Master virtual presentations: Tips for impactful meetings

"If you can't write your message in a sentence, you can't say it in an hour." -Dianna Booher

Delivering presentations is a common scenario for companies to inform their stakeholders of the progress. However, your audience may not always be available for a meeting in person. This is where startups utilise digital platforms.

Even so, it can be tricky to conduct a virtual meeting without preparing. So in this article, we will highlight key tips to deliver an impactful presentation!

What is a virtual presentation?

A virtual presentation is a meeting, informational session or pitch meant to inform, persuade, or discuss a project or share a new idea through video conferencing tools. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the popularity of virtual meetings with apps such as Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, etc.

Such meetings help professionals of various domains connect easily and interact to tackle challenges or work on solutions.

Virtual presentation vs regular presentation

One of the major differences between a virtual presentation and a regular one is how they are delivered. Generally, in a conference meeting, everyone in the room is compelled to pay attention and listen to the speaker. However, the case is the opposite in virtual meetings.

In short, an audience can easily get distracted at a virtual conference compared to regular meetings. Hence, one has to learn to present impactful pitch decks or ideas through virtual mediums. Here are some important tips that will help you out!

How to ace a virtual presentation

Prepare for the meeting

For a smooth virtual meeting, you need to have a strong internet connection that does not fluctuate during the conference. Try to sit in a comfortable noise-free space with sufficient lighting but it is crucial to cross-check it with your web camera.

Apart from this, use a microphone that will transfer stable and clear audio throughout the meeting. These are some basic but highly essential requirements to ensure the meeting has little to no inconveniences.

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Practice talking on camera

While the idea of talking on camera can make some people feel awkward or shy, their hesitation can be reduced with practice. You can deliver the presentation and record it to check how well you are looking into the camera. This makes the audience feel engaged and connected.

Moreover, you can use body language to emphasise a point. Facial expressions also play a part in showcasing emotions. Applying the right combination of these two can boost the impact of your message.

Only reading pointers from the slide is not going to be doing the job. Instead, rehearse the presentation thoroughly to be confident during the actual meeting.

Use meeting tools

Generally, digital meetings have various features to make the meeting fun. One of them is using emojis to get a quick response or reaction from the audience. It can be very helpful to deal with minor queries such as if your screen is still visible or they can hear you. In a more formal setting, live chat can be employed for the same.

Invite a moderator

While presenting the slides, it is tough to manage the audience mid-presentation. To handle everything, a moderator can monitor the meeting. They can be in charge of acknowledging the live chats, filtering content, or getting queries solved. Overall, it can ease the burden of a presenter as they can focus on the slides much better.

Keep audience engaged

Add questions mid-presentation to encourage the audience to interact. Or you can have a dedicated FAQ session at the end of the meeting. Either way, the participants of the meeting should be allowed to voice their opinions through live polls, chats, etc.

The takeaway

Meetings are no longer restricted to boardrooms. With immersive and real-time technologies, people can connect in virtual conferences. To deliver an epic presentation through a digital medium, you can use these tips and enhance your performance. Remember to keep the slides crisp and to the point.