{"id":1049,"date":"2023-10-26T12:10:28","date_gmt":"2023-10-26T12:10:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/?p=1049"},"modified":"2024-12-10T09:10:44","modified_gmt":"2024-12-10T09:10:44","slug":"how-to-perfect-your-body-language-in-virtual-meetings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/careernavig8r.com\/blog\/how-to-perfect-your-body-language-in-virtual-meetings\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Perfect Your Body Language in Virtual Meetings"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Perfecting your body language on Zoom, Teams, Google Meet or other virtual meeting platforms (like the one we use to host our Career Navig8r mentoring sessions!) is more important than ever in today\u2019s hybrid working world. Gone are the days of six-hour round trips for a 45-minute presentation (phew) or having to delay important meetings because the travel logistics aren\u2019t physically possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From video job interviews to virtual coffees with new colleagues to online mentoring<\/a> chats, so many of our communications now take place via video conferencing tools and these can be just as effective as face-to-face interactions. But for this to be the case, you need to make sure your virtual body language is on point. Read on to explore the importance of body language in virtual meetings, and discover how you can master yours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Does Your Virtual Body Language Look Like?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Are you aware of how you come across on video calls? It might not be something you\u2019ve considered before, but you shouldn\u2019t underestimate the importance of your virtual meeting body language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spend some time thinking about your eye contact, gestures, posture and even your tone of voice. It can be tricky to do this without feeling self-conscious or unnatural, so consider joining a video call with a friend or contact who you trust to critique your body language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alternatively, record yourself in your next online meeting, presentation or pitch, and watch yourself back. We know this can be painful, and you\u2019re guaranteed to cringe\/feel horrified\/want to run away from yourself at least once, but it can be incredibly valuable to see how you come across.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ll notice little habits you didn\u2019t realise you had and you\u2019ll be able to see exactly what you need to work on. Remember, practice makes perfect, so repeat the process every now and again, and make a conscious effort to improve your virtual body language. It\u2019s an ongoing journey that\u2019ll evolve as the way we communicate continues to change too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Importance of Body Language in Virtual Meetings<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Our virtual body language carries a different level of importance than our body language in face-to-face interactions. For example, gestures may need to be exaggerated more and the way you hold eye contact will be completely different; you\u2019ll naturally know where to look when presenting to a room, but you may need to look directly into your webcam when on a virtual call (rather than at the very distracting small clip of your own face in the corner of the screen!).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s actually something that\u2019s known as the 7-38-55 rule, which explains the importance of body language in virtual meetings (and other situations). This theory was developed by Professor Albert Mehrabian in the 1960s and it refers to the idea that our non-verbal communication (such as our body language) is significantly more important than the actual words we speak. The theory suggests that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n