If you are presenting over the phone or via Zoom, Teams or other livestreaming application, you can’t just use the same slides that you used for an in-person presentation. Here are 4 guidelines for presenting slides as part of your virtual presentation:
1. Don’t read them to the audience
It’s
even more important when delivering slides virtually that you don’t just read
them to the audience. They can read the
text to themselves faster than you can say it out loud, which means that you
will quickly lose their attention.
2. Use uncluttered slides
As
with in-person presentations, don’t clutter your slides with a lot of
text. For maximum impact, use graphics
and pictures that are easy to read and remember.
3. Use more slides
It
is more difficult to keep your audience engaged when you are presenting virtually. Using more slides with less information on
them and spending less time on each slide will allow you to frequently change
the slide and keep their attention.
4. Don’t use your slides as handouts
If
you share your exact slides as handouts, the audience will browse through the
entire deck and skip ahead to the end. Instead,
think about what other materials could best accompany your presentation to add
to its impact and the audience’s ability to understand and remember your
message. For example, include an executive summary, a worksheet or an article
with additional information.
If you follow these 4 guidelines, you'll be more able to use slides effectively as part of your virtual presentation.
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