What is Virtual Presence in Online Meetings?
Your virtual presence is the way you present yourself to the camera. This includes your body language, voice, background, and how you engage and connect with your audience through a screen.
If you do it right, you'll stand out amongst others.
If you do it wrong, you risk of getting lost in the sea of video frames - or even worse, becoming known as the "forehead guy" (the person who stands so close to the camera that their eyebrows become the center of attention).
It's like author Martha Beck said, "the way we do anything is the way we do everything," and that's exactly the case for your presence in virtual meetings.
You should understand that you're on the camera for everyone to see and hear. That's why it's important that you feel comfortable with yourself and present a positive image of yourself.
Showing up as your best professional self on Zoom or any other video conferencing software continues to be a business necessity-
- To stay competitive,
- Ace an interview, or
- Win a promotion
And we're not talking about expensive webcams, lighting, or fancy microphones. It's about working with what you've got and making the most of it. With expertise and awareness, everything in your shot speaks to who you are.
How to Enhance Your Presence on Zoom Camera and Look More Professional?
Understanding Your Personal Assets for Online Meetings
There are 5 basic ingredients of success on video calls. They’re appearance, staging, styling, energy, and technology.
Appearance and staging refer to what’s behind you in your background. Everything in your background should be purposeful and meaningful.
Styling refers to the props and artifacts that you’ll put in deliberately to give your best shot while speaking.
Then comes the energy, that's, your emotions during the conversation, the variety in your voice, your body language, and the emphasis you put behind your words.
And finally, the technology, which is understanding the platform you're using, learning its basics, knowing how to turn on your camera, how to operate the controls on the shared screen, how to calibrate your audio, just understanding all the different things.
Excelling Your First Impression on A Video Call
Research shows that it only takes 7 seconds for someone to form an opinion about you. And since most of us meet new prospects or clients via video call, it makes sense to prepare well before these virtual meetings.
First impressions matter - a lot. So it's essential to be mindful of how you present yourself from the beginning, especially when engaging virtually with someone.
Make sure your camera is on and you're making eye contact, so the other person feels like you're truly present.
If you don't make an excellent first impression, it can negatively affect your career, business, or reputation.
Using Green Screen with A Virtual Background
Video conferencing software like Zoom or Microsoft Teams works best with a green screen. Although, if you’re using a virtual background without a green screen, your image will never look neat and defined.
Let’s take an example from the above image.
At the top left of this image is a virtual background without a green screen. Here you can clearly see how the person's fingers merge with the background, with no clear definition or line around the torso.
But if we look at the right picture above, that's the one with the green screen; you can clearly see all 10 fingers of the subject in front of the camera. Because with the help of a green screen, the camera can intelligibly identify and isolate where your body begins and ends.
And with BIGVU Green Screen Replace App, you can effortlessly replace your green screen background with any image or video and enhance your virtual presence in the meeting.
Teleprompter App for Zoom- How to Make and Keep Eye Contact on Zoom Meetings?
If you use Zoom for business, sales conversations, or collaborating with your team, you know the importance of maintaining eye contact and calibrating the conversation.
Let’s suppose you want to give a presentation in a Zoom meeting but you haven’t rehearsed it well. And at the same time, you don’t want to sound unprofessional.
In this case, you can use a teleprompter app for Zoom, designed to integrate perfectly with the application.
During Zoom meetings or other video conferencing calls, this app automatically scrolls through your text so you can focus on audience engagement and keeping eye contact. It seamlessly fits into the application, allowing you to read your scripts, scrolling down your screen without the other person knowing about it.
From now onwards, you can make your conversations concise and straight to the point by saving your scripts beforehand on the teleprompter for your next online meetings.
And this is where BIGVU’s teleprompter app for virtual meetings comes into play. It’s a virtual teleprompter for Zoom or any other video conferencing application that sits on top of your screen and lets you get in front of your camera with confidence.
The Benefits of Using A Teleprompter App for Mac or Windows in Online Meetings
A Teleprompter App for Zoom Allows You to Speak Naturally
According to communication experts, 70-93% of communication is non-verbal. And since physical human interactions have gone less today, we have only one thing left to connect with our audience, i.e. maintaining eye contact and engaging actively.
Maintaining eye contact during virtual meetings is crucial for building a connection in the discussion. And that's only possible if you're speaking fluently with the help of a teleprompter, looking into the camera.
It Lets You Sustain Your Professionalism
Professionalism and confidence are essential when giving a Zoom presentation. By appearing well-dressed and avoiding distractions such as awkward pauses and scribbled notes, you can emphasize your expertise to your audience.
Allows You to Concentrate More on Non-Verbal Communications
You're more likely to speak confidently, without notes, when you know what you're going to say and don't have to worry about forgetting it. Plus, you'll have your hands free to emphasise more on nonverbal communication and other vital points in your Zoom presentation.
No matter even if you’re a beginner or want to practice first, how the teleprompter will work for Zoom calls. We’ve a video suggesting how to use the read only teleprompter feature on BIGVU, which allows you to practice with the teleprompter scrolling until you feel confident and ready to go live.
Wrapping It Up
Working remotely has become the norm today, and if it hasn't already, video conferencing will soon become commonplace in your workday.
By challenging yourself to improve your virtual presence, even if it's just a little bit each time, you can unlock your full potential and focus on elevating your own presence.
You never know - you might be one step away from becoming a champion in your next virtual meeting.
