11 tips for presenting yourself confidently on Zoom
Since the pandemic Zoom meetings have become the norm. Instead of, “Let’s meet in the conference room”, a video call with a colleague or client seems to be the first port of call. In fact, Zoom announced that the average number of video meetings that take place each day is now 300 million. That’s a lot of virtual meetings!
Because of this, we’ve all had to quickly learn Zoom etiquette and how to present effectively via a camera on our computer. It’s not a natural behaviour, and some of us certainly find it more difficult than others.
As video meetings are here to stay for some time, we wanted to help you out by sharing our experts’ tips on how to present confidently on Zoom.
If you’d like to take your practising one step further, why not give one of our popular online public speaking courses a go? Hundreds of professionals have signed up this year, and we’d love to see you there too!
Right, onto the tips…
Tip 1. Prepare for your meetings
Okay, so our first tip is not rocket science, but as many of us lead busy professional and social lifestyles, there’s not always time to put a good amount of preparation in before every single meeting.
Preparation however can help immensely with confidence. If you’re completely clued up on your subject area and know your presentation inside-out and back-to-front, this will instantly make you feel in control of your online meeting. And when you feel in control, you’ll feel more confident.
Note down any questions a client or colleague might ask you too. Rehearse your answers to these expected queries beforehand and you’ll be able to respond more naturally without too much stuttering and stalling.
Tip 2. Practise using Zoom’s tools
If you’re not that familiar with Zoom then it makes sense to have a few practise runs before an online presentation or meeting. There are many tools on Zoom that you may need to use such as ‘share screen’, ‘change background’, and the ‘mute button’. Log into Zoom and become familiar with these tools so you’re not scrambling around trying to work them out during your virtual meetings.
You could also ask a friend or family member whom you're comfortable with to sit in on a Zoom practice session. Run through your presentation or meeting agenda - treating them as if they were a colleague or client - and get a feel for how everything works, looks and sounds.
If you’re running a webinar then Zoom has a practice mode that allows you to run through your session, and even invite attendees to join. These are really handy to use - especially for larger meetings where a lot of people are expected to take part.
Read more about Zoom’s practice mode here.
Tip 3. Good lighting
Now we’re not talking about good lighting in the vain sense here (i.e. to look good), we mean good lighting that makes you feel confident. Dark shadows and blurry images are distracting, for you and your meeting attendees, which can make you feel out of control.
Test how your lighting looks on Zoom by turning lights on and off in your home office, or opening and drawing curtains. If you can’t get the desired effect with lights and lamps in your home, then you could invest in an LED light which many videographers and YouTubers use. These lights shine the right amount of brightness and are nearly always portable, which means you can confidently take part in virtual meetings in all kinds of settings and environments.
Digital Camera World has a great article that recommends the best lights for Zoom meetings.
Tip 4. Find a quiet spot
It’s extremely important you find a quiet space to hold your Zoom meetings. Distractions can be off-putting when you’re trying to concentrate.
If you’re in a busy office, find a quiet corner or an empty meeting room. Working from home can be trickier if there are other people in the house, so plan your ‘quiet space’ in advance. Ask the people in your home to respect this space while you’re holding online meetings and do their best to keep the noise down.
Tip 5. Take deep breaths before your meeting goes live
Did you know you can use breathing as a tool to reduce anxiety? Our breathing controls a lot of our hormones and the nervous system within our bodies. This means by simply learning a few breathing techniques you have complete control over how your body acts and feels.
When you feel worried or concerned about a situation your heart tends to beat faster. However, learn how to breathe using your diaphragm - not your chest and shoulders - and you can lower your heart rate and feel in control again. Breathing using your diaphragm also enables you to sustain speaking for longer.
The correct term for this breathing technique is called Diaphragmatic Breathing. But, we find this makes it sound complicated, which trust us, it isn’t!
So, take deep breaths using your diaphragm 5 minutes before your meeting, and you’ll be able to get into the right mindset and calm any Zoom anxiety.
Watch this ‘Belly Breathing’ video to understand the Diaphragmatic Breathing technique or follow our simple steps below:
Sit up straight.
Place one hand on your chest and one hand on your tummy.
As you inhale through your nose, let your tummy expand.
As you exhale through your mouth, let your tummy contract.
Repeat.
Tip 6. Make eye contact - don’t turn off the camera
Eye contact while having a conversation instantly makes you appear confident and assertive. On the flip slide, avoiding eye contact suggests nervousness. Direct eye contact when in a video meeting can sometimes feel easier, than when in-person.
There are video meeting experts out there that say to make direct eye contact you need to look at your camera-lens. If this sounds even better to you to help with any anxiety, then give it a go. Alternatively, if it feels odd, it’s best to feel comfortable, so looking at your screen will be fine.
Tip 7. Smile and sit up straight
We talk about body language a lot in our public speaking courses. That’s because body language is an extension of your thoughts and feelings. A confident person will move more freely when speaking versus a nervous person who might appear rigid or awkward. This is of course quite tricky to show in video meetings as most of the time you can only see people from the chest upwards.
You can however still show a positive and assertive body language when on Zoom by:
Sitting up straight
Smiling - where relevant (and natural)
Using your hands
Using your expressions
Tip 8. Have a glass of water handy
This is a simple, yet important tip. A side effect of nervousness is a dry mouth. And we all know how tricky it is to speak assertively when all we can think about is a glass of water.
Fill up a glass ahead of your meeting and keep it at the side of your computer. It’s not rude to take a sip of water during a meeting, so do so as you need. You can also use a sip-of-water as a way to take a breather between agenda points or slides. If you’ve got an extra long meeting or a pressurised presentation, a chance to stop and pause can help you regain control, slow your pace and focus on your next discussion.
Tip 9. Be confident in your abilities
The true meaning of confidence is belief in yourself. Belief that you can do something and that it’s okay if you fail. Having a positive mindset can also help with confidence, as our wandering minds are often to blame for imposter syndrome and self-doubt.
Our founder really knows his stuff about mindset and how to tackle any negative thoughts. Watch his video about How to Master the Mind in 3 steps to help beat your Zoom-demons and start believing in yourself more.
Tip 10. Listen intently and be interested
A good meeting or presentation isn’t always about putting on a great performance or revealing insightful statistics, the best video meetings are where people feel a connection with each other.
Take an interest in your client or colleague by asking questions about them and their work. Listen intently to what they have to say, respond appropriately - and with real interest.
Not only will having a two-way conversation make you appear confident, but it will make your client or colleague feel good, and they’ll come away feeling positive about your meeting.
Tip 11. Be yourself
Vulnerability. It’s something many of us are afraid to show, but it’s been proven that people connect more with people who show some form of vulnerability.
What we’re trying to say is, be yourself. It’s okay to feel anxious or nervous and it’s okay to get things wrong. If this happens, let the people in your Zoom meeting know and we bet they don’t mind. In fact, we bet they like you a bit more for your honesty.
Bene Brown has a great TED Talk on vulnerability. If you’re interested to find out more, you can watch her talk here.
Good luck with your next Zoom meeting. We hope our tips help!
Remember, if you’d like more support we have online public speaking classes for people just like you who are trying to improve how they interact in their professional and personal life. Get in touch to find out more or book onto our next course today.