MAKING VIRTUAL PRESENTING A REALITY

So, you’ve been asked to give a presentation as part of an online event.

Apart from all the normal concerns you might have when asked to present at a live event, what are the main things you should keep in mind … both when preparing for … AND presenting at … a Virtual Event?

Before launching into my list of suggestions, it is important to make you aware of:

THE VIRTUAL COMMUNICATIONS CATCH-22

Virtual conferencing and webinars are made possible by the most amazing and wondrous technology.

However, in order for that technology to provide us with the ability to connect with people anywhere in the world, it ironically impairs many of the important tools we use to do that connecting.

Tools such as:

• our ability to use eye contact
• our ability to use body language
• the audio quality our voice is delivered with
• our ability to use audience interaction, and
• the sense that we are WITH the audience, and they with us.

are all more difficult to contend with in a virtual world.

The tips I’ve gathered below largely help to overcome these setbacks.

In this article I will elaborate on what you should do when PREPARING an on-line session. In my next article there will be some tips for what you should do DURING the presentation.

So, to prepare properly for your presentation I propose you ponder these particular points:

1. The Word 'Virtual' In 'Virtual Event' Is A Big Fat Lie
2. Set Your Stage
3. Unlike On A Stage, You Will See Yourself Speaking!
4. What Are YOU Looking At?
5. A Word About Your Words
6. Slide Design
7. Your Appearance
8. Prepare To Prepare Your Audience
9. If You Don't Rehearse, Things Will Go Worse
10. Final Tips

So, let's begin:

1. REMEMBER, THE WORD ‘VIRTUAL’ IN ‘VIRTUAL EVENT’ IS A BIG FAT LIE.

A virtual event is a real event. The people are real. The pressure is real. The nerves are real. The expectations are real. There is virtually nothing virtual about a virtual event, apart from the fact it has the word ‘virtual’ in the title

In fact, Virtual Events are as closely related to the word ‘Virtual’ as Reality TV is related to the word ‘Reality’.

In other words, ALL of the important elements of a regular presentation need your attention.

 So, presenting in a VIRTUAL environment is REALLY REAL.

 2. YOUR ‘STAGE’

You are now not only a presenter, but (unless you’re going into a remote studio) you are also the AV Person.

This doesn’t mean you should wear a black t-shirt and nip of for a smoke at every break. Rather, it means you are responsible for the staging of your segment.

So, when preparing the space you will be delivering your virtual presentation in:

• Avoid back-lighting (which shadows your face)
• Limit background noise
• Ensure the camera angle is straight-on, not at an angle. If you’re holding your phone out, the camera often floats below face level. This can be quite off-putting and distracting for the audience, as it creates jowls where there may be none and also gives an unwanted tour of a person’s nose hair.
• Avoid (if possible) using a space where other people might walk through the shot. During home schooling recently, one of my kids' classmates had their naked Mum walk accidentally into shot during a Zoom chat. It led to much embarrassment ... and a huge uptick in the number of Dads who offered to supervise their kids the next day.
• Virtual backgrounds can be fun, but only use one if you are certain your computer has enough processing power to stop it from fading in and out as you move.
• Have as plain a wall as possible behind you (sure, we’re used to seeing lawyers and doctors talk on camera with shelves of big impressive books behind them but your bookshelves at home are more likely to reveal an old copy of 50 Shades Of Grey than an old copy of Grey’s Anatomy).

If any of these elements aren’t addressed, you are helping give your audience extra reasons to be distracted. Given that they are probably sitting at desks laden with mobile phones, ipads, snacks, urgent work and a thousand other distractions … you need to NOT be adding to that list.

However, if there IS something that is unavoidably going to be part of your background, such as a this:

... ALWAYS be the one to draw attention to it, perhaps even with some gentle humour, or a personal story. People are going to notice these things anyway, so address the elephant in the room … ESPECIALLY if there actually IS an elephant in the room.

3. UNLIKE ON STAGE, YOU WILL SEE YOURSELF SPEAKING! 

It can be very off-putting seeing yourself present. You DO get used to is. But it takes quite a few times.

So, on your first few presentations, you are likely to find it a bit unnerving to see your own noggin right there, staring back at you ... and it's talking while you’re talking, no less! 

If you do a couple of practice runs into a mirror (or, better still, video yourself and watch it a few times), you will reduce the risk you will feel awkward seeing yourself and, in turn, increase the chance your eyes will stay pointed in the right direction.

Which brings me to …

4. HEY, WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?

When you are presenting via your computer, tablet or phone, the camera is slightly off-screen.

