Master Your Camera for Virtual Presentations & Meetings

Throughout the pandemic, people have asked me, “What’s the most important thing I can do to become a better virtual presenter?” And for once, there is a silver bullet, a magic pill, the pièce de résistance. You ready for it?

Buy a quality webcam, put it at eye-level, and talk to it like it’s your best friend.

Think about it: all of your connecting, influencing, teaching and leading happens through that little black lens.

Want to keep people engaged in your presentations?

Want to be more persuasive in your virtual meetings?

Want to be a stronger leader?

Want to sell more?

“But Robert,” you say, “it’s uncomfortable to look at the camera. I’d much rather look at the faces on the screen. That way, I can see how they react, and it feels more like a conversation.”

Yes, you want to see how they react, and you definitely want to look at them when they’re talking.

But remember one thing: this isn’t about you. Your impact and effectiveness all depends on how you impact others. And for them, it’s more like a conversation when you talk to the camera.

The GrahamComm Team has trained and coached hundreds of speakers and salespeople during the pandemic. And without a doubt this is the hardest change for people in making the switch to virtual presenting.

We’re wired to look at faces. We've spent years practicing eye contact. But the game has changed. And if you want to get good at virtual presenting and selling (which is here to stay, by the way), then…

Do these three things:

1. Buy a quality webcam

The built-in cameras overall are pretty bad. My team, and most our clients who take this stuff seriously, use the Logitech C922, C920 or C930 cameras.

2. Mount your camera at eye level.

Nobody wants to look up your nose. If you’re using a laptop, get a stand for it or a box to raise it up (see my set-up below).

3. Talk to the camera

Just like in a conversation, when you're talking, spend 90-95% of the time looking at the other person, which means talking to your camera.

Pro Tips to make this transition (like we teach in our Virtual Presenter Course):

1. Manage your monitors.

As Biggie Smalls once said, Mo’ monitors, mo’ problems. When presenting, get your camera, notes, slides and video all on the same screen.

2. Drag your audience–or your notes–right under your camera.

The better platforms like Zoom allow you to rearrange video windows so you can put the person you’re speaking to right under your camera. This way, if you look at their face, it looks like you’re looking into the camera. And if you have notes, put the document under the camera, and scroll as you go, so your messaging stays at the top of the screen.

3. Stick a photo or Post-It right under or next to your camera.

I've got Summer & Charlotte right next to the camera on my desktop. And my laptop has a Post-It that says “Look Here!” with an arrow pointing to the camera (below).

All right, now we took care of you and your camera. In the next newsletter, we’ll give you tips on how to get everyone else to turn their cameras on!

Good luck, and good speaking, —The (growing) GrahamComm Team (see below)

P.S. Got a virtual conference, all-hands meeting or investor presentation coming up? We'd love to help you nail it!