Here's how you can ready yourself for the rising need for virtual public speaking opportunities ahead.

Prepare for the growing demand for virtual public speaking by mastering digital communication tools, improving your online presence, and adapting your content for virtual audiences. Practice engaging with viewers through the screen, invest in quality equipment for clear audio and video, and continuously refine your delivery for a virtual environment.

In my journey with virtual public speaking, I've found that getting comfortable with the tech side early on makes all the difference. I started by experimenting with different platforms and even recorded myself to see how I came across on camera. Small adjustments, like tweaking my setup for better lighting or using noise-canceling headphones, really helped elevate my presentations. By getting all the technical details sorted out in advance, I could focus more on connecting with my audience and less on worrying about potential glitches.

Start by honing your technical skills. Familiarize yourself with popular virtual platforms like Zoom or Microsoft Teams, ensuring you can navigate features like screen sharing and chat functions. Invest in quality equipment, including a good microphone and camera, to enhance audio and visual clarity. Practice speaking in front of the camera to develop a polished on-screen presence, and experiment with lighting and background settings for a professional look. Additionally, refine your content to ensure it resonates with online audiences, incorporating interactive elements such as polls or Q&A sessions. Finally, seek feedback from peers after virtual presentations to continuously improve your skills.

Being familiar with the Virtual Meeting tool is important because as a presenter over Zoom, Teams, Cisco Webex or Google Meet, one should not have their presentation affected by not knowing how to toggle from sharing the slide deck towards a video clip. Some of the tools require one to enable sound for the video etc. Thus, doing rehearsals with someone to provide feedback would help hone one's familiarity with the requisite tools.

Public speaking is a whole different today than a few years ago. Speakers need to become familiar with both in-person and virtual stages. Each requires a different set of skills. For virtual Speakers, getting familiar and comfortable with tech is a must. Knowing how to show up, how to command the virtual stage and how to provide an over the top experience will set you apart.

Using humor in virtual presentations can engage your audience and make the experience more enjoyable. Start with relatable jokes about the virtual setting, like “Raise your hand if you're still in pajama pants!” Use funny images or memes in your slides for visual humor. Engage the audience with humorous polls or chat questions, like asking about interesting Zoom backgrounds. If a joke falls flat, acknowledge it with a line like, “I'll assume you're all laughing on mute!” Share funny personal stories, keep humor short and simple, and always test your tech beforehand to avoid glitches.

I actually conduct all online sessions by standing up and arranging the camera accordingly!! As a speaker if you are sitting and conducting the session, you have a closed body posture and nothing much can be done in terms of body language. You can’t be expressive and can be boring at times, no matter how good the slides are. The energy is always brought by the speaker and not by the slides. Standing up and delivering a talk always gives you that edge to bring the energy to the audience!! ????

I remember joining back Toastmasters during Covid in 2021 and taking part in a speech contest purely over Zoom. One of the things I learnt is that the camera lens provide a smaller frame for which the audience typically only sees our face and upper part of our bodies. So speakers who positioned their cameras along with microphones to capture their voices when they were standing some distance from the camera performed better because the virtual audience could see more of their hand and body gestures as well as still hear them well due to use of microphones. It is generally more challenging to engage the audience virtually as it is like seeing something in 2D rather than in 3D.

Visuals can make or break your virtual presentation, and humor can be a game-changer. Use high-quality images with a touch of fun—like a cat in a suit—to keep things engaging. Limit text to key points, but add humorous captions for a memorable impact. Smart use of animations, like a playful transition, can emphasize important points. Introduce your slides with a light-hearted comment, such as, “Here’s where the magic happens—let’s hope it’s better than my cooking!” By blending humor with visuals, you’ll keep your audience focused and entertained, making your message resonate with a smile. ??

The key difference in vocal variety between in-person presentations and virtual presentations is volume and energy. In an in-person speech, you can literally project your voice and energy and the audience can see, hear and feel it. Your vocal powers and body gestures get muted through the video camera and microphone capturing your speech. After we all transited out of the Covid period, I found in person toastmasters meeting to be so much more engaging and powerful because I could feel the energy generated from both speakers and the audience. That is hard to replicate over virtual channels for public speaking.

The virtual stage might be smaller than a regular stage but that doesn′t mean we don't have to pay attention to it. ′ Learning how to command the virtual stage, how to use body language and keep your stage dynamics on point require practice and flexibility but once you master this, your virtual events will become memorable. I still see many speakers who are using the wrong body language for virtual and hence, coming across as unprofessional or overpowering. Just a few tweaks to your stage presence will turn you into a powerful and engaging virtual speaker. For instance, the right distance from the camera, eye contact and hand gestures will make all the difference.