The Eye Contact Pyramid

The FACC-NY network is composed of a diverse mosaic of talented, experienced, and open-hearted professionals united by a desire to share their knowledge, nurture meaningful connections and succeed professionally. In this #MemberInsights series, we invite a guest member to contribute timely and relevant tips and insight for adapting your activities to overcome immediate challenges and plan for the long-term. 

This week, hear from FACC Member Stacee Mandeville, the founder of Red Leaf Coaching, who provides communication skills coaching to executives in a myriad of industries within companies such as Merck, HP, General Electric, JPMorgan, Levis, Business France, Deutsche Bank, Verizon, and Citigroup.

Let’s face it, these are very strange times. It seems like overnight we went from face-to-face business in real life to camera-to-camera business on our laptops. Unfortunately, those of us, who may not be especially shy under normal circumstances, may find that, once a video call starts, our usual, confident business persona goes out for a socially-distant latte, leaving us to ask, “Whatever happened to my executive presence?”

I am devoting my time in quarantine to helping people reclaim their power on-camera, elevate their executive presence, and become a powerhouse on any platform.

When we meet in person, there’s a wonderful exchange of energy that helps even the most introverted person’s ideas come to life. On-camera, that energy exchange is interrupted. So we have to be more deliberate, making bolder choices with our body language and voice.

Here are three simple body language tools you can use to manifest your executive presence, even on video calls:

• Eye Contact. When you make extended and connected eye contact with others, you automatically elevate their perception of your status. It makes you appear engaging and empathetic and encourages your audience to think more seriously about what you say. How can we make eye contact with people remotely? It’s a simple trick: look into the webcam instead of at your computer screen. This will take some practice, and feel a little odd at times, but others will see you looking right at them, creating connection.
• Pausing. You may have a lot to say, so speak - but leave space. Silence feels awkward, but it helps you be 100% clear in your articulation and communicating your ideas, helps eliminate filler words (ummm, ahhh, like, y’know), and it automatically elevates your gravitas. As an added bonus, it helps mitigate the awkwardness and overlapping that seems to be a feature of every Zoom discussion. When you add space between your sentences, you’ll see when someone else wants to speak. (You’ll find everyone saying the ever-popular “Sorry, I missed that” a lot less.)
• Intonation. Intonation is the variety in your vocal pitch and tone that lets people know you’re passionate about what you’re saying. Use greater intonation to instantly be more engaging and comprehensive, and to keep people's attention. If you tend to be a soft-spoken, monotone speaker, practice using your voice in a more creative way.

Using these three body language tools in a deliberate way and you’ll immediately elevate your executive presence on-camera. And the really good news: these tools also work in face-to-face interactions as well. So - practice now, on your sofa, and when you finally hit the conference room again, you will totally crush it. (Just make sure you’re not still wearing pajamas.)

If you’d like additional coaching on elevating your executive presence using body language, go to www.redleafcoaching.com, and contact us! FACC members get 20% off one-to-one coaching packages.