Your Video First Impression
Awkwardness can happen when you do not know what to say or do in those first few seconds. I would highly recommend having a standard greeting you use on all of your calls.Do NOT get in the habit of saying “Good morning” or “Good afternoon” because after a day of video calls it is easy to get confused AND you often have people in different time zones.
What To Do With Your Hands on Video
The next awkward thing happens when you are just not sure what to do with your hands. Should you have them visible? Moving? Should you touch your face? Here are my tips: Try to always start with a wave (and a smile if that feels natural to you). Try to only move your hands purposefully—picking your face, twirling your jewelry, flipping your hair are a major distraction.
How to Make Small Talk on Video
The secret to setting up clear expectations is to communicate them with your team. I have noticed that there are always tons of technical glitches and reassurances that happen in the first few minutes of a video. Can you see me? Can you hear me? This is a waste! I highly recommend, after you say your initial greeting to be proactive and say something like: I can see you and hear you perfectly!
Replace the Water Cooler
One of the ways we can make ourselves happy and feel more fulfilled in our workplaces is to build friendships with the people that work with us, work for us, and even with our boss.