5 Virtual Call Blunders That Are Undermining Your Presence
Suman Kher
I coach mid to senior professionals on the path to leadership ?? | 1K+ individuals impacted | Corporate Trainer | Enhance your presence through 1:1 coaching | Communication Expert | Dale Carnegie certified
The pandemic redefined our lives in so many ways - least of all the way we communicate at work. Sitting in our jammies even during high-level meetings, work from home remodelled our work life entirely.
And we have built some new habits over time not realising how deleterious they can be in the long run.
Today we are going to look at a few seemingly harmless habits that have great impact on our success and how to change them.
Mistake #1: You switch off your video
Be honest with yourself - isn't it so convenient to just switch the video off? It's like the magic button that lets you vanish but also be present in the meeting. It gives the much needed respite especially during the boring bits when people go on and on and you have nothing to contribute.
But that is only harming you in the long run!
What you should do instead: Keep your video on at all times
You wouldn't vanish out of physical office meetings, would you?
With your video on, people can see your presence, watch your reactions and remember you as a visible member in all virtual meetings.
Again, it’ll be hard for people to ignore you once you are back in office when things get normal. Research has proven that keeping your video on creates a more real-meeting kind of atmosphere.
It also helps people bond together with actual people rather than their photos.
Mistake #2: You miss the virtual eye contact
Since people aren't sitting right in front of us, it's sometimes hard to ensure that we look right at them. But we all know that eye contact is the most basic non-verbal cue when we talk to people and when we listen to them.
What you should do instead: Look into the camera as much as you can
Try this: Start a dummy video call and trace your eyes as you look at different points on the screen. Mainly, notice the difference when you look into the camera lens and when you look at your own image on screen.
In a virtual meeting, when it is your turn to talk – move your eye contact in a triangle. The triangle here is the camera lens of your device, your image on the screen and another participant. Take turns to move your eyes to each.
This gives the impression of a normal eye movement and it’s like looking at everyone in turns.
Mistake #3: You stay on mute and speak only if spoken to
I hope you didn't miss the pun there! Keeping yourself mute adds another barrier to open communication. It prevents you from jumping in just like you would in an offline meeting. And like being invisible, being quiet is also going against you in the long run.
What you should do instead: Speak up, loud and clear
One of the best ways to be visible in a virtual meeting is to speak up. Take up the role of a moderator or any other role during the meeting. This will ensure that you have a speaking presence.?
Make meaningful contributions to ongoing discussions on calls
Another important thing to remember is to be loud and clear. Voice projection is critical on virtual platforms since your voice needs to travel for people to realise you are saying something.
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Learn to modulate and project your voice better.
Structure plays another important role in speaking up. Don't ramble! That's not going to help you.
Decide what you want to say, structure your thoughts clearly and deliver it coherently and confidently
Since your views are structured and presented clearly, your contribution will be noted by everyone in the meeting.
Mistake #4: You hide behind presentations
When I do mock presentations with my coaching clients, one hundred percent of them first share their screen with slides on it before they begin talking. And, as a presenter, you've already lost your audience.
In real life, this is equal to you stepping behind the projector screen and talking from there.
What you should do instead: Get some face time with your audience
Always start your speaking parts looking into the camera and talking to people in the room.
Greet them. Introduce yourself. Lay out your talking points.
And then start the ppt only when you have something to show them.
Don't hide behind the slides before it is absolutely essential. Another pleasant outcome of this is you'll be more animated as a speaker since you are the face on camera.
Mistake #5: You start your slides and drone on monotonously
Well begun is half done! But what about the rest of the presentation? Would you drone on as a monologue? Is there a way to include the others too?
2-way communication is the lifeblood of successful communication.
Ask questions. Use the chat. Take questions from the audience.
These simple tips can ensure that you break the monotony of your presentation and also hold the attention of the audience too.
How many are you guilty of?
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Director at Decibels Lab
2 年Extremely helpful points, as many a times people do these even unconsciously. Thank you so much.
CEO at HQ, Emotional Intelligence Specialist, NLP Practitioner, Life Coach
2 年Suman Kher, this is so much needed. Many make these mistakes. Thanks for posting!!