Guide to Getting Over Your Shyness about Video Conferencing

Do you dread going on camera for business video conferences?
Use these tips to feel prepared and confident.

With businesses increasing their productivity through using video conferencing, it is essential to learn to act professionally when you are on video – especially if you are being recorded. Here are some tips to increase your confidence.

Be Prepared for Every Meeting

The more familiar you are with the topic, the less you’re going to worry about how you’ll appear on camera.  According to Northwestern University, your confidence in the subject will carry through in the way you speak and how you approach the answers.

Part of being prepared means having all of the information you’re going to need during the meeting close at hand. You should never dip out of the camera’s view – not even to reach for something. If you have prepared everything properly for the meeting, you shouldn’t have to do anything more than turn to reach for what you need.

As soon as you connect through a video conferencing company, you should be able to lay your hands on all your belongings without even looking. Try practicing reaching for the different materials before you connect so you will be ready to concentrate on the meeting.

Conduct a Test Conference Call

Before the meeting starts, test all of the equipment and software in advance. Even if you have software from a trustworthy company, like Blue Jeans, you still need to test everything to make sure the connections are correct and the lighting is good.

For a comprehensive test, have someone in your office get on the receiving end of a call. If there are no problems, give the meeting itself a dry run. Go over everything you want to cover in the meeting.

If at all possible, have the person in the same room with you while you’re conducting the test. This will allow you to see the person in reality as well as on your computer screen. By seeing the person you’re talking to in the same room as you, it can take away from the shyness you might have about talking into a camera.

As you get accustomed to the other person being there, you can talk directly into the camera more and more until you don’t feel the need to look at the other person at all. At this point, you’re ready to jump into your video conference call, according to Biz Tech Magazine.

Adjust Your Voice

The tendency for many people when they’re shy about speaking through video conference equipment is to speak either too soft or too loud. According to Inc. Magazine, you want to be heard, but at the same time, you don’t want to be offensive by shouting into the microphone.

This is something you’re going to have to work on to get the volume of your voice just right. In most cases, if you’re the only one on the call from your end, you should be able to simply speak at a normal tone. The powerful microphone on your computer will pick up your voice just fine.

If the people on the other end are having trouble hearing you, rather than raising your voice, simply lean in close to the microphone and ask if they can hear you better.

Record Your Video Conference Calls

If you still feel shy after your first video conference call, you should review a recording of what you look like. You can work on your position, appearance and how you present yourself.

The recording is intended to help you to get better at video conferencing, so don’t use it as a way to convince yourself that you’re a failure.Look for noticeable problems in how you’re conducting yourself in your video conference and make a concerted effort to make the change.

With a little work, you’re going to be great at video conferencing. You may even notice at some point you will be so focused on your presentation that you will forget about how you look on video.

Once you focus on presenting yourself and your materials correctly, you will forget altogether about your shyness about video conferencing. This will help you to be a seamless part of the new digital workspace.

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Gail Gardner

Small Business Marketing Strategist at GrowMap

Gail Gardner is the founder of GrowMap.com. She is a Small Business Marketing Strategist who mentors small businesses, bloggers, and freelancers. After 23 years in the field with IBM and 5.5 years managing AdWords accounts, her focus shifted to small business marketing strategy. GrowMap.com is listed by Cision as a Top 100 Site for Marketers and has received three Small Business Influencer Awards from Small Business Trends. Named by D&B a Top 50 SMB Influencer on Twitter, you can follow Gail @GrowMap and on LinkedIn.

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