3 Easy Ways to Improve Your Virtual Presentation

Photo by Karolina Grabowska from Pexels

Who would have thought that one year later, so many of us would be still working from home?

For many of us, the early days were a steep learning curve as we got used to living our working lives through Zoom, Microsoft Teams and similar platforms.

Thankfully, I rarely hear “You’re on mute” at meetings these days. However, my clients tell me that they have difficulty building a connection online. They find online presentations much more challenging than in-person. That’s understandable. We’re missing the energy from others in the room. We find it harder to gauge body language. Many people find it challenging to include interaction into their presentation.

When I deliver virtual presentation skills training to my clients, I teach a range of tools and techniques to improve presentation content and delivery, both in-person and online. These three tips are easy to implement and have an immediate impact.

1. Look into the camera, not at the screen

This is difficult to do at first, but it’s worth doing because the impact is so strong. Our instinct is to look at the screen when speaking, so we can see the audience reaction. However, when we do that, we are not “looking” at our audience, so we are losing an opportunity to connect with them.

When we look someone in the eye, we show confidence and they are more likely to trust us. When you are delivering your virtual presentation, look at the camera. You will be able to connect with everyone on the call at the same time.

If you find it difficult to get used to, try this tip. When I found it difficult to remember to stop looking at the screen, I drew a smiley face on a post-it note and stuck it beside the camera. It worked for me!

2. Camera Angle

Take a few moments to check your camera angle before you deliver your presentation. If your camera is looking up at you, you appear to be “looking down” on your audience, communicating superiority. Besides, showing off extra chins and nasal hair is rarely a good look!

Equally, if your camera is looking down on you, it can make you look small and vulnerable.

The camera should be straight in front, or slightly above you. You might need to prop your laptop on some books to get the correct height. Test it out in advance to see what works best.

Check to see the best distance from the camera as well. Think about “newsreader view”- not too close and not too distant.

3. Energy

If you bring low energy to your presentation, why should anyone listen to you? They will be reaching for their phones, or opening a tab to catch up on emails.

When we are delivering in-person, there is an energy in the room. For virtual presentations, it is far more difficult. As a presenter, you need to bring extra energy to your presentation to keep the audience engaged. How can you do this?

Your voice- use plenty of vocal variety

Your facial expressions

Your gestures

Decide in advance if you want to sit or stand. You might find that standing raises your energy levels. Be careful not to rock back and forth on your feet or have distracting gestures.

Virtual meetings and online presentations aren’t going away anytime soon. Up your game by trying these suggestions the next time you are presenting. I’d love to hear how you get on!