If you've done Ship 30 for 30 and feel inspired by how Dickie and Cole lead 500+ person Zoom calls, here are 5 ways they make the calls so engaging

Many of my clients who present in large virtual meetings like an all-hands or sales meeting believe it's doomed to be boring for the audience.

They resign themselves to seeing the audience not-so-secretly typing out emails or switching their video off, presumably to do work or chores in the background.

They're not wrong. A virtual meeting dynamic can easily become distant and dull.

Which is why it's so striking that the Ship 30 for 30 course leaders Dickie and Cole manage to create an open, bright, kinetic, fun-yet-deeply-thoughtful atmosphere on every single call, even with 500+ people.?

How do they do that every time?

Here are 5 approaches I see them using that you can use in your virtual meetings, too.

1. They know the vibe they're after.

A presenter either intentionally sets the tone for the call, or it gets set for them by someone or something else.

I'm sure we've all arrived into online meetings only to be greeted by awkward silence as other people show up, stare blankly, and wait for the presenter to eventually say something.

Dickie and Cole do the opposite. They want to create a buzz and have people feel present and enjoy the session. Hence having music on upon arrival, wearing captains hats, offering a warm welcome and casually chatting as people arrive.

Tip: At the start of your prep process, decide on the vibe and atmosphere you want to create in the presentation. Allow this to shape your content and the tone, energy, and virtual environment you establish for the call.

2. They focus on being of service.

As an audience we sense it when a presenter is there to offer us something worthwhile, or to plod through their own agenda and get it over with.

It's powerful and makes us want to pay attention. We can tell that they have our interests in mind. They want us to gain something.

Dickie and Cole role model this by clearly stating it ("we are sharing these things to make your process easier and faster"), sharing relatable stories, sourcing our questions in the chat, and working through quick case studies in real time.

Tip: Prep for and begin sessions with that premise: "How can I be of service to the audience here? What will benefit them?" You can even state that purpose at the top of the call to make it crystal clear.

3.?They vary the dynamic.

Marching through a big slide pack or delivering a 45-minute monologue can create a flat feeling in a presentation.

As an audience we zone out. ??

In the Ship 30 calls they mix it up every few minutes. Share a slide. Take the slide down and just talk to us. Give a quick example or anecdote. Ask us a clear question to respond to in the chat. Offer a quick challenge or a prize (with a purpose that's connected to the content -- that's key).

Varying the interactions keeps it fresh and moving. The 90-minutes flies by.

Tip: Plan to vary what people are looking at and listening to throughout your presentation. Mix up the interactions, even if subtly. This adds dimension and re-engages people's attention.

4.?They use a conversational style, even if the audience can't actually speak back to them.

A presentation with a massive audience can't be structured as a true two-way conversation. That would be chaos.

But it can definitely feel conversational.

A conversational style creates the difference for us as audience members between feeling like we're being spoken at versus spoken with. Downloaded at versus included.

I often wonder what Dickie and Cole's prep process is like ahead of these sessions, and what kind of notes they might have prompting them. Because they keep the sessions a rare blend of focused and tight while also off-the-cuff and informal. Like they are thinking aloud with us, just very coherently.?

Tip: Consider as you prep, "How can I make this feel more conversational?". It might be that your tone, pacing, and level of emotional expression changes as a result, which is enough to make it feel more two-way instead of one-way.

5. They have each other's backs.

The biggest problem with large virtual presentations is that they easily feel disconnected.

The presenter can feel disconnected from the audience. Co-presenters can feel disconnected from each other. We can feel disconnected as an attendee from the other people attending, and from the point of the whole thing.

Dickie and Cole are joined up. They build on each other's statements. They highlight each other's wins and lessons learned. They are present and acknowledge each other's points ("Yeah that's so important ...").

If they share different viewpoints, it's done with positive regard.

Backing our co-presenter, and backing our audience members whenever they ask or contribute something, generates psychological safety in the call and makes it more likely that people will open up, ask questions, and share ideas.

Tip: Prepare to accept + build on what people say during your presentation. Validate something about their question or thought, build on it with your own thoughts, and link it back to the key points of the session so that you're staying on track.

This creates a constructive dynamic for everyone in the virtual room.

I hope these tips help you feel confident to host an engaging, purposeful virtual presentation.

If you use these approaches consistently and make them your own, you'll build your reputation as one of the few people who reliably leads virtual presentations that people will benefit from and genuinely look forward to attending.