“The day will come when the man at the telephone will be able to see the distant person to whom he is speaking.”
– Alexander Graham Bell
How right Mr. Bell was! They say the only constant is change. That’s most certainly true when it comes to technology. Communicating with people by way of technology has been happening for a long time. Indeed, Alexander Bell patented his telephone in 1876! What’s relatively new is what he foresaw: presenting by way of online video platforms such as Zoom, Teams, WebEx, FaceTime and more. Even though the means may have changed, the end goal remains the same: communicating clearly with others in a way that builds relationships and moves personal and professional business forward.
Most of us are adept at using email and the telephone to communicate, but how can we use online video communication tools most effectively? Bell himself said, “Before anything else, preparation is the key to success.” Sounds like he knew a thing or two about sweating in advance! What are some ways we can sweat in advance to make video technology “transparent” and position our connection with the audience center stage?
Here are just a few:
- Know the audience
- See and hear it from their perspective
- Stand up and gesture
- Dress to impress
- Master eye contact
- Minimize the barriers
Know the Audience
Knowing your audience is as critical in the online presenting world as it is when presenting in person. Unless we know our audience, we won’t be able to connect with them, and in order to get to know them we need to do our homework, find out who they are.
Don’t let the fact that you’re presenting online become an excuse for la- ziness or cutting corners. In fact, advance preparation and research take on increasing levels of importance when you haven’t had the luxury of meeting in person, shaking hands, or enjoying a lunch or dinner together. Resist the urge to take on an overly casual, laid-back attitude toward your audience simply because you’re not in person. Your online meeting obviously has consequence, or you wouldn’t have scheduled it.
Review prior phone and e-mail interaction and take note of what you’ve learned about your audience—individually and as a group—to make your presentation more personal and relevant. Take advantage of social media such as LinkedIn, and professional bios available via the com- pany’s website. Consider building in an informal 15-minute gathering time to get to know one another before the official start of your presenta- tion. For example, if the formal business of your online meeting is to begin at 10:30, invite all participants to log in and connect at 10:15 to join you for a cup of coffee and a few minutes of casual conversation. It’s amazing how 15 minutes of informal conversation can foster a friendlier overall spirit going into your important presentation.
See and Hear It from Their Perspective
A great challenge in presenting from home is the very fact that you’re presenting from home! Though people claim to be understanding of noises made by children and pets, those sounds are still distracting and unprofessional. Avoid scheduling a video presentation during a time your landscapers will be cutting the grass. Put a note on your doorbell asking delivery companies to leave packages without ringing the bell. Do all you can to create a professional “office-type” environment which con- veys to your audience they are important and the sole object of your attention.
Ensure your technology is up to the task. Do your laptop microphone and camera clearly and consistently transmit your voice and image? Take them to the test. Schedule a video meeting with a friend to see if your voice is muffled, if your lighting needs adjustment, or if the background is cluttered or distracting.
If you present online regularly, consider purchasing a portable ring light. The prices and quality vary, so do your homework before choosing, but you’ll likely find it to be a worthwhile investment. It will brighten a dark space, minimize shadows on your face and generally make you look more professional and attractive!
Stand up and Gesture
Be honest: how many of you thought the best thing to come from the shift to virtual presenting is not having to stand up or think about your body movement? Think again! I encourage you to stand and gesture while presenting. Why?
Standing for online presentations:
- signals to your audience that you’re taking this seriously, show- ing them respect.
- improves your posture and allows you to breathe more deeply.
- automatically elevates your sense of presence, sharpens your de- livery, and commands more attention.
When you first try standing and delivering to a camera it may feel phony or awkward, but that’s okay. With practice, you’ll learn how to stand and gesture just as naturally in your online presentations as you do in person.
Dress to Impress
Dress for an online meeting or presentation as you would if you were in person. You might be tempted when presenting online to “keep it real” and wear sweatpants and your favorite concert t-shirt, but don’t give in! The way you dress sends a message to your audience about how im- portant they are to you. Think about wearing solids rather than patterns, jewelry that doesn’t jingle and get picked up by the microphone, and consider taking off your glasses if you see a distracting glare. Wrinkles in clothes show up just as well through a camera lens so don’t let your ironing board get too dusty. Send the right message!
Master Eye Contact
We all know the importance of eye contact, or “eye connect.” Looking directly into the camera lens is the only way your audience will sense that you’re looking directly at them. This presents a great challenge for most of us as it feels more comfortable to look at the rectangular im- ages of our audience members on our computer screen than to focus on the computer’s camera lens. But remember, when you look away from the lens, you break “eye connect.” Practice looking into the lens until you do it naturally. Here’s a hint: when you start your online meeting on your laptop, shrink the size of the window on your screen and all the images within it. Then reposition the window just below your computer’s cam- era. That way, when you are looking at the video feed of an audience member, you’ll still be looking closely enough into the lens that everyone will feel the eye connection. Add this step of looking into the lens to your dress rehearsal and then: Practice, practice, practice!
Minimize the Barriers
No matter the platform, presenting online brings a layer of separation that doesn’t exist when presenting in person. While this cannot be helped, we can overcome other potential barriers to connection with our online audience. Endeavor to create as seamless a connection as possible, including eliminating deterrents. The goal should be a well-planned, smoothly executed experience for all. If you’re referencing slides, a spreadsheet or a document, practice in advance until you have excellent command of the software and can toggle in and out of your supplemental files with ease.
Take it a step further and learn how to walk participants through any difficulties they may encounter while viewing your files. A frustrated audience member can become unreceptive and even hostile, so it’s worth the time spent learning how to keep that from happening. Sweating in advance isn’t just for in-person presentations. Advance sweating for your online presentations will pay off big time when you execute a smooth, effective presentation to, in Bell’s words, the “distant person” to whom you are speaking.
Looking to get a jump on sweating in advance for online presentations? Here’s a technology checklist designed to keep those technological gremlins at bay:
- Restart your computer/mobile device
- Plug in your computer
- Update online platform
- Turn off notifications on your computer and phone
- Close unnecessary apps
- Check internet connection speed: https://www.speedtest.net
- If possible, make sure others aren’t online/streaming
- Be sure your sound and lighting are good
Implement these best practices for presenting online, as well as your other skills from your “communication toolbox” and you will have everything you need to go change your world!
