5 Ways to Own the Room on Zoom
“The signs and actions by which our faces and limbs reveal what passes within our minds.”
We had to adapt when most workplace communication took place via video during the pandemic.
This resulted in two things: We got to see what everyone’s houses looked like, and we all went from speaking to individuals to speaking to cameras.
Some adapted to this better than others.
In a meeting with Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, a businessman appeared naked, having forgotten his camera was on.
It also meant everyone went from reading body language in person to trying to read the room on zoom.
Your body language may have to change to compensate for the virtual camera and environment.
The best tips on how to lead great virtual meetings, give the best professional virtual presentations and sales calls now that you are on video and from your home office are critical.
The question being asked by many organisations right now is “How can our people continue to lead great meetings and give the best professional presentations now that they are on video and from home?”
There are 5 things you can do to put people at ease over video.
Keep it short, but speak often.
Don’t have people looking up your nose.
Smile - put a smiley face post-it note behind the camera to remind yourself.
Ensure the lighting is good, and remember it’s ok if your background is personal.
Ensure you’re animated - don’t be afraid to be lively and fill the frame. Also, vocal variation and changing tonality keep people interested.
If you found this post interesting, you should register for our upcoming course on Body Language for Business featuring the brilliant Mark Bowden.
