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Most of us spent the past year and a half working from home due to the coronavirus pandemic. For some of us – especially those who conduct virtual meetings, interviews and workshops – understanding digital body language is now essential. 

The human brain is accustomed to looking for real faces in a crowd; it analyzes expressions & tone and responds accordingly. Unfortunately, this ancient, inbuilt neurological process is far less effective in the virtual world, it simply wasn’t built for virtual. This can result in a less than optimal online experience for both presenters and audience members. The disconnect can derail even the most well structured online meetings.

Lots of things changed when we transitioned to remote work. It’s vital that we acknowledge and are cognizant of the need to accommodate these changes, and to appear confident and engaging to everyone attending. So what do you do to keep your meetings interesting and achieve the desired outcome?

Here are 5 virtual body language tips on how to conduct yourself during a virtual meeting:

Tip 1:

Over-emote. This means amplifying your facial reactions during video meetings. 

• Raise your eyebrows. 
• Alternate between standing up straight and leaning forward. 
• Regularly nod and smile. This is to vary up your natural resting face, which interprets as disinterested. 

People will determine how you’re feeling based on this six-inch image of you on their screen. That means every blink, every grin, and every time you lean toward the camera is registered by your audience as a positive or negative action.

Tip 2:

Posture, posture, posture. Imagine all eyes are on you, at all times during your virtual presentations, keep checking that your back is straight. Being hunched over the computer or constantly looking down conveys negative cues. That negativity is what people are going to remember. To help your posture: 

• Keep your feet flat on the ground and thighs parallel to the floor, so you have a 90-degree angle at the knees.
• Your head, neck, back, and legs should be aligned when standing. 
• When seated, sit up straight so your ears, shoulders, and hips are aligned.

Remember that good posture makes you appear more energetic and self-confident. It also reduces stress on your body.

Tip 3: 

Leave room for your hands. The best speakers move their hands into the video frame. Psychologically, it is less inviting to only see someone’s head because we’re used to seeing their entire body when talking to them. Seeing someone move their shoulders and gesticulate with their hand creates a much more natural and engaging feeling in virtual conversations.

Tip 4: 

Make eye contact. To appear like you are looking into someone’s eyes:

• Look directly into your webcam. 
• To be more natural, alternate between looking directly at your webcam and the computer screen when you talk during meetings. 
• If you’re typing notes online, have the notes on the same computer screen as your virtual meeting. Putting notes on a separate screen makes it appear that your attention is elsewhere. Continue to occasionally look at the screen if you’re taking notes by hand. Remember to mute your microphone, so the sounds of typing aren’t a distraction.

Tip 5:

Use body language to silently indicate when you have something to say during a virtual meeting. For example, you can raise your chin and a hand or finger. Meeting attendees can also use a button that looks like a raised hand in Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and WebEx to show they want to speak. Similarly, paying attention to how long you’re speaking. And remember to acknowledge others if they appear to have something to say.

A more successful virtual event will be accomplished by demonstrating attentiveness and reinforcing trust using your virtual body lang trust with your body. Our body language provides cues about moods, thoughts, and emotions. Avoid miscommunication and indeterminacy by being in control of your digital body language and levelling up your nonverbal communication.

About Jessica 

Jessica Dang has developed and delivered bestselling face-to-face; virtual and learning programs internationally. She was instrumental in building the largest ‘hands-on’ education company in Asia. Additionally, she has conceptualized and built leading education businesses, learning tools and software for clients. An innovative educator, Jessica has also developed and managed large scale, multi-location learning events and outreach programs for leading international organizations. She brings her super fun, trademark chaos & mayhem learning technique to all her programs.

Jessica is a Certified Workplace Learning Specialist, a Specialist Adult Educator and a Marshall Goldsmith Executive and Team Coach. www.jessicadang.com