North Texas Dentistry Volume 10 Issue 3 | Page 24

How to Look Confident on Zoom

by Karen Cortell Reisman , MS communication
Your body language counts . What you say has to be congruent with your actions . On Zoom , you get a max of a 2 x 2 ” pane to exude your confidence and credibility .
Show your strong leadership style on Zoom keeping these three body language caveats in mind :
On Zoom , be extra cautious of how your face acts and reacts . Be congruent with the subject matter at hand . If stress is high , try to remain neutral . If your meeting is all about the good news , smile – appropriately . We ’ ve never recommended that you grin like the village idiot .
On Zoom , you can reinforce your confidence and credibility with positive body language . Be aware of your posture , eyes , and expression .
Posture . Picture your mentors and role models . Do they slump ? Do they walk into a meeting with their backs curled over ? I ’ ve asked audiences around the country this question and the 100 % answer is , “ No !” The leaders you emulate have good posture .
On Zoom , you show good posture by sitting tall . Plant your feet evenly on the ground . Don ’ t rock in your chair and avoid annoying habits like tapping your pencil / pen or playing with your hair .
Eye contact . Confident people look at people . Effective eye contact is created by looking into another person ’ s eyes for a whole thought or phrase ( around 4 seconds ). Connecting with good eye contact is one of the most important aspects of body language .
On Zoom , you need to look into the camera . If you are doing a 1:1 meeting alternate looking at the other person and the camera . If you ’ re on a group call , Zoom rearranges how the panes are displayed on each participant ’ s computer . You can look at the person you ’ re talking to and at others as well . Ultimately , keep your eyeballs on the zoom room and the camera .
Expression . An open facial expression , aka ‘ your smile ’, elevates your connectivity . Conversely , you can erode confidence when your face becomes frozen .

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Karen Cortell Reisman , communication expert , author , and coffee ice cream eater , works with dentists on their case presentations and dental lectures , speaks to dental associations from Yankee to Pankey , and coaches decision makers on how to ‘ Speak For Yourself ’ to make even more money . Karen is president of Speak For Yourself ® , she ’ s had a blast speaking in North America , China and Israel and , now , she has become a Certified Virtual Presenter . Currently , she travels all the way from her kitchen to her living room to give keynotes and do executive consulting .

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