Virtually Everything Matters in a Virtual Presentation
Starting in March of 2020, working remotely and presenting online ostensibly became the norm for many households. Enjoying a much shorter and a far less complicated commute that now takes you to the comforts of a home office while attired in a business casual top, pajama bottoms, and fuzzy slippers has relaxed some of business operating rules. However comfortable you get in your WFH routine, one routine with which you cannot afford to get comfortable—if you want to be seen as a respected leader—is how you handle your online presentations.
It's the small details that may escape you but, if ignored, are that upon which audience members will seize and never let go for the entirety of your talk. Case in point: In early February 2021, an invited guest speaker was slated to present at a weekly online meeting I attend with other local business owners, and I thought my eyes and ears were deceiving me when the speaker took to the microphone. I grabbed my notebook and pen and commenced to taking notes.
1. Stand when speaking. Yes, stand! Even for virtual presentations. When you stand to speak, you instantly improve the quality of your voice and its projection because you are able to breathe properly. As a result, you sound strong and clear. (What leader doesn't want to sound strong and clear?) Moreover, when you stand to speak, it gives you a sense of authority. To see what I mean, sit down, assess how you feel, then stand up, and assess how you feel. There's a difference; there’s power in being on your feet. You feel it! But when you speak from a seated position, you do not feel that power; actually, you relinquish it when you opt to make a presentation from a seated position. You would never walk onto a stage to give a 30-minute presentation to a live audience and ask for a chair in which to sit. Don't do it for your virtual presentations either. Invest in a standing desk or use one of my hacks from the past: get a square plastic waste basket, turn it up-side-down, and sit your laptop on it.
2. Be aware of and plan for what your will audience see. I'm not talking about a slide deck here; I'm talking about your attire and your background. If you've ever worked with a realtor to sell a home, you may have heard the word "staging." The point behind staging is simple: You want to position your home so the potential buyer is better able to visualize him/herself in your home. To do so, you declutter and put your home's best foot forward. This may mean tossing some items in storage and bringing in some rented furniture—whatever it takes to make the place pleasing to the eye. The same goes for virtual presentations. Make you and your surrounding pleasing to the eye. Get rid of all the stuff that will be in your audience's field of vision, and wear an outfit that does not take away from your message. You want your audience to visualize itself taking action based on what you're saying, not staring at your wrinkled yet amazingly comfortable v-neck that looks like a u-neck or gawking at all the storage bins, piles of paper, and miscellaneous items sitting around on the floor and against the wall behind you. There is no need to do a massive cleaning or a complete overhaul of your space. Get a preview of what your audience will see by engaging your camera in the platform a day or so before showtime, then move the clutter out of the camera's field of view. (And if you stand for your presentation with your camera positioned just right, then they won’t even see that mess on the floor!) The bottom line is it's okay if everything off-camera looks a wreck; just ensure everything on-camera looks aesthetically pleasing.
3. Save your audience (and yourself some embarrassment) from your lack of preparation. If you plan to show a video during the course of your presentation, then ensure you know how to share your screen or the application ... before the presentation. Refrain from telling the audience you will share a video and that if it doesn't work, then you'll troubleshoot. This is a sure sign you did not prepare, and when it is evident to your listeners you did not prepare, it suggests they were not important enough to you or that your message was not important enough to deserve adequate preparation. Either way, it's not a good look. Again, access the platform beforehand, have someone join you, and share the video to your one-person audience to confirm it can be heard and seen so when you show up for your actual presentation, you are fully prepared.
4. Leave the inconsequential where it is. Resist the urge to announce your son just came into the room to ask for your car keys, or apologize for forgetting to silence your phone before the meeting when it emits a chime, or acknowledge your dog barked in the background. First, it is of no consequence to the audience that your son made a request for your ride. Second, create a checklist of what you need to do prior to a virtual presentation with one of them being “put phone on silent or in do not disturb” mode. (Add close email and any other applications that may randomly ring, ding, or ping.) Third, the audience may not have even heard your furry little friend in the background anyway, so there’s no need to call attention to it in the first place. The point is bringing in commentary that does not add value to your presentation lessens the power and impact of your presentation. We all know you cannot always control your environment when working from home where other members of your household may also be present, going about their daily routines. Simply hand over the keys (or say, “Get an Uber.”), silence the phone, or quickly excuse yourself to tend to your chihuahua named Pork Chop. There’s no need to announce to the audience what you’re doing; simply say, “Please excuse me a moment,” and keep the show moving along.
Do I remember any of what the speaker said? Very little. Will your presentation completely fail as a result of any one of these missteps? No, it won’t. Does your audience as well as your image deserve everything you can do to give a top-notch representation of your brand and your business? Absolutely. Every. Single. Time.
###
Did you enjoy this post? Get more presentation strategies in the award-winning REAL TALK: What Other Experts Won't Tell You About How to Make Presentations That Sizzle.
Are you an event planner looking for a speaker who will motivate your team with high-energy workshops, breakout sessions, keynotes, or interactive webinars? Do you need a go-getter for your next business meeting speaker, team retreat speaker, or company sales meeting—a speaker who will engage the audience, make them laugh, and give everyone real takeaways?
Bridgett McGowen is that speaker, and she is currently booking in-person and webinar engagements that will give your audience a different experience.
Click HERE to check her availability and to book Bridgett. It will be the best time you have ever spent in search of a motivational speaker. Guaranteed!
Image credit: wonderlane
A version of this article by Bridgett also appears in Entrepreneur Online.