Episode #241: Presenting On Video

Video meetings and online presentations are now standard for executives and managers, yet many leaders feel they look flat, awkward, or less confident on camera than in a live room. When your message is going to clients, internal teams, or stakeholders, this “video performance gap” can quietly damage your credibility and your brand.

This page explains why video is so tricky, and how leaders in 日本企業 (Japanese companies) and 外資系企業 (multinational companies) in 東京 (Tokyo) can adapt quickly using practical, high-impact presentation techniques.

Video looks simple: stand in front of the camera and talk. In reality, the camera quietly steals energy and presence. Many experienced leaders discover that what feels “normal” in the room appears lifeless and low-energy on screen.

On video, you effectively lose a significant portion of your perceived energy. A level that feels natural to you can show up as flat and unengaging once recorded or streamed. At the same time, the medium adds extra pressure: lights, framing, recording, the awareness that everything is captured — all of this increases self-consciousness and drains focus.

For leaders in 日本企業 (Japanese companies) and 外資系企業 (multinational companies), this gap matters. Whether you are delivering a virtual town hall, a sales pitch, or a message to global stakeholders, you are judged not only by your content, but also by your on-camera presence.

Mini-summary: Video amplifies weaknesses and reduces perceived energy, so your usual “room style” is not enough. You need a specific on-camera strategy to look confident and engaging.

Most professionals simply transfer their usual speaking volume from the meeting room to the camera. The result: they look and sound dull, even when the content is strong.

To compensate for the “camera energy loss,” you need to increase your vocal energy and intensity significantly — often by 50% or more. That doesn’t mean shouting; it means speaking with a stronger, clearer, more intentional voice and more dynamic emphasis.

However, many executives feel that even a 20–30% increase already sounds like “shouting” to them. What feels exaggerated internally usually looks just right on screen. This is why a coach or instructor is so valuable: it is extremely difficult to self-calibrate your own on-camera energy.

Leaders who go through structured プレゼンテーション研修 (presentation training) or エグゼクティブ・コーチング (executive coaching) for video discover that once they push through this discomfort, they sound more authoritative, clearer, and more inspiring — without appearing artificial.

Mini-summary: On camera, what feels “too much” to you usually looks “just right” to your audience. You must deliberately raise your energy level to maintain attention and authority.

Many leaders freeze their hands or hide them off-screen. This is a missed opportunity. Gestures are a powerful way to add physical energy and support your message — as long as they are controlled and visible.

Key principles for executive gestures on video:

• Use your hands, don’t park them. Doing nothing makes you look stiff and reduces impact.

• Gesture within the frame. For half-body composition, keep gestures between rib height and head height so they are clearly visible.

• Avoid “waist-level” gestures. Movements too low often disappear from the frame or get cut off, making you look less expressive than you really are.

• Limit how long you hold a gesture. About 15 seconds is the maximum. Beyond that, a frozen gesture becomes weaker and distracting.

• Align gestures with your words. Your physical message must match your verbal message. When they conflict, your audience becomes distracted and mentally checks out (often to their phone).

In a structured リーダーシップ研修 (leadership training) or 営業研修 (sales training), leaders can learn a repeatable “gesture toolkit” that feels natural while still looking dynamic in the frame.

Mini-summary: Thoughtful, visible, time-limited gestures make you look more confident and persuasive on video, while hidden or frozen hands make you look stiff and less credible.

On video, your face is the main “instrument” of connection. A single fixed expression might feel safe, but it looks wooden and unnatural on screen.

To increase impact:

• Match your face to your message.

  • Positive results → look genuinely pleased.

  • Problems or risks → look appropriately serious or concerned.

  • Rhetorical questions → allow a brief “puzzled” or thoughtful expression.

• Keep your chin up. Dropping your chin while speaking makes you look as if you are talking down to your audience and can compress your voice. A slightly lifted chin opens your posture and projects more confidence.

• Aim your eye contact at the lens. Looking at the screen instead of the lens makes you appear as if you are talking “slightly away” from your audience. Training yourself to glance at the lens when delivering key points increases the feeling of direct connection.

When leaders understand how minor adjustments in facial expression and posture change the way they are perceived, they can intentionally project warmth, confidence, and gravitas on video.

Mini-summary: A flexible, expressive face and intentional eye contact signal confidence and authenticity; a fixed expression and dropped chin make you look stiff and distant.

Both approaches can work — and both can go wrong without training.

Freestyle (speaking off the top of your head)
This can feel natural, but it requires a high level of structure and fluency. Without it, you end up with many “ums,” corrections, and restarts. In editing, that means a lot of cuts, zooms, and visual patches, which can make the final video choppy and distracting.

Teleprompter
A teleprompter solves the problem of exact wording, but it introduces a new risk: obviously “reading” instead of truly speaking to your audience.

Practical technique for teleprompter use:

• Adjust font size and speed until you can read comfortably without rushing.

• Focus your eyes only on the left side of the text as it scrolls up. Your peripheral vision will still pick up the words on the right. This prevents the visible left-to-right “reading motion” that makes you look scripted.

• Keep your facial expressions, gestures, and vocal tone natural and conversational — the teleprompter should not remove your personality.

Executives who combine solid message design with correct teleprompter technique can deliver complex messages clearly and confidently, even under time pressure.

Mini-summary: Freestyle speaking demands strong structure and fluency; teleprompters demand specific eye-movement and delivery skills. With the right practice, either method can look natural and authoritative on camera.

For leaders in 日本企業 (Japanese companies) and 外資系企業 (multinational companies) based in 東京 (Tokyo), video is now a permanent part of leadership, sales, and internal communication.

Dale Carnegie Tokyo offers プレゼンテーション研修 (presentation training), リーダーシップ研修 (leadership training), 営業研修 (sales training), エグゼクティブ・コーチング (executive coaching), and DEI研修 (DEI training) specifically adapted for hybrid and virtual environments. Executives learn how to:

• Project higher energy without sounding unnatural

• Use gestures and facial expressions that support their message

• Handle teleprompters and scripted content smoothly

• Communicate with global and Japanese stakeholders in a way that builds trust and engagement

Backed by Dale Carnegie’s 100+ years of global experience and over 60 years in Tokyo, these programs give leaders a safe, practical environment to rehearse, receive feedback, and rapidly improve their on-camera impact.

Mini-summary: With structured training and expert coaching, leaders in Japan can turn video from a stressful necessity into a powerful strategic communication tool.

• Video reduces perceived energy, so leaders must intentionally increase their vocal intensity and presence to stay engaging.

• Visible, well-timed gestures within the frame significantly boost clarity, authority, and impact.

• Facial expression, chin position, and eye contact with the lens are crucial to building trust and avoiding a stiff or “distant” impression.

• The right technique makes both freestyle delivery and teleprompter use look natural and confident, even for complex executive messages.

• Dale Carnegie Tokyo helps leaders in 日本企業 (Japanese companies) and 外資系企業 (multinational companies) master video-era leadership, sales, and presentation skills.

Founded in the U.S. in 1912, Dale Carnegie Training has supported individuals and companies worldwide for over a century in leadership, sales, presentation, executive coaching, and DEI. Our Tokyo office, established in 1963, has been empowering both Japanese and multinational corporate clients ever since.