By Jeff Black
Hybrid work has created a strange new category of professional where people are technically present but practically nonexistent.
This is what we remind our Black Sheep clients… you can be in the meeting and still be completely invisible.
Presence used to be simpler, right? You walked into a room, you shook a hand, you made eye contact, you took a seat – your physical presence did half the work for you!
But now your presence is a two‑inch rectangle on someone’s laptop screen competing with their inbox, their Slack notifications, their dog, and whatever existential crisis they’re having off‑camera.
If you don’t intentionally show up, you become invisible.
You lose influence, opportunities, and the ability to shape the conversation in the rooms where decisions are being made, even if those rooms are virtual.
If you’re looking to get called on more in meetings, invited to conversations that matter, or even promoted, try these tactics first.
How you appear on camera is the new “handshake.”
Your camera angle, your lighting, your appearance (always strive for put-together and relevant!) and your background are all telling a story before you ever open your mouth (and if your camera is off while you’re talking, well… you look like you’re not really there.)
Engagement is no longer optional.
You don’t have to talk nonstop to be visible (in fact, don’t do that), but you do have to signal that you’re alive.
Use tiny cues like a nod, a smile, and a “yes, that makes sense” to lean in. Without cues, your presence will rarely get remembered.
Preparation is the new presence.
Virtual meetings magnify everything, both clarity and confusion. If you ramble, you lose the room, and if you wing it, you can lose authority.
The people who show up with digital presence aren’t the ones with the fanciest backgrounds. They are the ones who show up prepared (not scripted, just prepared!)
Quick aside: I recommend avoiding fake backgrounds altogether. Instead, choose a corner of an office or study in your home that showcases a few books or photos that feel authentic to you.
Your energy has to travel farther than it used to.
In person, your presence fills the room. Online, it has to fight through a lens, a Wi‑Fi signal, and someone’s 47 open browser tabs. That means you need just a little more warmth and a little more enthusiasm.
Let me be clear: virtual presence is not about vanity. It’s about influence and trust. It’s about being seen in the rooms where decisions are made, even when those rooms are online.
If you want to stay visible in a world where it’s easier than ever to disappear, you’ve got to show up like you mean it.