From Boring to Brilliant: Raising Energy on Virtual Calls

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If you’ve ever left a virtual meeting wondering why it felt flat, this episode is for you. Anders Boulanger, founder and CEO of Engagify and author of Engage First (coming October 7), brings lessons from magic, performance, and training rooms into the workplace. His advice helps leaders stop running flat Zoom calls and start actually connecting with their teams.

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We’ve all been in those Zoom calls with too many slides, a chat that fizzles out, and a tone that makes it hard to stay engaged. Without energy, purpose, or relevance, a meeting stops feeling like a conversation and so much starts feeling like a transaction. Anders has a fresh way to flip that.

This practical set of ideas for boosting energy and keeping your team engaged virtually. Here are the steps he swears by:

1️⃣ Use props to spark engagement

Bring a tangible item to your next team meeting. It can be funny, symbolic, or metaphorical, but it should be memorable. Props create curiosity loops that hook attention before you even start speaking.

2️⃣ Choose the right communication level

Escalate tough conversations up the “communication pyramid”: text → audio → video → in-person. The more human the medium, the better the outcome. Text is efficient for quick updates, but so much tone and nuance are lost when issues are sensitive or complex.

3️⃣ Set a clear intention before each meeting

Instead of “just surviving” a meeting, try defining the outcome you want. Maybe it’s moving someone from disengaged to engaged. Having a goal calms nerves and sharpens your presence.

4️⃣ Turn up your energy by 30 percent on video calls

On camera, what feels over the top to you often lands as natural to your team. Anders says the camera “kills energy,” so you need to push past your comfort zone to hit the right level.

5️⃣ Adopt a persona to guide your performance

Stepping into a role—like “confident mentor” or “kindergarten teacher”—can free you to experiment with tone, presence, and delivery. These personas unlock parts of yourself you might not access otherwise, and a little of it sticks behind even when you drop the act.

6️⃣ Anchor meetings in relevance

Ask yourself, “Why does this matter to them?” Motivation is personal. Some teammates are driven by impact, others by autonomy, others by recognition. If you miss what’s relevant, your message won’t land.

7️⃣ Review your “you vs. me” ratio

After a 1:1, check the transcript. Count how often you said you/your versus I/me. This quick test shows if you’re centering your direct report or defaulting back to yourself. As Anders points out, people don’t leave companies, they leave managers. Engagement in 1:1s has a direct impact on retention.

By following these steps, managers can turn virtual calls from flat and forgettable into engaging moments that actually stick. Teams walk away feeling seen instead of drained. Leaders get more presence and clarity. And companies benefit from stronger retention, healthier culture, and meetings that people don’t secretly dread.

Catch the whole conversation on this week's episode of Live Chat with Jen Weaver!

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