Your Virtual Presentation Is Still a Stage. Make It Count!

Virtual presentations can feel easier than standing in front of a room full of people, however, they deserve the same amount of preparation and energy as in-person.

Virtual presentations allow you to be in your own space, have a coffee nearby, notes across your desk, and nobody is staring directly at you from the front row.

Sounds comfortable, right?

However, you must remember, presenting online doesn’t mean you can take your foot off the gas.

If you’re a middle manager looking to grow your career, increase your visibility, and get noticed by upper management, your virtual presentations matter just as much as your in-person ones.

When you turn on your camera, your energy needs to show up on screen.

Have you ever sat through a virtual meeting where someone reads directly from their slides in a flat and monotone voice?

I bet you remember how quickly your attention wandered!

I remember a presentation where the presenter wanted to see if the audience was listening. As a test, in the middle of his presentation, he went completely off and just said something random, like,“…meanwhile back at the ranch Jane found Stan in a ditch…”. 

What?? Then he just kept going. At the end of the presentation, he had the attendees complete a feedback form.  On the form was a question, “Where did Jane find Stan?”  Believe it or not, some people tried to answer the question. 

He then asked in the feedback form if anyone noticed he had gone completely in a different direction.  Based on feedback he estimates at least 30%-40% of the participants had no idea he said that off beat statement. Wow!

This is why when you are on screen, be intentional about your energy. Your audience can’t feel the same physical presence they would in a room, so you need to work harder to hold their attention.

Here are a few pointers to keep in mind:

• Start by standing when you present (yes, even online)
• Change up your speaking pace and take pauses for emphasis
• Show the same genuine enthusiasm you would share in-person

Stop presenting AT the audience and start ENGAGING them.

One of the biggest mistakes people make during virtual presentations is treating them like a one-way broadcast.

Get people involved with these simple techniques:

• Do a ‘chat waterfall’. Start by asking everyone a question and get them to type their answers in chat BUT not hit return until you tell them to. After 30 seconds have everyone hit return simultaneously so all the answers pop up together. This helps keep the group interested and is different than individual responses.  
• Play with the show of hands. Instead of raising a hand, have them shut their screen off and turn it back on when they answer the question.
• Most of all don’t forget to look at your camera and not your computer screen!
  
  

Use Virtual Presentations as Your Practice Ground

If standing in front of a room makes you nervous, presenting online can be a great place to start.

• Keep your notes nearby to help you stay on track. You can organize your talking points, so your presentation flows naturally.
• If a screen full of faces makes you anxious, adjust your gallery view to reduce that distraction.
• Test new ‘material’ to see if it works.  Does that story work?  Did that slide work?  

Ready for your next challenge?

ALWAYS ask participants to turn on their cameras so you can practice speaking while seeing their faces.

Make Your Virtual Presence Work for You!

Your ability to present confidently can help people recognize your expertise and potential.

Don’t treat virtual meetings as less important than in-person opportunities. Treat them as another stage on which to develop your presence.

Show up with energy, engage your audience, practice your delivery, and give people a reason to remember what you said.

You don’t have to wait for a big presentation to become a better speaker. You can start with your very next virtual meeting.