The perfect appearance at the video conference
If you’re planning the next online presentation for your business or have a webinar or video conference on your to-do list, then this article is for you. Both small and large companies are currently looking for new ways to get in touch with their customers and employees in order to inform and inspire. If you have already gained some experience with your appearance in front of the camera and have overcome the technical hurdles, I would like to give you a few tips on how you can improve your results. There is a significant difference between talking to customers or employees who already know you and talking to new customers. New customers pay much more attention to the smallest details because they want to get their bearings and get a first impression of you.
You will have a much greater impact and be better perceived if you know how you appear in front of the camera and what your body language, your clothes or the background of the picture say about you. You will realize that the way you present yourself and your charisma are at least as important as the content. The outer form and the content always work together and should never be seen separately. You will stand out positively from the mass of online presentations and gain sympathy, competence and trust if you pay attention to the following points.
The short form of the article as a video: https://youtu.be/oS1WRpqRZgQ
The most important motivation for your audience to follow you and listen attentively is, of course, your topic. The more relevant and current the topic is, the better. However, you don’t know what situation and environment your audience is currently in. Maybe one of them is standing at a rest stop on the highway with their smartphone in their hand and the other is sitting at the kitchen table in their home office. In any case, there is always potential for distraction – from other people in the room or from emails and WhatsApp messages vying for your viewer’s attention. You can achieve a consistently high level of attention by deliberately building in an arc of suspense and generally presenting your topic in short and clear blocks. To build suspense, you can, for example, ask a provocative question at the beginning of your presentation, make a surprising statement and then prove it, or use numbers. If the title of your topic is: “The 5 most important reasons for …”, your audience will be curious to find out what the 5 reasons are and whether there is one that is still unknown to your audience.
For online presentations in particular, it is important to explain right at the beginning what exactly you are going to talk about, what your topics are and how long the presentation will take. This makes a much more professional impression than just starting to talk without setting a time limit. The most interesting topics are at the beginning and at the end. At the beginning, it is important that you arouse interest and build up expectations, which you then resolve as a reward at the end. If your audience is physically present in the room, they will stay seated and listen to you, even if an individual’s attention curve may be going down. However, if you lose your audience online at any point, you have usually lost them completely. You know this effect from yourself when you zap through the TV program, for example.
This rethinking of the fact that attention is not automatically given by being together in a room therefore requires special attention to dramaturgy.
Another way to keep your audience interested is through interaction. At the end of a section, you can ask whether anyone has any questions or would like to add anything. Depending on the type of presentation, this is possible via video, by voice only or via chat, i.e. as a text message. When preparing, you should be clear about whether and how you want to organize interactions, as the technical requirements for this must be met on both sides. If you do the dialog exclusively via chat, this has the advantage that you can select the questions and provide summarized answers. This saves you time and offers more design options than answering one question after another from the audience. You may get more questions via chat than via video or audio because the inhibition threshold is lower. Typing a question costs most people less effort than formulating a question live in words.
Entering into a dialog via video or voice is more spontaneous and individual; the questioner feels more personally perceived when they are visible and audible. Which method is right for you depends on the topic, the occasion and the circumstances of the presentation.
Looking into the cold lens takes a lot of getting used to for most people, because as a presenter you can’t get a picture of the other person. You are being looked at by an anonymous crowd and don’t know whether they are making fun of you or listening to you intently. It is the uncertainty that triggers the stress. Added to this is the feeling that you have to perform because something special is expected of you right now. No wonder you forget your lines. To be honest, the only thing that helps against this feeling is the experience that you did well and nothing bad happened. How can you prepare yourself specifically?
- For example, you can practise at home in front of the mirror or record yourself with the camera to gain confidence.
- It also helps to imagine a specific person on the other end of the line who you would like to talk to right now.
- If there is a person behind the camera who nods their head discreetly and looks at you favorably, this can provide security and give you the feeling that you are on the right track. However, avoid having several people behind the camera, as you will then be looking for the eyes of different people instead of looking into the lens at the audience.
