How To Communicate Effectively In Your Next Online Meeting

Covid 19 hit and online meetings shift our traditional meeting settings. Not only are more people joining more online meetings, but they are also leading and partaking in those meetings. Public speaking is becoming a sought-after skill in this new era. What does that mean for those of us who are less apt to public speaking? How do we communicate our messages clearly and concisely? How do we communicate effectively in those online gatherings?

Listen first. Wait until you are called upon or listen to others’ perspectives first before sharing your thoughts. And this is good mannerism. So, listen first before you speak. Listen first before you ask questions. Listen first before you make any recommendations. A great communicator is also a great listener. 

Be concise and clear. If you are broadcasting a message, keep your audience aware of your subject matter by presenting your remarks as brief as possible and speaking with a clear voice.

Project your voice, but don’t be loud. When we say project your voice, we mean speaking at a balanced tone. Watch your pitch. If you know you have a zoom interview coming up or joining a panel of discussion, start practicing your voice projection. Your pitch. You don’t want to sound more powerful than the others on the online sessions, or you don’t want to sound too low, and no one can hear you either. Test your volume before your next online meeting.

Avoid using fillers such as umms, ahhs, so, euh. Try as much as you could to bypass these filler words. Take good pauses before your next word or sentence, so you can find that next word you want to say. The umms, euh, so, ahhs, could heavily distract your listeners while delivering an important message.

Watch your (upper) body language. When you are speaking, your entire body is moving. You are not just using your mouth. You might want to watch the fidgeting and hand gestures. While facing and speaking directly to your camera, you want to use your face and hand movements in a way that will not detract your message to your specific audience.

Keep your eyes on the camera. Think of the camera as your audience. You are staring right at them. I’ve seen people on online meetings where their eyes are all over the place. That is a big NO. Also, if you want to step away for a minute, briefly pause the video mode. Nonetheless, you want to keep your eyes fixed on the camera as you address your online audience.

You’ve been doing great thus far, but you can do better. That is why we are sharing these tips with you so you can better your online-speaking abilities. The best way to practice is to stand in front of your mirror and start rehearsing. And if you already knew all that we’ve suggested above, keep up the good work!