6 Shifts to Help You Enjoy Public Speaking On Zoom
Public speaking to your audience is one thing, but doing talking during an important Zoom meeting is a new and in some ways more challenging task. This is especially the case if you are too nervous. There are a lot of things that can go wrong, from technical difficulties to not being able to read non-verbal cues from the audience.
However, you should know there are ways to not just overcome these feelings of anxiety, but also experience more joy from your Zoom meetings. Here are a few subtle shifts, from mindset changes to practical habits, which can make all of this possible:
Going with the flow
Always remember that glitches can happen. However, instead of worrying about them, you should shift your focus to better respond to whatever the issue is. Often this means something as simple as logging off and signing back in. Consider some easy resolution steps beforehand, so that you are better prepared when something does happen.
Use the platform to your advantage
There are plenty of disadvantages to presenting on Zoom as opposed to in person. But there are also plenty of benefits. You can experiment with ways you are viewing your audience and the way they are viewing you. Sometimes you can view many faces in squares, and sometimes you can choose to pin a friendly face and pretend that you are only speaking to that person. You can also turn off the self-view feature if you are a little conscious about the way you look.
Use engagement prompts
Another way to get over self-consciousness is to engage the audience with some prompts. For instance, ask your audience to raise their hand if they have experienced a relatable scenario or feeling that you are currently describing. You can also ask questions and engage with them in this way. In doing so, you also flip the framework from just public speaking to an active conversation with the participants of the meeting. The prompts need to be on-topic of course and you should not ask uncomfortable questions.
Have a strategy in place
Instead of just trying to get through the presentation, you should plan for how you will present the whole thing, to be most effective. Adequate preparation is key to relieving the stress of presentations. You should practice on camera beforehand, to get more used to your face on the screen. That way you can position the camera and adjust your settings to best present yourself.
Know that the audience is a friend of yours
The audience is not made of people who are there to judge and ridicule you. They are people who want to see you succeed and who empathise with your nervousness. That makes it completely ok to be vulnerable in front of them. The fear of public speaking lies mostly in the fear of rejection of your ideas. But that is something the audience is very familiar with and you should remember that.
Break the presentation into smaller parts
You don’t need to present non-stop for hours on end. It is exhausting not just for yourself, but also for your audience. They will tune you out if you go on explaining things too long. You should break your presentation into smaller parts, to make it easier to understand and transition from one part to another. It also gives you and your audience a chance for a small break in-between parts.
All of these are great tips to make your public speaking efforts on Zoom that much more effective. Adopt them and you will see how much of a difference they make.