Just try it out and find the right way for you!
You should not be too far away from the camera so that people can look you in the eye. In a classic video conference on a laptop or PC, the camera is mounted above the screen or integrated at the top of the screen. If you are looking at the center of the screen, you are not looking at your audience because you cannot look into the camera! Be aware that you always look up at the screen and not down or in the middle if it is possible and doesn’t throw you off.
Another aspect is the camera angle. On the laptop on the kitchen table, you are always seen from below because the screen is at an angle and you are looking slightly downwards from above. Conversely, the viewer sees you from below, roughly from chest height. Psychologically, this makes you appear taller, more powerful and more dominant, but not at eye level. It gives the viewer the impression that you are literally talking down to them. You can avoid this by placing a few books under the laptop or screen so that the camera is roughly at chin height.
If wording is more important to you than speaking freely, then you are probably looking for support from a teleprompter or at least a cheat sheet with key words next to the camera. These cheat sheets actually only work if you’re not looking at them! The viewer immediately recognizes when your eyes move from the lens to the note and back to the lens again. At that moment, the viewer realizes that you are not speaking with all your conviction and from the bottom of your heart, but are possibly reading out something that someone has written down for you. As a safety anchor with a placebo effect, however, the cheat sheet is completely okay.
The teleprompter with the semi-transparent glass pane directly in front of the lens is familiar from television, and the newsreaders always appear very confident. However, this is part of their job and not just due to the effect of the teleprompter. If you, as a layperson, place a teleprompter in your office or home office, the viewer will probably recognize the pupil moving along the lines as it is read out. This tends to happen if the teleprompter is too close. The effect is only negligible from a distance of approx. 5 meters, provided of course that the font is still sufficiently legible and the scrolling text has the right speed. So before you think about investing in a teleprompter, you need to consider the following:
- The distance between the camera with the teleprompter and you should not be too small so that the viewer does not notice your pupils moving.
- It takes some practice so that you don’t feel driven and rushed by the scrolling text.
- In the beginning, you concentrate too much on reading the text and therefore lack natural facial expressions and gestures, small pauses for reflection, etc.
- Working with a teleprompter requires a lot of preparation because the complete text must exist as a file and cannot be changed quickly.
- you need a second person to operate the device because the running speed has to be corrected again and again for longer texts.
In any case, free speech remains the supreme discipline.
When it comes to illumination, evenly soft and shadow-free light that falls on you from the front and slightly above is always the most advantageous because it corresponds to the natural sensation of sunlight. However, if the light dazzles you, you have overdone it.
A desk lamp or speaker’s lamp directly next to the screen is disadvantageous because the light is usually too harsh and too uneven in brightness.
It is also unfavorable to sit with your back to the window, because the camera is then dazzled by the backlight from the window and usually takes too dark a picture of you.
If you often record videos, it’s worth investing in two LED lights to the left and right of the camera or computer monitor. A small investment in light is always worth it, because you’ll be “in good light”, and that’s what matters in the end.
If you don’t have the opportunity to set up a light, then a large white cardboard, a flipchart or a white wall will also help as a brightener so that the light reflects off the window and brightens your face.
The background of the picture should support your characterThe environment you find yourself in also says something about you and the framework you set. The background and the whole environment give your words additional meaning. A garden in the background makes a different statement than a white wall, a bookshelf has a different effect than a filing cabinet. If you have private customers, then it makes sense to show your private surroundings, as this builds closeness and says something about your character. In a business context, it can be a workplace, large windows or anything that has an interesting architectural effect, such as rows of doors, pillars, blinds and so on.
In almost all cases, it is good if the background is rather unobtrusive and slightly blurred, without bright colors, dominant diagonal lines or plants and lamps that seem to grow out of the head.
