Best Practices for Presenting Virtually

Change the outcome of your presentation...

Often lately, I’m asked by speakers, “How do I come across well online?”

While many of these suggestions may seem simple, taken together, they add up to create a perception of competence, trust, and credibility.

POSITION YOURSELF PROPERLY

Projecting executive presence starts by taking up space, literally and figuratively. If you sit too far away from the camera, it makes you appear small, which can subconsciously send a signal that you’re less powerful, nervous, or otherwise disengaged. 

Fix this by positioning your camera to show the area from your upper chest to your head. Make sure the top of your head isn’t chopped off and that there are a few inches of visual space above your crown.

BACKGROUNDS

You’ve probably seen or used Zoom’s virtual backgrounds feature, which allows you to display an image or video as your backdrop during a call. 

However, you’ve probably also noticed that it’s not fool-proof. Many times the software will display the image over your head or glitch and pixelate. 

For this reason, I advise my clients to stay away from it unless absolutely necessary. It simply introduces too much distraction and detracts from a strong presence. 

Don’t shy away from personal elements like photos of family. These are great conversation starters that humanize you and build connections.

Look Level

You garner the most trust by establishing strong eye contact with your audience. 

But many people make the mistake of positioning their camera too low (as if people were looking up your nose), which can make it seem like you’re talking down to people. If the camera is too high (as if you were taking a selfie), it can diminish your presence. 

Instead, keep your camera at eye level. Do this by propping your laptop or webcam on a stack of books. 

Pro Tip: LOCATION It’s important that you are as close as possible to your router. This will minimize any image freezing or sound issues during the presentation. If you can have a hard wired connection, that’s even more secure. In addition, try to be in a quiet space with a closed door. And most importantly, please do NOT sit in a chair that rolls or swivels.

USE A STRONG VOICE

On video conferencing, you need to speak slightly faster than you would while in person to hold people’s attention. 

And pay attention to your inflection, just as you would in person. Avoid uptalk – ending sentences as if you were asking a question – and trailing off at the end of your sentences. 

It may seem obvious but use a good quality headset. In this digital age, your audio quality is part of the overall picture of your presence.

Stay Stable

One mistake I see speakers make is letting their lack of confidence leak out through their physical posture. They slouch or hunch over during video calls, for example, or they may sway in their chair to get out nervous energy, which in turn makes your audience feel less secure. 

Instead, imagine as if there were an invisible string running from the top of your head to the ceiling pulling you up. Send signals of competency and warmth by relaxing your shoulders and pulling them down your back. Looking at ease creates a positive perception in the eyes of people you’re trying to influence. 

SMILE AT THE CAMERA

Practice looking straight into the camera rather than glancing at your own image on the screen. To train yourself into this behavior try: 

Placing a sticky note with a smiley face right about your webcam 

Turning off the “self-view” option on Zoom

Using the “active speaker” mode 

Each of the above will help direct your attention to where it matters most – authentically connecting with your audience.

KNOW ABOUT NOTIFICATIONS

Mute your phone and desktop notifications before hopping on a call. You may think that all the dings and pings may make you appear important, but it’s more so disrespectful to the people on the call. Make others feel important by demonstrating they have your full attention. 

Pro Tip: Be aware that anything you say in the chat will be visible in the final transcript. So make sure your private messages are something you’d be comfortable with your boss seeing.

GET YOUR MINDSET RIGHT 

Executive presence is about more than your visual look and body language. Fundamentally, it’s about your mentality. And nothing detracts from projecting an air of confidence like undermining yourself. 

Nix apologetic language like “I’m sorry, I may be completely off base here.” Tentative language may be appropriate during a brainstorming session, for example, but not when you’re trying to be perceived as decisive and an expert.

Take a deep breathe. Imagine yourself at the end of the day telling your friends how great your presentation went. You’ve got this.

Pro tip: Record yourself speaking and review it. Make changes as needed in advance so you feel confident the day of.