We’ve discussed the value of your virtual presence. Well, that presence extends to online meetings. Make sure to take just as much care when meeting with someone virtually as you would in person. While adjusting to the new normal of constant Zoom meetings can be challenging, we suggest you remember these tips for a successful call:
- Eye contact is still important- focus on your camera, not your colleague.
- Frame yourself in an area that is well-lit with no distractions and communicate with confidence and expression.
- Whether you are taking meetings at your office or home, be sure your background looks professional and non-distracting.
- We recommend products like the Lume Cube to maintain optimal lighting conditions.
Need a Visual? Click HERE to watch our “Best Practices for On-Camera Meetings Video”
Now you’re all set up for a successful virtual meeting and making great connections with your audience!
Taking A Deeper Dive…
Your Appearance – Choose your outfit wisely. Find colors and fit that flatter you, and are also event/content appropriate. Avoid all white and logos. Solids always work better on camera. Prints can be fine, but not small or complex prints or lines- which can confuse a camera. And large prints could draw attention away from your on-camera purpose.
Your Body – If you normally use your hands when you speak, use them. The more you act yourself, the more natural you will appear. That being said, if you’re an over-the-top hand-talker then practice lesser movements. You’ll make others feel uncomfortable and they won’t hear your message. Be natural, with the best posture you can muster. Head up, Face bright.
Which brings me to…
Your eyes – Take Tyra Bank’s advice and “smize” Smile with your eyes. Do it know. Try smiling. Now, think about including your eyes in that smile. Much different feel, right? You can’t look someone in the face with a smize, without them feeling something.
You can/ and should use your eyes, even if the content is serious. The eyes are where we connect.
Think about (or ASK!) ‘Where you should be looking?’
If your interviewer is also on camera, look at them.
If your interviewer is off-camera, then look slightly off-screen, to the side of the camera.
Your Speaking – It goes without saying you should work to speak clearly and enunciate correctly. Have your thoughts prepared. For example, in this interview I know I want to communicate point A, B, and C. Once again, if you’re being interviewed, ASK ahead of time how you can be best prepared. A good interviewer should help draw information out of you. But if the interviewer is not good, YOU know your points and stick to them.
Don’t ever feel like you have to fill all space. Pauses are perfectly fine. We get in trouble when we ramble.
Practice these things, so you aren’t thinking about them when the camera rolls. A bathroom, mirror or phone recording of yourself is a great way to get familiar with how you look when you’re on camera. Run through your lines while you’re getting ready for bed (smizing at yourself) or set up your phone and record yourself at breakfast. If you think that feels silly, imagine feeling sillier if you choke while live on camera!
Now, Go For It. You’ve got this!
