Five years after the COVID lockdown, I still see a lot of problems in Zoom and Teams meetings. So here are three quick virtual presentation tips to address some of the biggest issues I see.
But first, a story.
We Should Know Better by Now
When the world went into COVID lockdown in March 2020, a lot of people were scrambling to get up-to-speed on how to do virtual presentations.
Since I had been doing webinars for almost a decade by that point, I put everything aside and worked to create a 30-minute video tutorial.
When it was finally ready for upload, I despaired, “This is so late! By now everybody already knows this stuff.”
It was March 25, 2020.
That’s COVID time for you — when days felt like weeks and weeks felt like months.
Now here we are, more than five years later, and virtual is a normal part of our everyday routine.
So obviously we’ve all got it nailed, right?
Well … not so much.
Sure, most people have the essentials down. I see far fewer faces obscured in the shadows, and it’s not often that I have to look straight up people’s noses anymore. Backgrounds are less distracting, cameras are better and earbuds provide decent audio.
Still, a few basic, but important, problems persist. Fortunately, the fixes are pretty easy. All you need is awareness and some simple visual cues (along with the ability to pay attention to them).
These simple virtual presentation tips will keep you ahead of the game.
1. Keep it Brief
Time flies when we’re the ones doing the talking! Remember: shorter is always better — especially in a virtual setting where attention spans are fragmented.
So prop your phone in front of the computer and activate the stopwatch. You’ll be surprised at how the seconds and minutes tick by so quickly.
Do this whether you’re delivering a presentation or weighing in with a few comments in a meeting. Your fellow participants will thank you.
2. Get to the Point
Many of us meander, especially when we haven’t planned what we’re going to say.
To reduce the zigs and zags, grab a Post-it note, draw a line on it and label the two ends “A” and “B.” (As in, the shortest distance between two points is a straight line.)
Now stick it to the edge of the screen.
Many of us have particular difficulty when it comes to introducing ourselves or discussing our credentials. That’s natural — when the topic is “us,” it ALL feels gripping!
So take a moment beforehand to plan what you’re going to say. Remember, it’s not a bio — it’s an intro. Keep it well under a minute.
Mind the straight line. And the clock.
3. Cut Filler Words
Watch a recording of one of your meetings and just listen. What are your go-to filler words? How frequently do they come up?
Start with the most common one. Write it down on a Post-it, circle it, draw a slash through it, and stick it to the screen.
As I’ve said before, I’m not an absolutist. I’ve got zero issue with occasional filler words. Occasional is the key here.
But last year I was attending a virtual town hall in my community and one of the presenters used the words “uh” or “um” an average of 10 times PER MINUTE.
That’s right, I counted. I couldn’t help myself.
Now I don’t have a hard-and-fast number we should limit ourselves to. But 10 per minute is AT LEAST 8 or 9 too many.
It’s especially noticeable in the virtual environment where so many people are in listening mode and multi-tasking. When they’re not watching us, they’re not getting the full picture, as it were. Without the facial expression and body language, the audio is magnified in importance.
Take it a Step at a Time
Now if you suffer from all three of these problems, you’re going to have a hard time keeping track of everything. Try focusing on one at a time until you’ve got them all nailed down.
The good news is, once you’ve internalized these fixes, your in-person presentations should improve as well.
[A version of this post originally ran in PRSA’s Strategies & Tactics.]
[Image licensed to Rob Biesenbach LLC by iStock]