ZOOM ANXIETY? — HOW TO LOOK, FEEL, AND BE MORE POWERFUL!

You’ll lay eyes on them, and your heart will race, your mind will freeze, and you’ll struggle to get a word in edgewise. For some of us, it happens more frequently than others, and either way, we can all benefit from being able to handle this beast called ‘Zoom Anxiety’! 

Zoom Anxiety is a phenomenon that sees people get overwhelmed at the prospect of being put on the spot digitally. It’s when they feel like their audience is right in front of them — and they can’t hide behind the anonymity of a screen. Therefore it happens to a lot of people, even on live streams. So how to overcome this feeling and look confident in virtual meetings?

• Choose proper Position 

Showing executive presence begins by taking up a good amount of space figuratively. If you sit too distant from the camera, it makes you appear small and relaxed, which will give a signal that you’re less powerful, timid, or not engaged in the meeting. The lighting and the position will play an important role in virtual meetings.

• Adopt Strong voice

On Zoom conferencing, you need to speak a bit louder than you would in person to hold the attention of attendees.

And be mindful of your delivery and accent, just as you would in person. Do not end sentences as if you were asking a question unless you are, and avoid trailing off at the end of your sentences.  

• Be calm and steady

Just because of one mistake, some delicate Strivers can let their lack of confidence leak out through their natural posture. They slump or lean over during virtual meetings, like they may sway in their place to get rid of nervousness, which instead makes your audience feel displeased. 

• Avoid virtual backgrounds- 

You must have noticed or adopted Zoom’s virtual backgrounds feature, which allows you to show an image or video as your backdrop during a call or meeting. Nevertheless, you’ve probably also seen that it’s not a stable feature. Most of the time, the software will display the image over your head or pixelate and glitch. It might get very distracting and disturbing for the people in the meeting.