Whether your virtual presentation is a teleconference or
webinar, it’s important that you prepare and practice it so that you can be
successful. Just showing up and “winging
it” – delivering a presentation without preparation - will not work.
One of the factors that makes a virtual presentation more
challenging than an in-person presentation is that the audience can’t see you
(unless you are doing a live streaming video) so you lose all the elements of
body language which normally would help them understand your presentation. All you have is your voice.
Also, you can’t see the audience to determine if they
understand you or if they have any questions (or even if they are paying
attention).
And technology glitches, such as a poor internet
connection or static on the phone line, often occur and interfere with your
ability to communicate to the audience.
Here are 6 strategies for ensuring that your virtual
presentation will be effective:
1. Shorten
your presentation. If it normally takes
you 1 hour to deliver it in person, condense your content down to 45 minutes
because it is more difficult for people to pay attention virtually when they
have so many other distractions. And
don’t assume it will take you 45 minutes; actually practice and time it.
2. Have
a laser-like focus on your audience and your message. Since you can’t see the audience’s reaction,
you need to be unambiguous about your purpose and state it clearly and directly
in your opening.
3. Add
more variety to your voice. A monotone
voice can be deadly in a virtual presentation.
Speak louder, more slowly than usual (without speaking too slowly) and
with more enunciation. Record yourself during
practice and the live presentation itself and also get feedback after the presentation.
4. Energize
your presentation. Even if there is no
one in the room where you are presenting, standing up and smiling will give
your voice more dynamism and help to keep the audience’s attention.
5. If
you want audience engagement, prepare for it.
Let people know that you will call on them by name. Or if your software has a polling or Q&A
feature, learn to use it. If several people are gathered at a remote site, ask
them to discuss something as a group and then have a spokesperson share the
results.
6. Be
prepared for what can go wrong with the technology of a virtual
presentation. Know what you will do to
handle any situation, from the call getting disconnected to the webinar
software crashing.
The next time you have to deliver a virtual presentation,
use these 6 strategies to ensure that the virtual medium doesn’t interfere with
your ability to communicate your message to the audience.
For more help with how to persuade,
influence and communicate with people even when you’re not in the same
room, check out Gilda's course Virtual Presentations: How to Develop and Deliver an
Effective Presentation Over the Phone