Forbes As more interactions move from in-person environments to online events, your ability to project virtual leadership presence is quickly becoming the key to your continued success.
Whether you are interviewing for a new job, presenting to the executive team, or facilitating a team meeting, you are the most influential when you express your core values and show up as your best authentic self ā so the most powerful body language advice I can give you is to believe in yourself, trust your instincts, and allow your natural friendliness, compassion, and credibility to shine through.
There is, however, added value in knowing which of your body language habits is reinforcing peopleās positive perception of you as a leader ā and which habits may be sending the wrong message.
Here are body language hacks for your next Zoom event:
Make a positive first impression
Just as in a physical meeting, first impressions matter. It takes less than seven seconds for people to make judgments about your attitude, level of confidence, professional status, and personal warmth. While a face-to-face meeting gives you added opportunities (entering the conference room, shaking hands with an interviewer, greeting individual members at a team meeting, etc.), on a computer screen, itās only your visual image that sets that initial impression.
ā¢ Take a few minutes before your meeting starts to think about what you want to accomplish, why itās important to the attendees, and why you are personally invested in the topic of this event. Doing so will help your facial expressions and initial gestures to automatically align with your intent.