This means, when you look at the people on the screen, you are NOT quite looking at the camera. And when you ARE looking at the camera, you can’t see the important visual queues on the faces of those you are talking to.

This is one of the toughest skills to master in online presenting … NOT QUITE looking at the person (or people) you are speaking to.

The most important thing for you, as a presenter, is to appear to your audience as though you have eye contact with them. This gives them a sense of being connected to you. So prioritise looking at the camera lens as much as possible.

They are okay with occasional glances down to look at notes etc, but if you spend most of your time NOT QUITE looking into your device’s camera, you are going to look a little bit like you’re avoiding eye contact … and that could diminish people’s trust in what you’re saying.

Oprah Winfrey once said she talks to the camera as though she’s talking to her best friend. So it’s probably worth trying that.

Treat the camera as though it’s Oprah Winfrey’s best friend.

To help you remember exactly WHERE to focus your eyes, stick a small bright object … a little picture of someone’s face, even … anything that will subtly remind you to return your eyes to the right place … near your computer camera. 

 5. A WORD ABOUT YOUR WORDS:

 When preparing ANY presentation, you need to think carefully about the four S’s:

• Structure
• Story
• Sentence Sculpting (the words you use)
• Support (slides, prop or activities you use to help deliver your information)

Given that it is HARDER to maintain people’s attention in a virtual format, you really need to consider these elements even more carefully. Here’s a few tips:

i) Keep Points As Brief As Possible.

This is easier said than done, especially if you’re talking about something you are passionate about … but people’s attention spans are shortened dramatically when “the teacher isn’t in the room”.

So, keep honing your points.

Think very carefully what is essential and what is fluff … and de-fluff your points as much as possible.

ii) Use Words That Evoke Emotions

One of the biggest challenges created by online presenting is it is a lot harder to deliver emotional ups and downs when you’re not actually present.

And leading your audience through an emotional journey is one of the strongest learning aids a presenter can use. People remember much better a point that made them (or the presenter) laugh or sad or angry etc.

So you need to make them smile or laugh. You need to suggest ideas that confront your audience. You need to make them think. Maybe even worry a little.

You need to put more thought into explaining why your audience has an emotional connection to what you are sharing with them.

iii) Engage With Your Audience On A Regular Basis

Connecting people’s emotions to your content is also one way of interacting more directly with your audience. And interaction makes it seem to them like you are there in the room.

The main ways you can engage with your online audience is by asking questions or conducting brief activities.

Activity ideas include a quiz, or a reason to write something in the chat feed … or that gets them to raise thumbs up (or lower them down) to conduct a survey.

Try do something interactive every eight or so minutes.

Interactions also help your audience maintain their focus. Don’t forget about the many distractions they are surrounded by, so give them (and, as it happens, yourself) a break every now and then with an activity. You will be thanked by better attention levels.

Depending on the number of people you are presenting to, you’ll find some fantastic ideas at https://www.sessionlab.com/blog/online-energizers/

It’s also a great idea to use INCLUSIVE words like “you” and “we” … language that makes people feel like you are speaking to them, personally. For example, if you want to check that your audience is following along, rather than ask, “Does that make sense to everyone?”, phrase it more personally and ask “Does that make sense to you?”

Does that make sense to you??

 iv) Use A Variety Of Stimuli

Your presentation should not simply consist of a combination of “You Talking” and “Your Slides Appearing”. You can engage and compel a wider range of people for a longer period of time if you include:

• music
• video clips
• pictures and
• other visual provocations.

Be brave and try some a little different from time-to-time.

v) Chat Check

Online learning apps are almost always equipped with a chat function.

This is a great tool for making people feel involved (and making them feel that your presentation addresses something of particular concern to them).

However, it is definitely NOT easy to keep your eye on the chat feed, the camera lens, the faces of the people on your screen AND your notes …

So, plan some deliberate points in your script where you will pause proceedings to look at the chat feed so you can address questions. Yes, actually write it in your script ... or insert a few PowerPoint slides that say, "Chat Check Time".

In an ideal world you would be able to ask someone to check the chat for you as you go. They can prioritise questions, group similar queries and just generally save you time and stress.

6. SLIDE DESIGN

You may or may not be planning on using PowerPoint slides in your presentation. Personally I feel they make a HUUUUGE difference to the quality of an on-line presentation.

Notice, however, that I didn’t commit to whether that was a positive or a negative difference that they made??

