https://www.linkedin.com/learning/executive-presence-on-video-conference-calls
Ok my friends today we talk about how to come across as professional on a video call. Since the apocalypse began last year most of us were forced to start conducting business over video calls. This was a new experience for many people, and you could tell people were trying to figure it out.
In this post I’m going to give you best practices and ideas on how to use the medium to your advantage, or at least not have it be a disadvantage. This is sourced from my own personal experience and a LinkedIn Learning course called “Executive Presence on Video Calls” by media professional Jessica Chen.
I have the advantage of being familiar with conducting business through web meetings. In my roles I’ve been doing this since Skype was invented back in the early 200’s. I’ve also spent a fair amount of my working life working from remote offices, home or on the road.
What I have learned is that whether you are at the client site, in a company office or at home it’s still work. It’s the same work in a different venue. People have a hard time with this concept for some reason. They struggle mixing their home routines with their work routines.
Habits are important. Physical habits drive your attitude.
The first thing you need to do is make a habit out of going to work. Get up, have your breakfast, shower, shave and put on your work clothes – at least from the waist up – dress for work. Find a space in your house, even if it is the basement or a closet that you can cordon off as your workspace. This is your new psychological office that you go in to work at every day.
I have been blown away by how people, even high-level executives, are showing up looking like they just crawled out of bed. It sends a message. On the other hand, I have had people notice, actually call me out as an example of how to dress for a meeting with a customer. I’m not doing anything different or special, I’m just getting dressed and going to work.
But that psychology is important. That habit is important.
That’s your first tip, get up, get cleaned up, get dressed and ‘go to work’. And if you have an important call with a client send a note to your team the day before reminding them to dress appropriately.
For your physical set up I would recommend an adjustable standup desk. When I’m running a meeting it is always easier for me to be standing. It helps with posture and it’s more interesting for the people on the other end to watch. You’re still only seeing me from the waist up, but when I’m standing I’m more kinetic and I project more authority. (Plus it will save your back and keep you alert.)
For audio you don’t need to have a professional rig but you need to be audible for your listeners. You don’t want bad audio to distract from your messaging and effectiveness. Most modern computers have audio capabilities. But, you can take some basic steps to make it effective.
You need to use some sort of headset. Don’t use the default computer microphone array – they are typically terrible. Your voice will fade in and out as you turn your head and the array will pick up background noises and typing noises. Don’t do it.
It’s easy enough to use a headset. You are going to have three choices. The first is the audio jack =, the little round hole that you can plug any standard audio headphones into. This is what I use. I use a set of iPhone wired earbuds and I dedicate that pair to that computer. The quality is excellent for both the microphone and the headphones.
Some computers will have low quality headphone audio jacks and you’ll get static or whining.
Your second choice is a USB headset, like the call center people use. These can give you a slightly higher audio quality. Your third choice is a Bluetooth headset. I don’t use these because I find them to be too finicky.
But the point is, don’t use the microphone array, it sucks. And test whatever you do use as a headset to make sure the quality for your audience does not detract from the interaction.
The apocalypse-work-from-home wave forced a lot of people who are not used to being on camera to be on camera. I know a lot of you don’t want to be on camera. But you don’t have a choice so you should own it.
Again – most modern computers have a decent camera. If yours doesn’t you can buy an external USB camera. Either way you want to set up the video so that it is at eye level. The little camera lens should be right at your eye height. Which is a lot easier if you are using a standing desk, like I mentioned above.
Don’t position the camera so that it is looking up at you. No one wants to see up your nose.
You can position it slightly to the side so that you can turn to address the camera, I find this gives me more ‘action’ or interest. Let me explain. Think of it from your attendees point of view. In a normal meeting in a conference room you will not be staring everyone in the eyes all the time. You’ll be up at the whiteboard, or the projector screen, moving around and pointing stuff out.
That’s what I simulate. I have my laptop with the camera eye-level on my left and my big monitor eye-level in front. This way I can move between the two, but more importantly I can turn to the camera, ‘look them in the eye’ when I need to connect, either listening or presenting. Just like you would in a conference room.
Lighting is important. You want to position your desk so that you are facing a window and natural light is shining on you. You can get the same effect with a light positioned in front of you but it’s tricky. The light has to be a soft light, it has to be in front of you and it has to be the right color light.
If the light is above you it gives you a weird shiny head. If it’s behind you it gives you a silhouette look. If its beamed right at you it makes you look shiny and greasy. Natural light is the best, otherwise you’re going to need to play with the like sources and positioning to get something that works.
You might say to me at this point, “Chris I’m just not a camera person.” and I would respond, a) get over yourself and b) use it to your advantage. You see, you can be that person on the call who truns on their camera first. That gives you power, authority and believe it or not, empathy. You are giving your viewers that gift of your video. You are giving them something inherently human. Celebrate that. If they don’t want to turn their camera on, fine, but give that gift without expectation. It help them connect. Be that person. Show how confident and excited you are by showing up on video.
OK – now that I have you on camera – body language and facial expressions really matter in a video call. You might think they don’t matter because you are not physically present, but actually the video call emphasizes and amplifies your body language because you are framed right in front of your audience.
This is not as hard as you think. You can see your own video in these meeting. Watch yourself and practice your body language. Watch the effect your facial expressions have on the audience. You will be amazed.
Basic body language means good posture, stand up straight, shoulders up leaning into the camera slightly and smile. Look at the camera. Right into the lens when you address someone. Be relaxed and loose, but not sloppy. Like your ready for anything and confident.
Use smiles, frowns, looks of concern, use your hands to be thoughtful or expressive. It is all amplified on camera. Use it to your advantage to color your narrative. Try this experiment and you’ll see what I mean. Next time your on a video call make a casual observation, like “My dog has been backing all day today.” Then smile broadly into the camera. Watch what happens. Everyone else will smile in response – you have triggered them – your body language and facial expressions – for good or for bad – control the audience.
As far as backgrounds go, thank Zeus for virtual backgrounds. The bedroom I have co-opted for my office is a wreck. If I had to put it on camera I’d be fired. I use either a generic company background or I use an outdoor nature photo. Don’t use anything busy or distracting. Landscapes and office scenes are great. When I use a photo from one of my walks in the woods it becomes a prop for small talk and ice breaking. Again, use it to your advantage to set the tone.
One last video tip is wear solid ‘gem colors’. This means reds, blues, sapphires, etc. Check and stripe patters tend to not project well on video. But it really depends on your camera and your lighting. Test it out.
In Summary: Don’t be afraid of video calls. Use them to your advantage. Become a student of what works and what doesn’t. Set up your technology so that it adds, not detracts, from your message. Use the nuances of the medium to augment your narratives.
And practice, practice, practice.