Level-Up Your Online Presence: 5 Do’s & Don’ts For Your Virtual Setup
In my Powerful Presenter Program I have a whole week where we focus on what I call ‘Electric Delivery’.
In this session, one of the things I do is an audit of everyone’s virtual setup.
and you know what… ?
Most people are making A LOT of mistakes.
They’re easy mistakes to make when you’re not aware of them.
But, these things can diminish credibility, affect your personal brand and reduce the power with which you present.
But …. the great thing is, most of these are easy to address!
So, today I thought i’d share with you the exact:
5 DOS + DON’TS FOR AN EPIC VIRTUAL SETUP
So you can figure out if you’re making any of these mistakes and get to addressing them!
I also have visual examples of what to do vs what to avoid.
If you present / run meetings virtually, E
Let’s go!
#1 – CAMERA FRAME
How you position your virtual frame (i.e. how you position your camera) has a massive impact on your perceived presence, credibility and authority.
What to Avoid
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Only showing your head (or worse, having some of your head cut-off)
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Angling the camera up (so we can see parts of the ceiling)
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Angling the camera down (so you’re looking up)
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Having lots of ‘dead space’ above your head in the virtual frame
If people can only see your head (i.e. they can’t see your torso), they most likely can’t see your hands or your gestures.
Did you know?
Studies have shown that people don’t trust others as much when they can’t see their hands. Secondly, people make sense of what you say by looking at what you’re saying with your hands.
What to do instead
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Always set the camera up at eye height (at 90 degrees to the floor)
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If your camera is lower than this, either:
– Use an adjustable desk that you can increase the height of
– Put your laptop up on a stand / books / box
– Buy a separate camera and install it higher
– i.e. Don’t angle the camera up to adjust!
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If your camera is higher than this, either:
– Use an adjustable desk that you can decrease the height of
– If your chair can go higher, do that
– i.e. Don’t angle your camera down to adjust!
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Ensure we can see your torso as well as your head
Pro Tips:
How to get the perfect frame:
A. Imagine there is a line going through your screen horizontally.
B. Position your face is in the top half and your torso is in the bottom half.
Whilst you could invest in a portable web-cam, I find that the ones that come natively in laptops these days are fine. It’s more about how you setup around them that makes the most difference.
#2 – LIGHTING
Good lighting makes a world of difference online.
If you have really bad or poor lighting (with lots of shadows), the camera doesn’t appear as crisp, which doesn’t look as professional.
It’s also harder to make out your facial expressions and see your eye contact, which is a crucial part of delivering a message.
What to Avoid
Sitting:
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Right under down-lights – they will give you bad shadows from on-top
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Next to natural light – this will give you shadows on one side
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With light behind you – this will give off a distracting glare
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In a dark room – this will mean your face is hard to see
What to Do Instead
You should sit either:
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Facing a window – so you have natural light on your face OR
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Facing a lamp – ideally a ring-light, but a table lamp would suffice
Pro Tip: I use this Ring Light from Luvo, however there are cheaper alternatives out there too. You can find options for around $10 if you want.
#3 – BACKDROP
You want to avoid a messy backdrop as it doesn’t look professional and impacts your personal brand and credibility.
What to Avoid
Setting up:
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By blurring your background
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By using a virtual background
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In a space that is a cluttered, messy or disorganised
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In your bedroom, with your bed behind you
I know this isn’t always possible, trust me! I’ve been there before. But if you have ANY options, I’d choose carefully.
What to do instead
If you can, pick somewhere that has either:
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A plain wall behind you
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A simple back-drop (e.g. A plant / art-work / bookshelves)
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My third personal preference is to show a real background (even if it’s a little busier than i’d like) over using a blurred / virtual background
Pro Tip: I also prefer to use the ‘Portrait Lighting’ setting in Zoom, as it gives a subtle blur to the background, without compromising what you can see of the speaker.
#4 – YOUR CHAIR
The chair you have plays a big role in how you will deliver presentations.
What you want to avoid is distracting movement, or conversely appearing frozen/stuck.
What to Avoid
Getting a chair that:
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Moves – One on wheels or one that turns means you may swivel or sway back and forth in your chair as you talk, which can be quite distracting
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Has arm rests – If you have arm rests, you’re likely to use them and this will make you gesture less and appear frozen / stuck
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Is deep and comfy – If a chair allows you to slump or lean back, it makes you appear disinterested and inhibits natural movement
Instead you want to be anchored to your spot, but able to move within it, deliberately and freely.
What to do instead
Have a chair that:
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Has feet and is stable (i.e. it doesn’t move in any way)
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Has no arm rests (so I can’t put my arms on them)
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Supports me to sit up straight (I can’t slump in it)
Pro Tip: You obviously have to make sure that you take ergonomic elements into consideration as well, but this is the best advice I can give in terms of presenting.
#5 – YOUR DESK
You want to avoid a desk that doesn’t allow you to set your camera / frame up properly (as per Point #1).
What to Avoid
Getting a desk that:
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Is fixed (i.e. cannot be moved up or down to get the right camera height)
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Has wobbly legs (You don’t want the screen wobbling every time you hit the desk)
What to do instead
If you can, get a desk that either:
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You can adjust the height of manually
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Is electrically height adjustable
IN SUMMARY
Even if your job doesn’t revolve around presenting, it’s worth getting right.
Because if you spend a large proportion of your day in virtual meetings, I assume you’d like to come across that you know what you’re talking about.
A lot of these tips don’t require a huge investment either.
I’d highly recommend you do an audit of your virtual setup first. Then based on what you notice, make any necessary modifications.
You’ll appear (and feel) more confident, more capable and more credible.
Therefore people will take you and your ideas more seriously.
Just from tweaking your setup!
Cheers,
Emily
P.S. If you liked these tips and you want to level-up your presentation skills all round, you should join my signature 10-Week Live Group Program The Powerful Presenter (TPP). In it you learn the exact way to prep, design and deliver a wildly impactful presentation. Plus you get 4 opportunities to present and refine your approach, with feedback from me and the group. It only runs once a year, but it’s open for registrations now. We kick-off Fri 2 May @ 10am AEST. Check-out more about TPP, or see what past participants have said about their TPP experience. Doors close midnight Sun 27 April.
Hey, I’m Emily Edgeley, a Public Speaking Coach for the Tech industry.
Since 2017 I’ve transformed the lives of thousands, by helping them to communicate with more power. I’ve run 300+ group coaching sessions, coached more than 250 people privately, and helped more than 100+ others give their first ever Conf talk.
I’m on a mission to help anyone in Tech communicate with more clarity, impact and confidence. To boost their brand, career and influence.
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