
2024-05-21 at 12:33 Pacific Time
Concise, simple, and directly to the point.
A.E. from Hawley, Texas, US
Required Getting Your Zoom Room Approved
2024-05-21 at 11:32 Pacific Time
Very helpful video with examples and overall information.
I.B. from Pinellas Park, Florida, US
Required Getting Your Zoom Room Approved
2023-11-21 at 04:54 Pacific Time
I'm thankful that HMI takes our presentation seriously so that we may be as successful as possible as hypnotherapists.
M.L. from Beaverton, Oregon, US
Required Getting Your Zoom Room Approved
2023-11-20 at 17:43 Pacific Time
Wonderful as always. Great information and never intimidating.
L.S. from Stillwater, New York, US
Required Getting Your Zoom Room Approved
2023-08-30 at 07:58 Pacific Time
This was a good little informative video, thank you George!
J.B. from Austin, Texas, US
AHA Continuing Education Disclaimer
American Hypnosis Association Continuing Education Courses are not a substitute for your Hypnotherapy training. This seminar does not teach basic Hypnosis skills or general Hypnotherapy knowledge and is designed for professionals who already have completed or are in the process of Advanced Hypnotherapy Training. Advertising yourself as certified in specialty areas of Hypnotherapy without the benefit of an Advanced Hypnotherapy Diploma from HMI or another duly recognized training institution is considered unethical.