How to Avoid “Death by Powerpoint Presentation” – Virtually

Have you ever felt awkward when delivering a virtual presentation to your colleagues, your team or to a client? In some ways a virtual presentation can be even more nerve-racking than presenting in person, where at least you can see if everyone is paying attention!

Read on to learn several techniques to help you can more comfortable and confident delivering effective virtual presentations.

  1. Stand up

When we stand up, we have more energy and are more engaging when presenting. If you are lucky enough to have an adjustable desk, that can be perfect for getting the angle right. Alternatively, you may need to build a big pile of books to lift your laptop or consider putting your computer on chest of drawers if the background is suitable.

  1. Look at the camera, not the screen

It might seem obvious, but remember to speak to the camera on your computer rather than the videos of participants on the screen. This will ensure better eye contact and will come across far more engaging.

Man in White Dress Shirt Sitting on Black Rolling Chair While Facing Black Computer Set and Smiling
Good eye contact is difficult virtually, make sure to keep looking at your camera
  1. Ask rhetorical questions

Too many presentations are boring and consist of just one-way communication. During your virtual presentation try asking the audience questions to mix it up and create more two-way communication.

Asking rhetorical questions is a great way to emphasise a point and get them to think more deeply about your topic. An example of a rhetorical question is: “We improved our department’s performance by 25% over the last month. If we keep this up, what can’t we achieve?”

  1. Consider your background

Nobody wants to see your dirty clothes and messy bed in the background of your presentation. Simply try to keep a plain, clutter-free background for minimum distractions. Consider also experimenting with the creative backgrounds offered by both Zoom and Teams to give your presentation a professional edge.

Silver and Black Digital Alarm Clock on Table
Keep a simple background in your virtual presentation to avoid distractions
  1. Don’t stand too far from the camera

Often people will make the mistake of positioning their screen/camera quite far from them. Be aware not to do this! The audience will not be able to see you clearly on their screen and will miss the fantastic gestures and expressions you are using to bring your presentation to life.

Sit or stand close to the camera, and if possible have a quick practice with a colleague or family member the week before your important presentation to get the perfect perspective!

  1. Keep your audience’s attention

When delivering virtual presentations, you should use different strategies to keep your audience’s attention. Examples might include quizzes and questionnaires such as Kahoot.com and Polleverywhere.com.

It’s also important to realise that if you are presenting slides the audience will often only be able to see a very small video of you. Therefore, try switching between sharing slides and not, so that you don’t lose your audience with “death by virtual Powerpoint!”

Conclusion

To deliver effective virtual presentations it takes a special combination of techniques to keep the audience engaged. Remember you can’t just treat it exactly like a face-to-face presentation, but by carefully planning and following our tips you are sure to blow your audience away!

If you want to enhance your virtual and face-to-face presentation skills take a look at our range of presentation training, including Presentation Skills Training, Advanced Presentation Skills Training and Public Speaking with Authenticity and Credibility.

Five Strategies to Build Trust in a Remote Team

Due to COVID-19 a huge number of people are now working remotely. In this new reality, it is becoming a significant challenge to build trust and ensure remote teams work both efficiently and productively together.

If you are wondering how to build trust when you can’t even see your fellow colleagues, this article will explore five key strategies to help you overcome these challenges and become part of a successful remote team.

  1. Communicate regularly and be predictable

When working in remote teams, regular communication is critical. There is no point having virtual meetings for the sake of it, but communication should be clear and frequent to ensure everyone is on the same page.

Ideally meetings should be kept short to ensure the whole team remains motivated. A good example is a daily 15-minute meeting (and 15 minutes maximum!) Alternatively, try a short weekly meeting. It really depends on the nature of the work that you do and how frequently you need to collaborate with colleagues or clients.

  1. Be a team player

When working in remote teams it’s important to look out for your team members and where possible provide help and support. Don’t just focus on your own needs and challenges, if you hear a colleague is struggling with a task then offer to help. This enables you to build a stronger relationship and improve your trust, especially if you purposely help a colleague without expecting anything in return.

  1. Get quieter members involved

    Woman Using MacBook

Frequently in teams there are one or more members who are slightly quieter and more reserved. This situation can be amplified when working virtually as more introverted colleagues might not feel comfortable during video calls.

To keep them motivated and strengthen trust, it’s critical whenever possible to get them to speak up and share their opinions. This will ensure the whole team actively participate in virtual meetings and should enhance confidence.

  1. Be transparent and set clear goals

Managers should set clear goals so that team members understand the bigger picture and know what their priorities are. Information should be shared freely, and cliques and gossip should be kept to a minimum. Everyone in the team should know what others are doing and how their role fits in to enable the team and the organisation to work towards its goals.

  1. Build personal connections

It’s important to take the time for virtual team members to build personal connections. Without face-to-face contact it’s more challenging for human beings to bond and truly trust each other.

Woman in Black and Gray Coat Wearing Red Earphones

This could be achieved by asking questions, finding things in common and trying to mention these small details in future conversations. Showing that you listened carefully and took the time to remember what’s important in your colleague’s life or work can have a huge impact on rapport and trust.

Conclusion

Creating a climate of trust and connection in a remote team is not quick and is not easy. However, by following these straightforward strategies you can achieve an environment where team members feel they can rely on each other, especially you!

To learn further techniques take a look at our Managing Teams Remotely Training, which we also offer as a virtual training course for easy access.