Remote presentations have become an integral part of connecting with teams, clients, and stakeholders. Whether you’re an experienced virtual presenter or taking your first plunge into online communication, creating an engaging and effective presentation requires more than just sharing a video call link. From setting up the perfect environment to mastering public speaking skills, this guide offers practical, actionable, and easily digestible tips to help you deliver impactful remote presentations.
Optimize your location for remote presentations
Before you even switch on your computer — consider your setup. Working from home doesn’t mean you can’t create a professional atmosphere for remote presentations. Here’s how to set up your space effectively.
- Choose the right spot: Look for a quiet room, like a home office or even your dining table. It’s your temporary conference room!
- Control the lighting: Avoid direct light from behind, such as a window during the day. Proper lighting ensures your audience sees you clearly.
- Adjust your webcam: Place it at eye level for a more natural conversation. It’s the small touches that enhance remote presentations.
Manage your technical setup ahead of time
Tech glitches can disrupt the flow of any presentation. Here’s how to avoid common pitfalls in remote presentations.
- Select a familiar tool: Go with something like Zoom, Butter, or Microsoft Teams, whatever feels comfortable.
- Send invitations early: Share the meeting link ahead of time, and include instructions if software needs to be installed.
- Eliminate distractions: Turn off desktop notifications or noises. They can derail your presentation and distract your audience.
- Manage microphones: If you’re hosting, ask participants to mute their mics when not speaking. It helps maintain focus from your audience.
- Keep calm and carry on: If something goes wrong, don’t panic. After a global pandemic, everyone understands tech can go wrong. Apologize if necessary, fix the issue if possible, or move on without dwelling on it.
- Provide alternative formats for greater inclusivity: If possible, offer your presentation in different formats to suit different needs, such as closed captions or a written transcript.
Adapt your presentation for remote delivery
Making remote presentations inclusive and interactive requires a few key adaptations.
- Mind the length: Cut your presentation down if possible, and leave 5 minutes of buffer time for unexpected technical issues like connectivity problems.
- Set an agenda: Share a concise agenda with participants beforehand, and allow for Q&A. Make time during your presentation for pauses and ask if anyone has questions or comments. This fosters interaction, especially if you can’t see all participants.
- Boost engagement from your audience: Cut back on the traditional slide deck in favor of interactive elements like a kahoot game. Fewer slides leads to more engagement when hosting via video conference. Ask questions, create polls, or use interactive features available in many video conferencing tools.
- Visuals over text walls: Graphics, videos, and data visualization, can help keep your audience engaged. Canva is by far the best tool around for creating aesthetic and engaging presentations.
- Follow up afterward: Share your presentation afterward for feedback, and keep the conversation going.
- Practice makes perfect: Rehearse a few times, ideally with a friend or colleague, using the same video conferencing tool you’ll use for the real deal. Make sure your time your presentation and don’t rush through – timing is often the hardest thing to get right.
- Interact with your audience: Employ questions, polls, or other interactive features. Keeping your audience active ensures they’re fully engaged.
Maximize your body language when presenting remotely
When delivering remote presentations, your physical presence still matters.
- Stand up: Always stand when you present. This is as vital when hosting a remote presentation, as it is when in a room with a hundred people. Standing projects confidence and energy, minimizes nervous body language, and helps you animate freely with your hands. It also gives you a little boost of energy.
- Watch your body language: Avoid negative signs like leaning, crossing your arms, looking down, or fiddling with hair. These make you look less confident or disinterested.
Hone public speaking skills for remote presentations
Remote presentations require effective articulation and good habits. Here are a few essential best practices for public speaking.
- Avoid filler language: Be conscious of “uh,” “um,” “so,” “like,” or repeated words. So many people have no idea how much filler language they use every time they speak, and it’s to their detriment. It detracts from a person’s confidence and credibility. Being conscious of vocal disfluencies enhances your credibility.
- Vary your tone and pitch: This is one I’ve struggled with a lot, personally. It can be easy to lapse into sounding monotonous and lose the interest of the listener if you do not proactively try to vary your tone and pitch. Be actively aware of smiling when speaking — it might feel silly and over the top when you’re doing it, but it will help you come across as more relaxed, engaging, and likeable.
- Use pauses wisely: People are terrified of pauses. Why do you think there’s so much filler language abound? All because people want to fill that “awkward” gap. However, pauses are incredibly powerful – don’t fear them. They give you time to gather your thoughts, especially if you’re being asked a challenging question. Taking a breath and slowing down adds assurance and confidence to your remote presentations.
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How to host remote presentations in 2023 – conclusion
The ability to present and connect with others online is an invaluable skill. Adapting to a virtual setting doesn’t have to be daunting. By considering location, technical setup, presentation adaptation, body language, and public speaking habits, you can create engaging and professional remote presentations. Let these tips guide you in making your next online meeting not just a necessity but a memorable experience.
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