That’s because PowerPoint slides can be a force for both good … AND for evil. And who decides which is the force operating during your presentation is you!

Great slides elevate a presentation and really assist the audience to remain engaged and engrossed. Poorly-designed and boring slides give audience members reasons to tune out and doubt your level of care.

Of course, that is all true for a live presentation, too but, in a virtual presentation, understanding the role your slides can play takes on a new importance for two reasons:

i) your slides don’t get the benefit of being seen on enormous screens

ii) your slides are one of your few tools that you can employ to make your presentation eye-catching, engaging and educational.

So, if you’re using slides, here’s a few helpful hints:

a) The moment you show a slide with a paragraph or a list on it, delegates WILL read that slide. Entirely. At the expense of listening to you.

You do not want to compete with your own slides for the attention of the audience. Try put a maximum of one point on a slide (NOT a paragraph … paragraphs are what you say out loud while the point is on the screen).

b) Limit the use of graphs and tables, unless they are very, very simple.

THIS kind of simple:

Instead of using a whole graph to explain one or two points, just write the numbers you want to highlight on one slide.

For example:

c) As much as possible, use a maximum of a few words, in a big font.

Anything more than that is your script, not your slide.

So, if you’re talking about the effects of Coronavirus on your business (and, let's face it ... who ISN'T?), your slide should look like this:

That's all. No distractions.

A slide like that also sends a subconscious messaging to your audience that THIS … THIS thing I’m talking about right now … THIS is important and requires your WHOLE attention.

You can then say whatever you like about Coronavirus, without your audience being distracted. Then, when you start talking about, let’s say, the effects of Coronavirus on Customer Behaviour, your slide will look like this:

And then you talk about the relevant details whilst that slide is on screen.

d) Use pictures, icons, colour … something quirky related to the topic you are making, to make your slides eye-catching.

For example, the slide about Coronavirus and Customer Behaviour that we used above … could simply, and effectively, be accompanied by a slide like this:

e) Often, when you put slides up on Zoom or a similar app, there will be a line of boxes showing little screens of other participants' heads Brady Bunch style. This takes up quite a bit of the screen.

So, design your slides so there is generous space around the edges, so your information isn’t hidden by other people’s faces.

f) NEVER send your slides to participants beforehand.

Do you want them to not listen to you at all??!!

7. YOUR APPEARANCE:

So, the time is approaching for your presentation. You’ve prepared a wonderful collection of words and slides and you’re ready to sit down in front of your computer to present.

I’m no fashion guru … in fact, I think fashion peaked in the 1980s … but I do know enough about ON-LINE appearance to throw a couple of helpful hints your way:

i) DRESS

Don’t wear one if you’re a guy.

But try not wear anything with a pattern of little dots or thin stripes. They can bleed on camera and become distracting

And don’t match your background, or blend in (ie. A light top with a light wall behind you). That just looks ... well ... like this:

ii) YOU

Ironically, although people on virtual meetings may be physically more distant, they see you WAY more closely than they usually would in a conference room.

So check your face for shaving nicks and your teeth and face for remnants from your last snack:

 And de-fluff your shirt.

 8. PREPARE TO PREPARE YOUR AUDIENCE

Whilst on-line meetings have, er, Zoomed in popularity recently, not everyone is experienced with them. So, if possible, invite people who feel they may need a lesson in how to mute/use the chat etc to join you 15 minutes before your presentation so you can go through those features.

And, do a little bit of virtual housekeeping at the very start of your presentation for everyone. Ask people to check they’re on mute and let people know whether you will be taking questions or not and when.

9. IF YOU DON’T REHEARSE, THINGS WILL GO WORSE

Again, this applies to ALL presentations … but because, for many people, they are less experienced presenting to a computer or a camera (and dealing with things like chat functions and any other special audience-engagement activities you are planning), a practice run is even MORE important.

10. FINAL TIPS

i) Keep some water nearby. There’s no stage crew to bring you some water if you suddenly get dry-throat.

ii) Don’t forget to turn your phone … and anything else in the vicinity that may make noise … off

 And NOW you are virtually ready to virtually present! For real.

I hope this has been interesting and helpful for you. Be sure to catch my next blog on Tips for DURING your Online Presentation.

DARREN ISENBERG IS ONE OF AUSTRALIA'S BEST-LOVED MC'S AND SPEAKERS ON POSITIVE INFLUENCE. CHECK OUT HIS WEBSITE AT www.dipresents.com.au FOR HIS OTHER ARTICLES AND INFORMATION ON HIS PRESENTATION SKILLS COACHING