Work from home is still the norm with offices gradually opening up with limited staff. Most of my clients who are business owners or occupy higher level management positions in their organisations, often request for tips for influential body language during online meetings.
I am sharing below a few tips which have helped in important business meetings, including those that required a bit of negotiation as well.
The first and the foremost is the background for the meeting. A virtual background conveys that one wants to hide her/his actual backdrop, however, influential leaders flaunt their backgrounds, as these scenes at the back are specially designed. So, take your meetings from a formal space.
One should get a table and a chair for the area, and select that part of the room where important professional memorabilia, such as, awards and certificates, can be displayed on the wall behind.
The formality of the scene can be broken down with a few personal photographs such as a click from a vacation or a moment with a child or a grandchild. Personal photographs in semi-formal attire from an important occasion, such as the graduation ceremony or a milestone birthday, work best when nothing else is available.
The brand or the logo of the company should not feature anywhere on one’s online screen.
The next important element of a virtual meeting is the person herself/himself. One should dress in formal attire, from head to toe. This brings upon one, an air of formality and decorum. It helps to immediately switch over to work-mode while being at home. One’s meeting attendees should be able to see the cuff-links, bold formal watch, neatly combed hair, light make-up on women, the plush fountain pen and other accessories and elements of dress and demeanour that convey subtle authority. These pieces should be strategically ‘flashed’ or shown briefly during the meeting.
The final aspect of online meetings that helps to create an influence is the presence. One should be at a distance from the camera so that the face, the shoulders and a bit of the chest is visible on the screen. One must sit with squared and spread shoulders, as opposed to rounded shoulders; the ladies must specifically focus on this. One must look directly into the camera to convey engaging eye-contact. A polite smile is something that should always be worn during the meetings. One should avoid looking sideways to check on one’s image, as it appears on the screen. A slight lean into the screen looking into the camera creates an impression of attentive participation.
One must use one’s palms, especially open palms, to convey confidence and evoke confidence from those across the screen. Eye-brows should be slightly raised to create an impression of focus during the meeting.
These pointers have helped many business leaders to strike gold during important meetings.