Remote Presentation
Thursday, October 21st, 2010Remote or virtual presentations — teleseminars, webinars, etc. — make a lot of sense for so many reasons. But they also complicate matters. To keep your audience engaged when you’re not standing in front of them looking them in the eye is a major challenge.
Nancy Duarte posted a great piece addressing this very issue, “Six Tips for Remote Presentations.” I highly recommend it. Check it out here.
She explains her six tips in detail and with great examples. I’m simply listing them here and adding a brief explanation in my words (not hers) so you’ll know what she’s talking about. (You really need to check out what she says.)
- Develop content that activates your audience.
Build your presentation around one, clear, big idea–something that will change how your audience thinks or acts. - Modify your slides to be you.
Since your audience can’t see you, you can build credibility by making your slides represent you. Make them warm, clear, and inviting. - Create a real presentation environment.
Make the space you’re in conducive to giving a presentation. Stand up while you’re talking. Have someone in the room with you or even have pictures of (friendly) people you can look at while you’re talking. - Lure and re-lure your audience.
Break your presentation into small bits. After you finish each bit, do something to re-engage your audience’s attention. Make your content emotional. Humor helps. - Remove all distractions.
It helps to have a moderator whose entire function is to free you up to pay attention to what you’re saying. Cover over anything on your computer (instant messaging, for example) that might distract you. - Use good netiquette.
Do you have any tips you’d add?
