A while ago, I ran an online workshop with a group I’d previously coached in person.
And something surprised me.
When we’d worked together in the room, they stood up to present. They had energy. They moved. They used their bodies.
Then we went online.
Suddenly, everyone was sitting down.
And the difference was noticeable.
These were the same people. They hadn’t suddenly forgotten how to present.
We’d simply changed the environment, and without really thinking about it, we’d changed the way we communicated as well.
When did presenting online start meaning sitting down?
Think about what you’d do if you were delivering an important presentation in person.
Would you sit behind a desk?
Probably not.
You’d most likely stand up.
You might move around.
You’d use your hands.
You’d have more of your body available to help communicate what you’re saying.
But put a webcam in front of us and suddenly the default becomes sitting in a chair.
Why?
Obviously, there are situations where sitting makes complete sense. If you’re in a meeting or having a conversation with a few people, you probably don’t need to stand in front of your laptop.
But if you’re presenting, I think it’s worth making the distinction.
A presentation delivered through Zoom or Teams is still a presentation.
The room has changed.
Your job hasn’t.
Try standing up
One of the things I encouraged that group to do was simply stand.
You don’t need a fancy studio or an expensive standing desk.
Stack a few books up.
Put your laptop on a box.
Find something that gets the camera to the right height and have a go.
Standing changes things.
You can move more naturally.
You can gesture.
You have more freedom to use your body.
And for some people, it can help bring back some of the energy they naturally have when presenting to people in a room.
I’ve even been on a call with someone who was walking on a treadmill.
I’m not suggesting everyone needs to go that far.
But I do think we should question the assumption that because we’re presenting through a computer, we need to be sitting in front of it.
Your camera matters too
Standing up isn’t going to help much if your audience is still looking up your nose.
Your camera position matters.
Get it around eye level.
If you’re using an external camera, you’ve got even more freedom to position it properly.
Then think about what happens when you’re speaking.
One of the strange things about presenting online is that our audience appears on the screen, but the camera is somewhere else.
So naturally, we look at the people.
The problem is that from their perspective, you’re now looking down or off to the side rather than at them.
That’s why I sometimes suggest putting a little Post-it note near the camera.
It’s a simple reminder:
Look here.
You can still look at the screen when you need to read the room or see how people are responding.
But when you’re making an important point, looking into the camera creates something much closer to eye contact for the person watching you.
Don't forget the basics
Lighting makes a difference too.
You don’t necessarily need expensive equipment.
Sometimes turning on a lamp or changing where you sit is enough.
If you wear glasses, check what your lights are reflecting back at the camera.
Look at what’s behind you.
Check what your microphone sounds like.
None of these things individually will make you a great presenter.
But they can remove distractions that get between you and your audience.
And that’s really the point.
Don't let the technology decide how you communicate
We’ve become incredibly comfortable communicating through screens.
That’s useful.
But I think that comfort can also make us lazy.
We open the laptop.
Sit down.
Turn the camera on.
And start talking.
That might be perfectly fine for a meeting.
But if you’re asking people to give you 20, 30 or 60 minutes of their attention while you share an important idea, teach them something or try to influence how they think, perhaps it deserves a little more thought.
Ask yourself:
If I were delivering this in a room full of people, how would I show up?
Then work out how much of that you can bring online.
You might stand.
You might move.
You might raise the camera.
You might change the lighting.
You might simply remember to look into the lens when you want to make a point.
The technology will always create some limitations.
But it doesn’t have to dictate how you present.
Online shouldn't mean less energy, less presence or less thought.
You're still presenting to people.
They just happen to be on the other side of a screen.
