If you want to smash your online speaking performance, stand out amongst the crowd and improve your job prospects, read on. Here are some helpful tips to improve your speaking skills and presence on Zoom, Teams or other online platforms:
1. Prepare Your Environment
• Lighting: Ensure you have good lighting (ideally natural light) in front of you to make your face visible. Avoid strong backlighting that puts you in shadow.
• Background: Choose a clean, uncluttered background. If you don’t have one, a virtual background can be an alternative, but try to keep it professional and relevant.
• Camera Angle: Position your camera at eye level to create a natural eye line with your audience, so it feels more like a real conversation. Try not to have the camera too low or too high.
• Sound: Use headphones or a dedicated microphone if possible to improve audio quality and minimize background noise.
2. Know Your Material
• Prepare Talking Points: Organize your thoughts in advance, especially if you’re presenting. Having an outline or a few notes nearby can help you stay on track without needing to rely on a script.
• Practice: Run through your material at least once. Practicing can improve your confidence and help you gauge how long each section will take.
• Anticipate Questions: Think about what questions the audience might have and prepare some brief responses in advance.
3. Engage Your Audience
• Use Names: When possible, call on people by name to encourage participation. It helps create a personal connection.
• Pause for Interaction: Rather than talking continuously, pause periodically to allow for questions or comments. It’s useful to say things like, “Does anyone have thoughts on this?” or “Feel free to unmute or use the chat.”
• Utilize Visuals: Use slides or screen-sharing to provide visuals that can keep the audience engaged and clarify your points.
4. Optimize Your Body Language
• Eye Contact: Look directly into the camera when speaking to simulate eye contact with your audience. Avoid looking at your own image or the video thumbnails too much, as this can make you appear distracted.
• Gesture Naturally: Use hand gestures to emphasize points, as they can convey confidence and make your speaking style more dynamic.
• Stay Calm and Composed: Avoid fidgeting or leaning too close to the screen. Sitting up straight and speaking at a steady pace can help convey confidence and professionalism.
5. Control Your Voice
• Speak Clearly and at a Moderate Pace: This helps the audience keep up, especially if there’s any lag. Enunciate your words and try to avoid filler words like “um” and “uh.”
• Vary Your Tone: Change up your pitch and inflection to keep your voice engaging. A monotone voice can cause listeners to lose focus.
• Pause for Emphasis: Pauses can be powerful. They allow you to emphasize key points and give your audience time to process the information.
6. Practice Active Listening
• Acknowledge Responses: When people respond or ask questions, acknowledge their input with a nod or a quick verbal response like “Good point” or “Thanks for asking.”
• Take Notes: Jot down questions or feedback to refer back to, which shows that you value their input and helps you remember key points for follow-up.
7. Use Tools Wisely
• Chat and Polls: Use the chat for quick engagement, or polls if you want to gather opinions or responses. These can help break up the format and make the meeting interactive.
• Screen Share and Annotations: If you need to highlight something on your screen, use the annotation tools. Visual aids can add a lot to your spoken points.
• Reactions: Use reactions (like thumbs up or applause) to acknowledge feedback quickly without interrupting the flow of the conversation.
8. Test and Adapt
• Practice with a Friend or Record Yourself: Before a big meeting, test your setup and delivery with a friend, or record yourself and review to catch any habits or technical issues you might want to fix.
• Adjust Based on Feedback: After a few meetings, ask for feedback from participants, and adjust your setup, speaking style, or structure based on their suggestions.
Focusing on these tips can make a big difference in how confident, engaging, and professional you appear online.
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