4 Virtual Presentation Mistakes That Are REALLY Easy to Avoid (so stop making them!)
As we’ve all been called to deliver — and attend — more virtual presentations in remote meetings, it’s becoming very clear how easy it is to lose the audience’s attention and distract them in a variety of ways.
So whether you’re a speaker, facilitator or just raising your hand to ask a question or share a comment — here are 4 simple ways to come off as a virtual presentation pro!
(Full transcript of video below).
TRANSCRIPT:
Have you been in a virtual meeting lately?
Chances are, you have… whether it’s as the speaker, as a facilitator, or just as someone listening to the presenter.
And chances are, this is a trend that’s going to continue for years to come.
As speakers, it is our responsibility to make sure that the message that we are sending is received by our audience with maximum value.
But over the past few months of sitting through multiple virtual presentations, I’ve seen a lot of mistakes crop up that are easily avoided, but that also unfortunately take away the audience’s attention and make it more difficult to get your message across.
So here are 4 easy fixes to make sure that you are making the most of your time as a virtual presenter, whether you are the main speaker, whether you are a facilitator, or whether you’re just raising your hand to ask a question or share a comment.
#1: Make sure that your camera is at eye level. That may mean that you have to raise your laptop or your computer a little bit, on some books or some boxes, whatever it takes so that no one has to look into your nostrils, no one has to see your chin, no one has to see the greater part of your forehead.
#2: Where are your eyes looking? There are a lot of different places that you could look at in a virtual presentation, but you need only look AT the camera. It can be tempting to look at YOURSELF on the screen when you’re presenting, but it can take your eyes off the camera, and break your connection with the audience.
Sometimes people will give presentations looking at their laptop or at their second monitor, and then you’ll see only the side of their face, looking completely away from the screen. It’s definitely a challenge to connect with the speaker if you feel like they’re not even looking at you.
One little trick that I use to remind myself to always look at the camera is to take a post-it note, and stick it up near my camera. Sometimes I’ll even be more specific, and write a note that says “Suzannah, look over HERE!”, complete with coloured markers, stickers, smiley faces, or whatever other artistic talent breaks out of me on that day. It may sound silly….but it’s effective, and it’ll keep your eyes where they’re supposed to be.
#3: Fidgeting. Body language is not just something that happens within in-person presentations. Watch out for fidgeting or moving around too much in your chair.
#4: Proper lighting. You don’t necessarily need a professional lighting environment, but be mindful to not sit in front of an open window (which will make you look too dark to your audience), or other shadows or dark spots that can obscure people seeing you clearly. Good lighting will make you easier to watch, and easier to listen to.
Again…. our priority as speakers is to ensure that our message gets across in the most valuable way possible. With virtual presentations, we can certainly continue to do this – as long as we apply an extra layer of care to ensure that we don’t do anything that distracts our audience.
If you or your team would like additional support to ensure that your virtual presentations are structured, engaging and powerful, and that ensure that every time you speak, you stand out as a leader, then let’s get in touch.
+1 (514) 247-1761 or Suzannah@suzannahbaum.com
p.s. As a recipient of the “Certified Virtual Presenter” certification from espeakers.com, I have been certified as having the tools, environment and skills to perform a quality remote presentation using live video.
