Five ways to speak to create great first impressions

People are lazy. They make snap judgments. They usually decide within a few microseconds whether to trust you, listen to you or care about you. We've been taught how important first impressions are in person. Firm handshake, eye contact, smile, but somehow we show up on camera unprepared. Here are five mistakes that you might be making on camera that are damaging your first impression. Mistake 1: You start talking immediately. Take a microsecond to breathe, observe, and smile. You'll become more aware of the audience and the audience will get a chance to take a good look at you and remember you. Mistake 2: Your background is poorly dressed. We make an effort to put on nice clothes and to look good on camera, but somehow we forget to make our background look pro. Think of how many blank white walls your audience has seen lately, and now make an effort to dress up your background, add a plant, add a few pictures or books. Step away from that blank white wall. Pro-tip, don't blur your background or use a fake one. Studies show that using a blurred or fake background gives the signal that you're hiding something. Mistake 3: Poor eye contact. Eye contact is super important in person to build that trust. So why do we forget that the same science applies on camera? Don't look at another screen the whole time while your audience is over there. Mistake 4: Bad camera angle. If your camera is too high, you look small. You're sending the signal, "I'm not that important." If your camera is too low, you look intimidating. You're sending the signal, "I'm going to dominate this conversation." Keep your webcam at eye level. This establishes equality between you and the audience. Mistake 5: Poor hand gestures. Your audience only sees your top half, which means that your hands are now twice as important. People trust you more when they see your hands, so use them intentionally, especially in the first few seconds to build that trust. Pro-tip, before your meeting, check out your frame and then be intentional about making sure that your hands are visible in the frame. If you make these small adjustments, you are increasing your chances of winning at your next meeting presentation or call. It takes longer to correct a bad impression than it takes to make a great one in the first place.