Non-verbal communication in virtual contexts

Reading Comprehension.

Non-verbal communication and its elements such as facial expression, gestures, posture, eye-contact, dressing code are most often attributed to in-person meetings. Unfortunately, since the outbreak of the covid-19 pandemic forced the vast majority of the population to move their business activities online, including video conferencing, staff meetings and webinars, people soon noticed that meetings conducted so far in-person were easier if not more effective than the virtual ones. Out of the blue people needed to navigate in the virtual world driven mostly by intuition or lack of understanding, not to mention acknowledging the rules governing online communication. Soon it became obvious that non-verbal communication in the virtual world is as much important as the message conveyed during the meeting. It influences both perception and delivery, pushing a meeting to the high levels of professionalism and competence, helps keeping people more engaged and less distracted by the surrounding stumuli. The question is though which aspects of non-verbal communication should be prioritized during a virtual meeting. Take a look at the listing below to find the most useful tips for effective online meetings.

"Eyes are the window to the soul”, as the old saying has it, seems to be particularly true in terms of eye contact maintained during a meeting. It builds trust, reliability, understanding, confidence and even increases empathy. In negotiations, for example, it indicates being in control over the situation signaling at the same time partnership and equality. Transferring eye contact into the virtual life, it suddenly appeared that it is pretty difficult to maintain it, not because of an intimidating situation so to say, but simply because people do not know how to maintain it. Even though we naturally tend to catch people’s attention and we actually look at people while looking into tiny images if we are lucky enough to have our interlocutors with cameras on, still people miss one important aspect, i.e. the camera itself. It is usually located slightly above the icons, so do not treat your display as a mirror, do not look at your reflection. Just look either into the middle of the display or straight at the camera. If you want to make your life easier, just glue the image of your beloved ones to the wall behind your display and talk to them. Also, if you just listen to somebody, try not to look away, checking your phone or notifications since it is all visible and probably your interlocutors will not like it. “People can determine how you’re feeling by this six-inch image of you on their screen,” said Solloway, assistant director for daytime MBA career services at the Fuqua School of Business. “That means every blink, every grin and every time you lean toward the camera has much more power because they can’t interpret your full body of energy.”

Dress to impress, that’s another well known saying which really counts online as well. Since most people have gone online while working from their homes, it somehow made people a little bit less restrictive as far as the clothing is concerned. The logic behind it is simple, we are at home, so home dressing code is applied. Well, there is nothing more misleading. Casual, home clothing is good for home pleasures. Virtual meetings, though conducted at home, require a little bit more than a worn out t-shirt. The dressing code is also something by means of which you show your respect to your interlocutors also online. Besides solid colors, delicate patterns do not distract, look much better and more professional onscreen.

Posture is another underestimated element on online meetings. Being hunched over the computer does not only look bad but it also hurts your back tremendously. Downward posture makes you look down, i.e. you are literally do not maintain the eye contact and also even if you are to deliver some good or important news, still your body will convey only negative message. And whether you want it or not, this negative aspect will be remembered by most of the online meeting participants. Spending hours nowadays glued to the computer display, does not facilitate keeping straight posture, still there are some tricks that should do the job. Remember to keep you feet flat on the floor. The angle at your knees should be 90-degrees. Keep straight, because it will make you feel and look more energetic, confident and it will definitely do a lot of good for your body. Besides, believe it or not, but it also helps staying focused and more engaged. Remember, you can always conduct your meeting while standing which makes the straight posture much easier than while sitting.

Hand gestures are considered by non-verbal communication experts to be a powerful aspect of communication influencing both the speaker and the listener. When you use gestures while talking, your thinking abilities increase significantly, as well as it enables you to form your thoughts more clearly. You can also explain something better, or even wave hello to welcome everybody appearing in the meeting room. So definitely it helps you build your professional and positive look more effectively. To make your hand gestures more comfortable, try not to sit too close to the screen. Take a step back, so that your hands and torso are embraced by the camera. Remember, if you use your hands, especially while being online, you are seen more energetic and warm, and for sure your message will be conveyed more effectively. No one wants to see a host of the meeting absolutely disengaged or robot-like.

All in all, you may not like the virtual life, still it governs itself with its own rules and you need to be consciuous of them. Besides since about 70% of the communication is conveyed through non-verbal communication, just remember to switch on your camera, unless you have something to hide.

Discuss the following words and expressions with a partner and write out a definition for each. You may refer to the Merriam Webster online dictionary if you like.

1.  facial expression
2. be attributed to
3. distract
4. display
5. posture
6. intimidating
7. interlocutor
8. convey a message
9. acknowledge
10. disengaged
11. underestimate
12. be launched