Top 6 Tips for Projecting Confidence on Zoom.

In public speaking, non-verbal skills are as important as verbal skills, and one of the most important non-verbal skills is effective body language. But how do we show confidence when we are restricted to video conferencing?

  1. Dress (almost) how you used to: take a cue from the most senior person in your world and make sure you never dress down from that level. Dress appropriately for your industry and make sure your grooming reflects your clothing. More casual attire can handle more casual beard, hair, jewelry, etc. More formal dress calls for more formal hairstyles, accessories, etc.
  2. Open with a genuine smile: confident people are comfortable in their skin, and so smile more readily. 
  3. Watch your posture: confident people take up space. Sit with natural good posture, shoulders square, chest open. Avoid crossing your arms. Sit no further than arms-length from your camera, or you will appear small. 
  4. Eye contact: people who don’t look others in the eye appear shifty or unsure of themselves. Whenever you speak, practice looking directly into the camera. 
  5. Lower the pitch of your voice: voices with a deeper tone, register as people in authority, confident, in control. To lower your pitch, press your lips together and hum for a few minutes before the meeting starts.
  6. Be aware of nervous habits: focus on remaining still, which will go a long way to preventing fidgeting. Hold on to a pen to stop yourself from touching your face, hair, clothing. When on camera, consider changing out your swivel office chair for a stable chair. 

Remember, the camera reduces speakers to a 2D box. We need to work harder to make sure the first impression is one we want to leave with our audience.