The principle. Virtual calls compress your presence to a head-and-shoulders frame and a compressed audio signal. Everything you do has to be slightly more deliberate.
Camera & framing.
- Camera at eye level — never below. Below = chin shot, low authority.
- Eyes 1/3 from the top of the frame.
- Lighting from in front, not behind. Soft daylight or a key light.
- Plain background or a clean, real one. No animated virtual backgrounds — they distract.
Audio.
- Wired earbuds or a USB mic > laptop mic.
- Speak slightly closer to the mic — adds warmth.
- Mute when not speaking on group calls; never on 1:1s (silence reads as engagement).
Delivery tweaks for virtual.
- Pace 10% slower.
- Pauses fully held — don't fill them.
- Look at the lens when speaking, screen when listening.
- Start every reply with a small affirmative ("Yeah — ", "Right — ") so the buyer knows latency hasn't dropped you.
Key takeaway. On video, half your usual presence comes through. Compensate with deliberate pacing, lens contact, and clean audio.