A more advanced variant is your performance in front of a green screen or blue box. The green or blue background is then replaced live or in post-production by a different video signal or graphic.
This means that you as the person are in the foreground, while the background is freely selectable and can also be changed afterwards. The overall impression is then similar to that of a news studio or at least somewhat artificial. Here, too, the decisive factor is the intention behind it and whether the effect is in proportion to the additional effort.
Poor sound quality is the most typical rookie mistake because voice quality is always underestimated. We live in a visual world, and because we use our smartphone to make calls, very few people realize that the phone is only suitable for close-up conversations. Everyone is familiar with poor hands-free systems in the car because too much background noise is transmitted. The simplest and cheapest remedy is a clip-on microphone for your blouse or jacket. If necessary, a headset will also work, as long as the distance between microphone and mouth is only a few centimeters.
The second aspect is the volume of your voice. Speak as loudly as if you were talking to a person standing at a distance from your camera. The human ear always reacts particularly sensitively to sound dropouts, feedback, reverberation or distortion, and they are remembered for a comparatively long time. If, on the other hand, a chart fades in a little too late or the image section was chosen somewhat unfortunate, it is forgotten relatively quickly afterwards.
In any case, the acoustic conditions are just as important as the ambience and background when it comes to designing and selecting a suitable room.
The fact that your words are easy to hear does not mean that people will enjoy listening to you. I recommend that you always speak in spoken language and not in written language. What reads logically and technically correct often comes across as wooden and complicated when spoken. Your language, your choice of words and your way of expressing yourself should be so lively in video conferences and web presentations that people enjoy following you. If your language and form of expression seem rather stiff, it will be difficult to follow you or even interact with you.
We can create closeness or distance through language. We can use language to differentiate ourselves from others through our choice of words or pronunciation, or to connect with other people. Scientists, for example, are always faced with the challenge of presenting facts and contexts in such a way that even laypeople can understand them. So think about what the purpose of your presentation is and what style of language is appropriate. Economic analyses and quarterly figures should also not be presented in the same way as they appear in an annual report. The audience prefers to listen to you if you speak in a visual and colloquial way. Small slips of the tongue, a brief reflection and a certain linguistic dynamic build closeness and sympathy.
Be brave rather than too careful!
“What am I going to wear?” is a question that generally concerns women more than men, but it is always important. There is no clear rule. The important thing is to dress as you would if you were meeting someone in person. Otherwise you would feel underdressed. The clothes must therefore match your style and suit the occasion. If in doubt, my tip is to dress a little more chic than you normally would. In concrete terms, this means adding small accessories, wearing slightly fancier shoes or a long-sleeved shirt instead of a short-sleeved one.
In general, it is advisable not to wear eye-catching patterns, extravagant cuts or strong colors in front of the camera. However, if you’re going to a party, invited to a reception or attending a large conference, it’s perfectly okay to draw attention to your appearance – as long as it suits you.
In the video, on the other hand, you already have a presence, you are in front of the camera, you are the focus. The colorful tie and the eye-catching floral pattern are effective from a distance, but you don’t need them up close. All eye-catching shapes and colors distract from your face up close, and that’s exactly what you should avoid. The viewer wants to be able to look you in the eye, wants to see your facial expressions and gestures and therefore doesn’t need the distraction of bright colors and shapes. What you say becomes true for the viewer if they can perceive it correctly.
From a purely video-technical point of view, it is also advantageous to avoid high brightness contrasts. Instead of a black suit with a white shirt, a dark gray suit with a light blue shirt would be the better choice. White quickly appears over-bright and black looks completely outlined because the cameras and screens cannot process the high contrast.
“Standing or should I sit?” As always, the answer is: it depends. Think about what qualities you associate with the word sitting.
For me, it would be qualities such as calm, relaxed, relaxed, thoughtful, exhausted, looking back or being with yourself. So if you look back in your presentation, talk about experiences long past, enter into a philosophical discourse or have thought-provoking messages, then sitting is more appropriate than standing. When contemporary witnesses talk about their experiences on television, they always do so sitting down. The Chancellor’s speech on the coronavirus crisis was also delivered sitting down.
