How to overcome the fear of speaking in online meetings

Illustration of the online meeting
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Modern workflows cannot be imagined without video meetings and remote communication. After the COVID pandemic, many people had to master collaboration tools and were forced to work online and communicate with their co-workers, customers, or students via video conferencing tools. However, not all of them were ready to face such challenges, and each time they connected to a virtual meeting, they had to overcome fear.

Today, we call this fear "Zoom anxiety". It's a form of stress or nervousness associated with online interactions. Understanding and addressing this anxiety is essential for preserving mental health and promoting clear communication in the digital era. Here are some techniques that will explain how to overcome the fear of speaking in online meetings.

Prepare your workplace

It is important to be familiar with the application you use for video and audio meetings and feel confident while using it. Before the meeting, you can check that your audio and video devices are connected and work well. For example, in Virola Messenger, you can test your audio and video devices before and during the meeting to ensure everything works fine.

Turn off the video and microphone when you do not speak

During long online meetings where more than 10 people participate, you can easily turn your video off and mute your microphone if you are not a speaker. Some applications, like Zoom make the video presence too obtrusive. This causes the feeling of anxiety and thoughts like "Who is looking at me now?". In Virola Messenger, it is possible to see who is watching your video stream, who is streaming, and who is just listening. Moreover, the avatars and video streams of meeting participants can be easily hidden with a click.

Listen actively

Active listening will help you concentrate on the meeting subject and build your presence in the room. Sometimes, simple nodding or taking notes distracts you from negative thoughts, and you will stop experiencing the fear of interacting with meeting participants.

Don't be afraid of moving

One of the sources of Zoom anxiety is the fear of moving. However, it's natural when people move, nod, or stretch their arms during online meetings. Such moves create a more relaxed atmosphere and reduce tension. You can even sip on some water or coffee.

Learn how to deal with interruptions

Interruptions during online meetings often happen because people don't have any obstacles to start talking whenever they want to. The only limitation for them is the ability of the group moderator or meeting host to mute their microphones remotely.

Thus, to prevent stress, just learn how to deal with such situations:

  • Let them talk a bit so that you have time to calm down and continue speaking.
  • Address disruptors directly, calling them by name.
  • Make a pause and take time to cool off.
  • Be clear about your intention to continue speaking despite the interruption.

Learn how to interrupt with grace

The skill to interrupt politely is very important to feel confident during online meetings. If you need to interrupt the person and discuss what has already been said, you can start by acknowledging that you have been listening attentively:

  • "That's an interesting point…"
  • "Let's look at this from a different angle…"

The main point in polite interruption is to avoid using the word "BUT". It ruins the positive connection with the speaker and the compliments you made.

It's important to be aware that managing interruptions during virtual meetings can be particularly difficult, as Internet issues and technical glitches can make it unclear when someone has finished speaking. On the other side, great ideas can be easily expressed during online meetings, recorded, and implemented in the future. It's a great source of improvements and fertile ground for development. Thus, never be afraid to express your opinion, even if you need to interrupt a speaker for this.

The bottom line

Virtual meetings require not only specific skills but also the ability to keep patience and learn to interact with people online. Feeling increased stress and fatigue from virtual meetings is completely understandable. As many adapt to this new mode of communication, it can be beneficial to build strategies for managing anxiety and explore new approaches to engaging online.