Talking online
Set up camera, light and sound, look at the lens, and keep a remote audience with you with shorter sections and more interaction.
Set up camera, light and sound
- Camera at eye level
Raise the laptop on a stack of books so the lens is level with your eyes, not looking up your nose. Frame yourself from about mid-chest up, with a little space above your head.
- Light in front of you
Face a window or put a lamp behind the screen. A bright window behind you turns you into a dark silhouette.
- Sound first
Use a headset or an external microphone if you have one. Pick the quietest room; soft things like curtains, a sofa or a rug help reduce echo.
- Clean the screen you'll share
Close personal chats and turn on do-not-disturb so notifications don't pop up in the middle of your slides.
Check yourself
Sara sets up for a video presentation at her desk, with a bright window behind her. Her colleagues say they can hardly see her face. What's the fix?
- Turn the screen brightness up
- Turn to face the window, or put a lamp in front of her
- Move closer to the camera
- Switch the camera off and use audio only
Show the answer
Turn to face the window, or put a lamp in front of her
Yes. Light needs to fall on her face, from in front. Facing the window, or putting a lamp behind the screen, lights her face instead of the background.
Check yourself
Sara has a small budget for her online talks. A better webcam will usually do more for her audience than a better microphone.
Show the answer
False
False. As a rule of thumb, sound matters more: people put up with an average picture much longer than with muffled or echoing audio. A simple headset or external mic is usually the better first buy.
Where your eyes go
Looking at their faces on screen
It feels natural, but the camera sits above the screen, so to them your eyes look down and away. You seem distracted, even though you're looking right at them.
Looking at the lens
It feels strange, like talking to a dot. But to them your eyes meet theirs. Do it at least for the key lines: your hook, your message, your call to action.
EYE CONTACT ONLINE
Put the audience next to the lens
Online, eye contact means looking at the lens. Make that easy: put your notes, or the speaker view, right under the camera, not on a second screen off to the side. Shrink the video call window and drag it up to the top of the screen, close to the lens. A small sticky arrow next to the camera helps some people remember.
Sara moves her keyword notes into a narrow window just under her webcam. When she glances at them, her eyes barely move, and for key lines she looks straight into the lens.
Check yourself
Where should Sara look to make eye contact with her audience in a video call?
- At the faces of the people in the call
- At her slides, so everyone follows along
- At a second monitor with her full script
- At the camera lens
Show the answer
At the camera lens
Right. The lens is their eyes. Looking into it is the only way your gaze meets theirs on the other side.
ENERGY AND ATTENTION
Shorter sections, more interaction
The camera flattens you a little, so use slightly more vocal variety and facial expression than you would in a room, while keeping your pace steady. And a remote audience has distractions one click away. So keep sections short and bring people in every few minutes: a quick poll, a question to answer in the chat, "raise your hand if...", or calling on someone by name with a little warning ("Reza, I'll come to you next").
Sara's 5-minute talk online: the hook, then a one-question poll ("How many times did you redo someone's work last month?"), her three points, and a chat question before the call to action.
Check yourself
Sara is giving a 20-minute online training. What's the best way to keep people with her?
- Short sections, with an interaction every few minutes: a poll, a chat question, a show of hands
- Talk the whole 20 minutes without stopping, so she doesn't lose momentum
- Turn off everyone's chat so there are no distractions
- Put more text on each slide so people can follow if they drift off
Show the answer
Short sections, with an interaction every few minutes: a poll, a chat question, a show of hands
Yes. Remote attention drifts fast. Short sections and regular moments where people do something bring them back.
Tech check and call habits
- Test 10 to 15 minutes early: the link, screen sharing, mic and camera.
- Have a backup: a phone hotspot, a dial-in number, and the slides as a link you can paste into the chat.
- Share one window, not your whole desktop, and use big fonts; many people watch on small screens.
- Mute when you're not speaking in group calls, and check you're unmuted before you start. One "Can you hear me?" is fine.
- Consider hiding self-view. Some research, such as Jeremy Bailenson's in 2021, suggests seeing yourself constantly is part of what makes long video calls tiring. It can also help you focus on the lens.
Check yourself
Sort Sara's online setup: good, or needs fixing?
- Laptop flat on the desk, camera looking up at her chin
- Lamp behind the laptop screen, lighting her face
- Notes on a second monitor off to her left
- Wired headset with a microphone
- Sharing her whole desktop, with chat pop-ups on
- Joining 15 minutes early to test screen sharing
Show the answer
Good to go: Lamp behind the laptop screen, lighting her face, Wired headset with a microphone, Joining 15 minutes early to test screen sharing
Needs fixing: Laptop flat on the desk, camera looking up at her chin, Notes on a second monitor off to her left, Sharing her whole desktop, with chat pop-ups on
Lesson recap
- Put the camera at eye level and frame yourself from about mid-chest up.
- Light in front of you, never a bright window behind.
- Sound matters most: a headset or external mic and a quiet room.
- Eye contact online means looking at the lens; put your notes right under the camera.
- Keep sections short and bring people in every few minutes with a poll, a chat question or a show of hands.
- Test link, sharing, mic and camera 10 to 15 minutes early, and have a backup.