If, on the other hand, you want to motivate your audience, report on current trends or sell a service or product, then you should stand, because it looks much more credible and suits the mood better. You can breathe more deeply standing up than sitting down and you can move your hands more freely. A singer never sits when singing. They intuitively use their hands for passages that have special meaning and are emotionally charged. You should definitely pay attention to how you use your hands. If you actively use your hands when speaking, they support the effect of your words. You come across as more authentic and credible than if your hands simply hang down from your body. Hands hanging down make you look impassive. Everyone knows scenes from feature films in which judges pronounce their verdicts. Here, apathy is the order of the day, because judges are not expressing their personal opinion, but announcing the result of a deliberation. They distance themselves personally from their message. Their facial expressions are rigid and unsympathetic, their language is rather monotonous and their words seem to be read out. In most cases, you will not want to achieve this effect and I therefore recommend that you use your body to amplify your speech. However, if you overdo it and literally speak “with your hands and feet”, you will appear helpless, insecure and nervous. Your upper body is perfectly adequate, your hands and facial expressions are crucial.
The basic rule is that everything that counteracts the earth’s gravitational pull has an active, friendly and motivating effect. This is a kind of universal law for many areas of life. If the flowers are drooping their heads or the plaster is falling off the facade of a house, these are not signs of an active state. This also applies to the corners of the mouth and, to a certain extent, to the hair and overall posture.
First of all, you need to determine the image format if you want to include text charts, photos and PowerPoint presentations. Find out which devices your audience will be using to watch the presentation. The smaller the screen, the more striking the image needs to be. The standard aspect ratio for video is 16 to 9, i.e. a slightly panoramic format. Videos in portrait format only make sense if you as the presenter are in the foreground and your audience is almost exclusively using their smartphone. The portrait format always suggests spontaneity and topicality. Think about whether this suits your topic or whether there is a particular reason to choose the portrait format.
Fonts, graphics and photos must be clearly recognizable because you can easily lose your audience if they can’t follow you. If you have charts that are barely legible, leave them out if in doubt. Deserts of text create an association that it’s more complicated than it looks, and then the audience will switch off.
Be careful with tables: in most cases, the amount of figures is too large and too confusing. It is usually better to present results in the form of figures one after the other than to present comparative figures side by side.
If you are planning an interactive online meeting with more than 10 participants, it helps enormously to have an assistant or moderator at your side. Especially at the beginning, there are always problems with the technology because the sound is lost or the picture fails. The assistant can take these issues off your hands so that you can concentrate on your presentation and the other audience members don’t have to wait until the last participant has understood what you are saying. They can also remind you to answer an important interim question if you have overlooked something.
If you are also working with several cameras, as in a cooking show, and have another guest with you, then you will need support with image and sound direction – just like in a TV studio. There are endless opportunities to supplement your presentation with pre-produced videos or audio contributions and take your experience to the next level.
In the follow-up to your presentation, it is a nice gesture to make the recording available as a video. The email addresses of the participants are usually known and you need their prior consent to send further information material. The rules of the GDPR also apply to online meetings.
For example, you can use the participation in your presentation a week later as an opportunity to remind yourself again, provide additional information or ask for feedback. In any case, you are showing that you are interested in further dialog.
In the end, it always depends on how you are understood by others and not what your intention was. How your counterpart understands you is not 100 percent in your power, because everyone has their own “glasses” on, through which perception happens. The wealth of possibilities that you can influence is enormous, but it shouldn’t stop you from working on yourself and getting better. It is enough to pay just 5% more attention to an aspect that is relevant to you in your next presentation and slowly improve without feeling overwhelmed. It is obvious that online presence will become increasingly important in the future and all experience with it is a valuable investment in yourself.
