How to look and sound confident on video calls

On a video call you're doing several jobs at once: talking, reading reactions, checking notes, watching your own face in the corner, and dealing with a camera that sits where nobody's eyes are. When the tech misbehaves, it's easy to conclude you came across badly, even though the problem was a webcam angle or a laggy mic.

This article covers the one-time setup that makes you easy to see and hear, and where to look while you talk. It also covers how to steady your voice, and how to come off mute with a clear first sentence. Do the setup once this week, then work on one speaking habit at a time.

The advice comes from Nancy Duarte, who has led the presentation firm Duarte, Inc. for more than 30 years and wrote Slide:ology and Resonate; Matt Abrahams, who has taught strategic communication at Stanford's Graduate School of Business for 25 years; and two published studies of where to look on video calls.

Build a setup you don't have to manage

Every setup problem you fix before the call is one less thing pulling at your attention during it. Five things cover most of it:

The chest-up frame matters more than people expect, because it shows some gesture and body language. If the camera's closer than that, ordinary movement looks intense. If it's much farther away, people can't read your face, and the room gets more attention than you do.

Where to look, and when

Real eye contact is mechanically impossible on video, because the camera and the other person's face are in different places. You don't need to fake it constantly. Use a rhythm:

1. Look at faces while you listen and check reactions.
2. Look near the lens when you deliver the opening line, the recommendation, or a hard answer.
3. Come back to the screen when you finish the phrase.
4. Drag the call window as close to the camera as it will go, so the difference between the two is small.

There's evidence this is worth the effort. A study of simulated online job interviews found that off-camera gaze lowered candidates' evaluation scores. A more recent controlled study found that perceived eye contact was strongest when speakers looked slightly below the lens, at least in the setup they tested. Don't obsess over the exact angle. What holds up across both is that people judge you worse when your eyes are obviously off somewhere else during your important sentences.

Duarte's firm has coached executives on exactly this habit, and she practices it herself.

She also mentions it took her a long time to get there, and she was presenting remotely before Covid. So expect camera contact to take practice, and start with just your first sentence and your main recommendation.

Bring back what the camera cuts off

In the same conversation, Duarte explains why remote speakers can seem flat even when the content is good: the camera cuts out most of the body language people normally pick up on.

The practical response is to work with what the camera does show. Gesture where it can see your hands when the point calls for it. Sit or stand tall enough that you can breathe fully. And cut the movements video exaggerates: chair swiveling, screen tapping, and nonstop nodding.

Steady your voice before you speak

People trust a voice they can hear clearly at a normal pace, so you don't need to sound deeper or louder than you naturally are. Get a decent microphone, finish your phrases instead of trailing off, and leave a short pause after each important sentence.

For the shakiness itself, Abrahams starts with the body. When you're nervous you breathe shallow, and since, in his words, "our voice is a wind instrument" (26:23 in the episode below), less air changes how you sound. His fix is specific:

He adds that the longer exhale also helps you stay focused on the moment instead of everything that might go wrong. Before a call that matters, run this:

Decide your first sentence before you unmute

Turn-taking is harder on video. The lag eats the natural gaps, and if you wait for a perfect opening you'll stay muted for the whole meeting. So decide the first sentence before you unmute, and start with the conclusion or the reason you're speaking:

When you hand off, use a name: "Marco, what are you seeing?" Nobody on the call can tell where you're looking, so turning toward someone's square and waiting won't cue them.

Once you have the floor, give the answer first and stop when you've made the point. The guide to not rambling in meetings covers that structure in detail.

Use notes without disappearing from the call

Notes help until they turn into a script you read with your eyes down. Keep a few large prompts near the camera instead of a page of prose:

• the one-sentence outcome you want;
• two supporting points;
• the question or request;
• the names of people you need to involve.

When you do need to study something in detail, say so: "I'm pulling up the forecast, give me a second." That beats a long downward stare that people can mistake for you checking your phone.

Stop performing for your self-view

Use self-view to check your framing when you join, then hide it if you catch yourself monitoring your own expression. Watching yourself uses attention you need for the conversation, and you don't have to look animated every second. Listen normally and respond to the content.

Before a presentation, record two minutes in the actual meeting app. Check sound first, then framing, then gaze. Don't audit every gesture. Look only for things that affect the listener: words you can't hear, eyes drifting far off screen, rushed transitions, a face in shadow.

A ten-minute rehearsal

1. Open the real meeting app. Camera and audio processing differ between tools.
2. Record at the usual time of day. Light and network conditions change by the hour.
3. Deliver a 60-second update. Start with the conclusion and include one deliberate pause.
4. Watch once with the sound off. Check framing, gaze, and distracting movement.
5. Listen once without the video. Check pace, clarity, and audio quality.
6. Change one variable. Raise the camera, move the window closer to the lens, or shorten the opening.

Frequently asked questions

Should I look at the camera the whole time?

No. Look near it for important lines and direct answers, then check faces for reactions at natural breaks. Staring into the lens nonstop means you never see how people are responding.

Is it better to stand on video calls?

Stand if it helps your energy and breathing and the camera stays stable. Sit if standing makes you sway or drift out of frame. Both can work, so pick the one where you're comfortable and stay in frame.

Should I use a virtual background?

Use one when privacy requires it or the real background is genuinely distracting. Check for artifacts around your hair and hands first. A simple real background usually looks more natural.

How do I appear confident when I feel nervous?

Cut down the number of things you have to manage live. Test the setup, write the first sentence, do the longer-exhale breathing, and focus on helping the group get to an outcome. If nerves are the bigger problem, the guide to being more confident in meetings goes deeper on that side.

The one-page checklist