To avoid any confusion, as well as the awkward transition between introducing yourself and beginning the presentation, try to provide your audience with a quick overview of the topics you will be covering in your presentation and why they are important. It goes without saying that it is essential to rehearse your presentation before it is time for your actual meeting, however, too much rehearsal might actually hinder your presentation. You may find yourself rushing through your slides or reading from your notes while not considering your audience. To ensure that the audience is following along from the beginning, take some time to provide them with a short summary of what you will be presenting to them. Not only does this help your audience stay in the loop, but it will also ensure that you are connected and present with them throughout the presentation.
For many of us assigned to giving a presentation, we feel it is necessary to get out as much information as possible, however, that can lead to data overload, so it is best to keep it clean and simple. Studies have shown that over 50% of an online presentation is non-verbal, meaning that slides and other visuals will be a large part of filling in the gaps. Therefore, minimizing the amount of slide text, using clear fonts, bullet pointing reminders and important information, and keeping it below four relevant items per slide, will go a long way in keeping your audience clear and engaged. Online presentations are best when they are concise, clear and quick. By following these guidelines, you will avoid overloading and confusing your audience, and will make your presentation much more effective.
Standing is the secret to online presentations. You instantly have more confidence when you breathe easier. Your gestures will be more natural and standing gives you an energy boost that’ll give you a more powerful delivery. Try right now! Deliver a presentation sitting, then standing. No comparison! The only downside is you can’t wear sweatpants. If you absolutely cannot stand, lean forward in your seat, don’t slouch and always look at the camera when speaking!
Know your stuff and cite your sources when giving an online presentation. Nothing is worse for your credibility than giving out inaccurate information or not being able to back up your statements with evidence. It’s alright if you don’t recite a quote perfectly, as long as you let your audience know where to find the precise information; better yet, provide a simple resource list as a follow-up. Not only will this boost your confidence when you deliver your presentation, but you’ll build trust with your audience in that you’ve done your research and made it easy for them to do theirs.
Since the pandemic forced many businesses to accommodate remote work for the first time, many innovative tools have emerged that help with online presentations. My favorite tool to use in this area is Apple Keynote. It allows me to present seamlessly with my team when we can't be together in person. It includes dozens of features, but a few of my favorites are turning handwriting into text instantly, creating gorgeous charts and edit objects with precision.
Though sad to say, people form initial impressions of others within seconds of meeting or seeing them for the first time. Something as small as your clothes, backdrop or camera appearance can actually affect your credibility and authenticity. As such, my absolute best advice is to make sure your backdrop and appearance are on point. Dress smartly, and ensure your backdrop is professional, but not pretentious. In addition, invest in a photography studio lighting kit to place you in the best light (no pun intended). Simple softbox lights can make a world of visual difference, and can be purchased for less than $100 on Amazon. For camera position, place the camera just above eye level, so you're looking slightly up at it. And more importantly, invest in a high quality webcam that’s at least 1080p. You can find these on Amazon for less than $40. If you can nail these things, you’ll be way ahead of the curve before you even speak a word in your online presentation.
Giving a presentation online is much more difficult than presenting in front of a live audience. People get distracted easily. You can’t read the room. Often, you can’t even see your audience. Because of this, it’s hard to engage and captivate your participants. Hard, indeed. But not impossible. Ready to take your online presentation to the next level? Less is more! people can't retain or process much info at once. Make your slides minimalistic. One idea, one quote, or one fact per slide is ideal. even if your slides look plain. better to have 100 simple slides than 10 super dense slides. Don’t overwhelm your online audience with too many slides or they may easily zone out. In case you have more material, consider splitting the presentation into two sessions. This will make the information more digestible and draw attention to what you’re saying instead of forcing people to read lots of content.
The whiteboard feature on MS teams is highly underrated. You can add energy to your presentation by switching over to the white board to allow for some real-time explanations or collaboration with the rest of the team, depending on the settings you use. It's a great way to engage your audience, even if you just bring up the whiteboard for a few fun minutes.
Psychology tells us that people have a tendency to remember the beginning and the ending. The longer something lasts the stronger this effect is. There is a reason why we all know and say to each other "first impressions count the most" and "end with a bang". So, instead of jumping right away into the weeds, tell an interesting story, share an anecdote or an applicable statistic. The more unexpected the story (although still topically relevant) the better. So while everyone is expecting you to monotonously start reading off the slides, here you shake them out of their slumber. Similarly, towards the end, don't finish with the stale "So...any questions?". Instead, tell a joke, outline the next steps, pose an important question or offer a "digital freebie". You'll want to succinctly wrap up your most important point(s) so that upon leaving everyone is still invigorated and motivated to act upon the information just presented.
