Episode #178: Screen Based Strong Messaging Techniques

Most people have trouble getting their message across when they are in front of others and doing it in person. Being on screen while everyone is working at home, makes the whole proposition so much more difficult. A mediocre presenter becomes a shambles in this new medium. There is the tendency to imagine that the screen based delivery medium makes lousy messaging and amateur presentations acceptable. Well they aren’t, if you have a message to deliver, in fact you have to do a lot better in this case, than you normally would.

Get the logistics sorted. Dress for success, so don’t beam in wearing your pyjamas, Aloha shirt or your favourite deathmetal band T-shirt or anything other than full business battle attire. Go for power colours rather than pastels. Avoid narrow stripes because sometimes there can problems with the video technology not handling stripes all that well. Looking professional adds to the credibility of your message. A business suit looks a lot more powerful on screen than casual clothes, if that is the normal attire at the office.

Get yourself a mouse to whiz around the screen with, rather than using the trackpad on your laptop. Get a webcam camera if your laptop or home computer isn’t up to snuff. The audio when connecting remotely can be a problem if your internet connection at home isn’t all that robust. Headphones with a microphone attachment makes communication so much easier and clearer. Also, most technologies allow you to record the session, so certainly make good use of this opportunity so that you can see how you come across to others using this medium.

Eye contact is really important in this screen based world, but so often we have nostril focus, because the laptop camera is shooting straight up the speaker’s nose. This is distracting us from what the speaker is saying. The screen is confusing too, because the camera is above the screen and we all tend to talk to the screen rather than our audience. We have to get used to speaking to camera and ignore the screen. We can look at the screen, in the same way we would look at notes in front of us. The key point though is focus on spending as much face to camera time as possible. This is how technically difficult this is – raise the laptop height so the camera is at eye level. I think we can all manage that.

Make sure there is some decent lighting in the room. Often we don’t think about this and we and the room can be gloomy. Arrange extra lights to be focused on you as the centerpiece so we can see you clearly. We are used to close up shots in movies and television and this is the same thing with us when we are the focus. When you are speaking during an on line broadcast, most of the technology transfers your face to the full screen for the audience and you are now a massive close up.

You may or not be able to control the background but we should try, so we don’t have competition for our message. Some broadcast technologies offer virtual backgrounds, if you have the bandwidth, so your humble abode is not front and center of the broadcast. If you can’t manage that, then try to eliminate things which might be distracting from you when you are speaking. You may be able to drop the background behind you into darkness by turning off some lights and only have light on you.

Everyone is feeling tense and uncertain about where we are going with the Covid-19 virus and attached business meltdown. Without knowing it your face could be reflecting these worries, so don’t forget to smile on camera. You may not have a killer smile, but do the best with what you have. You can simply put a smiley face or the instruction SMILE above the camera to remind you to smile and that actually works quite well. Smiling shows confidence and friendliness. It also helps to build confidence in your audience that you know what you are doing, because you look relaxed and in control. Frowning, creasing your eyes, stiffening your facial muscles all do the opposite, so avoid these simple mistakes.

Don’t forget your body language is a powerful communicator. The screen can diminish you, if you allow it to. Instead try to own the screen and use your gestures and posture to your advantage. Sit up straight and forward and get your hand gestures to sync with what you are saying, to underscore the message. Don’t be afraid to stand up and present standing, because the camera just moves to a wide shot. Don’t stand too far back though, because the audio might not pick you up as well as you need it to. Also be animated and speak with passion, rather than droning on as a talking head on screen.

In the room, on screen, on video, it makes no substantial difference. The basics of presenting apply everywhere, although we do have to make a bigger effort when broadcasting remotely. Awareness is the key and repetition and practice assist us to become more professional in this screen environment.

Free LIVE On Line Stress Management Sessions

On a separate note, we are running public LIVE On Line Stress Management classes, which will be free to all attendees on April 16th (Japanese) and 17th (English). We are also offering the same thing as an in-house programme, delivered LIVE On Line for our existing clients and for prospective clients. This allows us to help our clients and our community.

The registration process for these free stress management sessions is being offered on our website, so please go to this specific page: http://bit.ly/dale_stress_e