Virtual presentations

This episode provides tips for presenting virtually. It is presented in three segments:

• Organising your virtual presentation
• Conducting your best virtual presentation
• Engaging the audience throughout the virtual presentation

Unlike face to face presentations where you have direct feedback from audience reaction, a large visual area to move in and inclusion in the energy within the room, virtual presentations require heightened use of tone & sound, minimal visual body cues and increased use of targeted images...and a dose of technology knowhow.

Organising:

Choose roles - Roles – speaker, producer, moderator, timekeeper.

Speaker sequence

Create opening/closing statements

Anticipate FAQ’s (prepare your responses)

Rehearse online (check tone/slide sequence/image quality/sound/pace)

Rehearse online (check tone/slide sequence/image quality/sound/pace)

Conducting:

Secure internet connection (prepare for worst and copy slides to one other computer (producer)

Positioning & background

Lighting

Know technology – spotlighting, share screen, troubleshoot with audience, breakout, chat, reactions

Look into computer camera

Be yourself -relaxed (turn your view of yourself off to stop looking at yourself and playing with your glasses/hair/clothing).

Engaging the audience

Every 8-10 mins is the rule of thumb

Engage at the very beginning – find out something about the audience by asking :what they know about the topic, how they feel about the topic or how high their energy levels are (Slido poll, ask for comments,)

Use your voice (not body) to project energy

Use images (sight major sense)

• Use some of the 161 interactive tools available (Break out rooms, chat, annotate, polls/Slido QR codes, short videos (Less than 2.5 mins)
• Use presentation producer for – chat, break out rooms, time. Presentation speaker/s for – slides and presenting. Presentation moderator for Q&A - directs questions to specific team member/s, time-keeper.