You're struggling to keep your remote presentations engaging. How can you make them more dynamic?

1 Know your audience

Before you start planning your presentation, you need to understand who you are talking to, what they need, and what they expect from you. This will help you tailor your content, tone, and style to suit your audience's preferences and goals. You can use surveys, interviews, or online tools to gather information about your audience, such as their background, interests, challenges, and questions. You can also ask them to share their expectations and objectives for the presentation, and use them to guide your structure and message.

2 Plan your content

Once you have a clear idea of your audience and their needs, you can start planning your content. You want to make sure that your presentation is clear, concise, and relevant, and that it has a logical flow and a strong point. You can use a simple framework, such as the PEP method, to organize your content. PEP stands for Point, Evidence, and Point again. You start by stating your main point, then you provide evidence to support it, such as facts, examples, or stories, and then you restate your point in a different way. This will help you keep your presentation focused and coherent, and avoid unnecessary or confusing details.

3 Design your slides

Your slides are an important element in your presentation, as they can help illustrate, capture attention, and reinforce your message. To ensure they don't distract or overwhelm your audience, keep slides simple, clear, and consistent. A few tips to design them include using a simple and readable font (no more than two) with contrasting colors for background and text. Incorporate images, charts, or diagrams to show data, concepts, or processes but make sure they are relevant, high-quality, and labeled. Summarize key points with bullet points or short sentences and avoid using paragraphs or long quotes. Use animations or transitions sparingly to add value or interest to your presentation.

4 Practice your delivery

Practicing your delivery is essential to improve your confidence, fluency, and timing, and to identify and fix any errors or gaps in your content or slides. You can practice your presentation by yourself, using a timer, a recorder, or a mirror, or with a friend, a colleague, or a coach, who can give you feedback and suggestions. You can also use online tools, such as video conferencing platforms or presentation software, to simulate the remote environment and test your equipment, connection, and settings. You want to practice your presentation until you feel comfortable and prepared, but not until you sound robotic or memorized.

5 Engage your audience

Engaging your audience is essential to keep them interested, attentive, and involved in your presentation. To create a rapport and connection with them, you can start with a hook such as a question, story, statistic, or quote. You can also use humor, emotion, or personal anecdotes when appropriate. Stimulating your audience's curiosity and participation can be achieved by asking questions, polls, or quizzes. Moreover, you should use gestures, facial expressions, and eye contact to convey enthusiasm, confidence, and sincerity. Additionally, modulating your voice, pace, and volume will emphasize your points and avoid monotony. Finally, ending with a call to action such as a recommendation or challenge will motivate your audience to take action or learn more.

6 Follow up with your audience

Following up with your audience is a good way to reinforce your message, show your appreciation, and build relationships. You can follow up with your audience by sending them a thank-you email, a summary of your presentation, a recording or a transcript of your presentation, or any additional resources or information that you promised or that they requested. You can also ask them to share their feedback, opinions, or questions, and respond to them promptly and politely. You can also use social media, blogs, or newsletters, to keep in touch with your audience and to share more content or updates related to your topic.