While reporting is a data-driven process that quantifies your results, storytelling is essential to qualify your efforts when it comes time to present your report. Every story has a main character- the hero, a conflict- the challenge, and a resolution- how the challenge is overcome. And using a similar framework in your presentation will tell a story that informs why the numbers are the way they are. The high-performing area of your sales strategy is, of course, the hero of your story and represents the robust portion of your sales revenue. The conflict of your story concerns where you are underperforming and how it is affecting your overall growth. And the resolution to your story involves making recommendations that will help you get the results you want. Though you may not make the final call on strategic vision, explaining your ideas and your reasoning behind them will show accountability and ownership. It may even help you achieve your desired results.
Eliminate distractions. People understand that you're working from home, but it's imperative that you eliminate any background noise that may make it harder to hear what you're saying. Silence your phone, turn off desktop notifications, and ensure the room that you're working in is both pet and kid-free. The less distractions there are, the more likely your audience will be able to pay attention.
Did you know that 79% of people agree that most online presentations are boring? One of the main reasons for that is the attention span, which is about 8 seconds nowadays. How to overcome the boredom and keep your audience’s curiosity? My best tip is using hooks - the attention-grabbing elements that surprise and engage. For example, include startling statistics, just like I did in the first sentence.
Make sure you're prepared: Practicing your online slide presentation, in my opinion, will assist you ensure that you have the wording down down so that you can effectively communicate your point. Even while an online presentation can be edited, you want to minimize the amount of modification required. With practice, you can avoid mistakes like your slides not displaying clearly or in the correct order. When practicing your presentation, make sure your slides are easy to read. You don't want your audience to have difficulty comprehending your slides.
If you're giving an online presentation over Google Meet, utilize the necessary steps to see your audience while presenting. I've sat in on presentations that resulted in missed opportunities due to the speaker not having the ability to see their audience – an essential aspect of public speaking is reading the crowd. In short, upload your presentation into Google Slides and open a separate Google Chrome window for the Google Meet meeting. Align the windows side by side, and click the 'share window' option in your Google Meet dashboard. Never miss the opportunity to see your audience again!
President at Cabrella
Answered 4 years ago
Include a maximum of three main points in an online presentation to avoid watering down your content or overwhelming your audience. For instance, instead of drowning each slide with a ton of words, pick a couple of power words that will stand out. Should you choose to share a story, use a photo without any words at all to help set the stage. Streamline and simplify what you share; let your presentation shine by avoiding word clutter and keeping it to three key takeaways. Improve how you connect with your audience by carefully considering the words and phrases on your slide deck so your presentation stays engaging and memorable.
Check to see if you are able to share your screen when presenting on Zoom or whichever virtual meeting platform you are using. Sometimes you look into your Settings options to enable screen sharing on your computer. If you do not clear this up beforehand, you could end up starting your presentation only to find that no one can see your screen. This will delay the presentation and it will not give a great impression. Ensure that all technical aspects of your online presentation are set up correctly in advance.
When giving a presentation, don’t bother reading your slides aloud unless it’s to emphasize a point. Your slides should always be visual support for the argument you are trying to make, but never a crutch. When you read out loud to your audience, you are sure to lose their attention. People want to be stimulated and educated with the information presented to them. Focus on letting the presentation do the visual work and use that to support what you have to say. Visuals are a critical element in relaying complex information to an audience. Don’t let them be mired down in text if you are already going to convey the same information aloud.
Be concise and efficient: Make sure the presentation is simple to understand and concise, in my opinion. Each slide should reflect approximately three or four minutes of material, and more than 15 to 18 slides can be overwhelming. Consider separating the presentation if you have extra material. Practice before giving your presentation to ensure that the order is correct and that you can give it with strong articulation and at a pace that everyone can understand. The record option in collaboration software is an excellent tool for assessing your presentation abilities.
Nothing takes a person out of a presentation if the accompanying PowerPoint or other visual aid contains any sort of spelling, grammatical or typing errors. At the very least, it distracts your audience. At worst, it harms your credibility as a presenter. The harsh lesson is: if you can’t proofread or spellcheck, you can’t expect to be taken seriously.
While the data visualization needs to be visually appealing- even eye-catching, it must have graphical integrity. Meaning the level of data must support the impression your reporting is giving. One way to measure this is using the Lie Factor, which describes the ratio of the rate of change in the graphic to the rate of change in the data. The numbers should be directly proportional to what is represented in the graphics. This is especially important when presenting to investors.