Virtual Presentation Tips for Online Meetings: 15 Expert Tips That Work for Everyone

The pandemic helped jumpstart the utilization of virtual meetings and presentations. While some individuals have a knack for commanding every presentation, some of us need to hone our presentation skills and best practices apply to in-person and virtual exhibitions.

Expert virtual presenters comprehend the significance of adjusting their approach to match the medium. Formal in-person presentations facilitate a more captive audience. Therefore it is simple to be engaging because your audience is stuck with you for the duration.

However, virtual presentations allow your audience to stray from the production. You now must compete for their eyes, ears, hearts, and minds against diminished attention spans increased home and work distractions, and conflicting priorities.

Here are 15 expert tips for the success of your virtual presentation:
Choose the right background

‍Try to use a backdrop that enhances your professional image and aligns with your message. Avoid a cluttered environment or possible distractions. Understand if your presentation platform permits you to use virtual backgrounds. Utilizing your Cubo Virtual Office features will help provide a professional presence.

Get the lighting right‍

As a presenter, people want you illuminated. Therefore they must be able to see you well. Ensure you have adequate lighting to shine brightly on your face. If a window is behind you, close the shades to remove any backlighting. While natural light is often the ideal choice, consider purchasing supplemental lighting to enhance your image.

Play to the camera

‍When speaking, look directly into your computer's camera, not at the screen or at the other participants. The communication technique takes practice, but it makes the viewer feel like you are looking right at them. Some presenters turn off their self-view, so they aren't distracted by their image. Place the camera near your eye level. It would be best to position your camera in a place not too far above or below you.

If the camera is too low, then you run the risk of creating a double chin. Too high of a camera angle causes a challenge to maintain eye contact. Therefore you may find yourself looking around the room as you speak.

If your presentation requires you to be a part of a panel or a team of presenters, ensure you know when your camera is on. When you are not speaking, but your camera is on, make sure you look like you are paying attention! Powerful presenters understand the importance of eye contact with their audience, so you have to simulate the same effect virtually.

Know the technology

‍Nothing obliterates a presentation quicker than a presenter distracted by technology. Therefore this is a performance, so make sure you know how to make it work.

A dry run is essential to be comfortable with the platform's features. It's best to have a cohost assist you with the technology to help you focus on your presentation. You will also want to use the same technical setup to deliver the presentation when you practice.

Do a sound check

‍People will tune out if your sound is garbled. While people may forgive less-than-perfect videos, they will leave if they can't hear you. Practice the presentation with someone to ensure your sound is clear. Sometimes an external microphone or headphones work better than computer audio.

Every venue is different, so ensure your sound quality is excellent. It would help if you rehearsed with the same technical configurations and location you will use for your presentation.

Plug into your modem

‍If possible, utilize an ethernet cable. Plug your computer directly into your modem to access the internet.

Therefore you will possess the strongest possible signal and a stable internet connection. You do not want to find out in the middle of your presentation you have a weak or unstable internet signal.

Get close, but not THAT close

‍You need the camera to appropriately frame your face, neck, and shoulders. People's eyes focus on looks, so you want to retain that connection by being prepared in a visually appealing way.

While you don't want to appear too far away, you also don't want your face to take over the screen. It would look odd only to see your eyes, nose, and mouth. Practice your positioning and distance for you to convey your message visually.

Stand up

‍If possible, utilize a standing desk. These desks are fantastic for everyday use and ideal for virtual presentations. If you do not have this ability, position your laptop so the camera stands at eye level.

Standing will naturally display a higher energy level and force you to put your body into presentation mode. If you must sit, lean forward as you would if you were presenting at an actual meeting. Avoid slouching as this signals you are disconnected from the audience.

Be animated

‍Like in a live presentation, you want to present with some energy and animation. If you communicate too slowly or in a monotone voice, it is easy for folks to disengage and tune out. Keeping people engaged virtually requires you actually to be engaging.‍

Pace yourself

‍Getting the pacing right can be challenging without real-time visual audience feedback cues. Even though you want to infuse animation and energy into your presentation, it does not mean you need to rush through the whole presentation. Creating pauses in the presentation will allow the attendees to catch up on the conversation. These breaks help vary the cadence too. Finding the natural rhythm and pace will help keep people engaged.

Incorporate redundant systems

‍If using slides, make sure someone else has a copy in case your internet becomes unstable and you need to enter the presentation through a phone call. If you utilize slides, ensure they are visually appealing. Use high-quality graphics and minimize the amount of text. It is your job as a presenter to deliver the content. The slides are there to enrich your spoken words, not supersede them.  

Let someone else check the chats

‍Distractions kill virtual presentations. Thus it is essential not to become sidetracked by the chats. You will be shocked at how distracting it is to your train of thought if you attempt to read the conversations. Instead, plan to have your cohost or producer monitor the chats.

If you ask people to chat with you, answer or comment on a question you have posed. Pause the conversation directly and engage with your cohost. The cohost can help acknowledge who asked what question by reading the question out loud. Commenting on these questions will help keep your audience engaged.

Engage your participants

‍Similar to in-person presentations, organize your presentation to engross the audience. Integrate polls, chats, or raised hand features to help keep your virtual audience's attention. Try to pause within ten minutes and ask your audience a question to spark engagement. Utilize the participant list to interact with them by name. Organized conversations during the virtual presentation can utilize the raised hand feature if they want to speak. Your cohost can help keep track of the order and invite them to turn on their mics or cameras.

Evaluate and enhance

‍Record the session, play it back, and look for areas that worked well. Analyzing your shortcoming will help you develop your presentation skills. Whether virtual or in person, great presenters understand the value of continually sharpening their craft. Be mindful to acknowledge your strengths as well as your areas of improvement.

Be yourself and have fun

‍ Again, like in face-to-face presentations, audiences connect to authenticity, so be yourself! Let your personality show through. Have fun. If you look like you're enjoying the production, so will others.

Research indicates happy people keep information better than bored or disengaged individuals. So model the energy you want to create. The audience takes its cue from you.

Remember, whether you are presenting in person or virtually, all presentations are performances. All arrangements are a service to your audience. Your audience's time is valuable, so honor that time by delivering the best presentation possible.

No matter the presentation you provide, you must find ways to create an authentic audience connection, engagement, and value.

The bottom line

When utilizing the Cubo system, you need to consider some technical aspects. Ultimately, you want to provide the best presentation, but if you have a weak wireless signal, your attendees might not hear everything you stated.

We provided 15 tips to help you better present material to your teams. Hopefully, these tips will improve your presentation skills. If you find yourself making these mistakes understand there is a learning curve. These mistakes are opportunities for you to master the next presentation.

For more information, please visit our online office and send us a message https://cubo.to/steffi. You are also most welcome to schedule a call and book a demo, it will be our pleasure to personally walk you through the app.