Video:
Humans brains are a lot more tuned to images than audio. So, keep your video switched on. Almost all tools these days allow you to stream your video while you participate in a virtual call. This does two things for you. Firstly, this is a great way to remind yourself to keep your body language right and secondly, it makes it easier for people to talk to you. It is easier to talk to someone we can see than it is to talk to a box with a name in it.
Posture:
Sit straight. Our body has a unique way of communicating our confidence based on how we feel and affects how we feel by our posture. So, having good posture will make you feel confident and that confidence comes through in our voice, that people can see and hear.
Facial Expression:
As they say, “The most important thing you wear is the expression on your face”. So, smile. Use your face to express your feelings. As opposed to physical meetings, where people can see you fully, in a virtual call, everyone in the meeting usually only has your face to look at. So, be more expressive. Technology is a great amplifier, so allow it the opportunity to amplify your facial expression.
Eye contact:
Eye contact in any interaction is critical. So, if you are using a laptop to join a virtual meeting, find a way to increase the height of the laptop so that you are at the eye level with your camera. That way, you are looking right at the others and not looking down at others. These are subtle things that can make a big difference. Stand up if you feel more confident that way.
Seek feedback:
All meetings are tools for enabling effective communication between a set of people. In a physical environment, it is easy for us to sense the feedback through observing the entire body language of all participants at the same time. However, it can be difficult to do this in a virtual meeting, especially when not everyone has their camera switched on. So, specifically ask for feedback. This can be either using the tool or asking people to speak up and share their feedback.
Energy:
Virtual meetings are notorious for being low on energy and / or engagement. So, you need to bring in extra energy, just to maintain the energy levels. So, plan your breaks, drink a lot of fluids (hopefully water) and exercise.
In conclusion:
In conclusion, virtual meetings are here to stay. So, we would do well to learn how to participate and lead effective virtual meetings and show up as our authentic and confident selves.