I was on my 11,0000th Zoom call of the past year (btw, I still like virtual calls- they feel more productive to me) and I noticed that sometimes i get really out of breath when I'm talking. Turns out, I'm nervous!
I saw this headline and it resonated with me, so I did some research. When you step into the spot light (meaning all zoom eyeballs are on you) there's a heightened sense of pressure to nail it. Never been nervous to public speak before? Well public speaking virtually poses a different set of challenges. When you're in the room with people you pick up on cues such as breathing and movement, when you're behind the lens all those natural cues are eliminated ... and you're kind left with silence.
Here's how to fix it:
- Make sure you're hydrated
- Prepare your content ahead of time if possible
- Have a noise machine or tell your smart speaker to play some light jazz or nature sounds behind you. That works for me!