Virtual presentations come with all the same challenges as face-to-face presentations. Just as you would in-person, it’s important to:
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- Be well prepared
- Craft an impactful message
- Use visual aids that enhance your content
- Incorporate stories
- Plan a strong opening to hook your audience
- Practice to ensure a confident and smooth delivery
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Presenting to virtual audiences also has its own, unique set of challenges (not even including the need to be familiar with the technology you’re using)!
Many of these challenges stem from the fact that you cannot make eye contact with your audience. Sometimes you can’t even see them! It’s much harder to “read the room” to know if you are keeping your audience engaged. Is what you’re doing working, or it is time to switch gears?
How do you ensure that you connect with an online audience, so that they can get the most from your presentation?
Here are 7 Strategies for Ensuring Your Virtual Presentations Connect:
- Speak with a smile! Even if you’re using audio-only and no one can see you, they will hear it in your voice. (This is also a fantastic tip to remember if you ever give a radio interview.)
- Focus on your audience’s needs and interests. Remember your audience’s main question: WIIFM? (What’s in it for me?)
- Use their names. When engaging smaller groups in conversation, speak to individuals them by name, if possible. This technique creates a personal connection—and not just for that one person. It makes your presentation sound more like a dialogue than a monologue.
- Speak with enthusiasm. You might have to amp up your normal speaking style ever so slightly. You don’t want to sound hyper, so keep your voice at a level volume, but speaking with genuine enthusiasm for your topic and your listeners will go a long way in combatting the physical distance between you and your audience.
- Use inclusive language. Use the word “we” instead of “you.” It’s much more inclusive, and again, feels more like a dialogue than one person speaking at a group of people.
- Thank your attendees for being there. Unless it’s a work-mandated presentation, there are many other things that they could be doing. Thank them in the beginning of the presentation, and again at the end.
- Have a good time! This relates right back to tip #1. If you are having fun, your audience members will be able to relax, too. Remember, a relaxed audience is a more receptive audience.
Virtual presentations are here to stay. Use these tips to effectively connect with your remote audiences. If you and your team need help developing these skills, check out BRODY’s training on Virtual Presentation Skills.