All year, I’ve been sharing video tips and strategies to be a better leader of your virtual or hybrid team. Today is Strategy #20, our final tip in this video series. And it is: to work on improving your online delivery skills.
Improve your online delivery skills
The hybrid workplace is here to stay. So whether you lead a virtual or a hybrid team, it will serve you well as a leader to improve your online delivery skills. Gone is the day when you would be forgiven if your sound quality was poor, or god forbid, your camera was angled to look up your nose. If you want to be perceived as a credible leader, then it’s important that you can communicate just as successfully online as you do in person. The irony is that it isn’t hard to put your best foot forward when you’re working virtually; making just a few small tweaks can help you convey your message with greater clarity and impact.
Three specific ideas
Here are three specific things you can do to be a better communicator and leader to your hybrid team.
- First, think about lighting. You don’t need to get fancy panel lights or ring lights, just make sure that you are facing the light. The easiest, face a window when you’re online. If you can’t, or if daylight is not always available, at least make sure that you have a lamp lighting your face. Your communication will be better if people can see you.
- Next, think about your camera positioning. You need it to be level to your face. If your camera is on the top of your screen, place your laptop or monitor on top of books or boxes so that it is at the right height. If your audience is looking up at the ceiling, or even worse, your nose, you’re not being as credible and impactful as you could be.
- Third, practice. Try not to look down at your notes all the time, make eye contact with the camera frequently. Record a few minutes of a meeting and watch yourself later. Look for odd mannerisms or distracting behaviour and focus on limiting and eventually eliminating them. If you’re chairing a meeting, go through your plan in advance so that you’re more comfortable when it comes to actual delivery time.
As a leader of a hybrid team, communicating online is inevitable. So make it count by getting better at it.
Be sure to check out our entire series on leading a virtual or hybrid team
Since this is the last tip in our series on leading a virtual or hybrid team, take a moment to go back and look at the entire series here: Leading Hybrid and Virtual Teams Video Series