People have been delivering online presentations for years, so nothing new there…what has changed as we all know, is the number of people now doing everything online, including presenting via Zoom. The Covid-19 crisis has thrown a curveball at the usual pattern of interacting, pushing a majority of business connections to a virtual platform.

For many people, this is all new to them – presenting on Zoom, or any other video conferencing platform. Whether it’s a sales presentation, or addressing your team, or company, or you’ve been asked to present a topic on your next group call, there are unlimited scenarios where presentations are happening online.

As a company that works with individuals and companies in the areas of building up presentation skills, helping our clients become very skilled at nailing presentations, we wanted to highlight tips for presenting on Zoom. These will help you the next time you have to put together and deliver an online presentation.

Here are tips for presenting using Zoom

Tip #1) Your Space Matters What people see when you flip the switch is important. Spend some time considering your background. I watched a presentation last week where someone had a pot of water on their stove, that started to boil midway though. All you could see in the back was steam shooting up above them...pretty distracting.

Try for a neutral esthetic if you can, or a nice bright backdrop. If you’re in front of a bookshelf in your office or den area, have a quick look at the titles of the books that will be on camera, knowing those on the call will be perusing your library.

The key point here is to put a bit of thought into your background.

Tip #2) Lights, Camera, Action… Lighting is important and can make a HUGE difference right from the start. Dark and dingy…blah. Too bright and you’re washed out. A hit from one side and we have shadows.

Lighting should allow you to present yourself in the best “light” possible, and it matters. Don’t just leave it to whatever the room, and time of day, offer up.

One, Zoom and other platforms, have setting to help with this. Play around with those setting beforehand. If you’re doing a number of Zoom presentations, you may well want to invest in a ring light (search for them online – they’re around $25 to $35 on Amazon). They will set you up for lighting success, adding a professional look.

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(if you’re interested in learning more about how our applied improv-based sessions can work for your team with our Team Building Workshops, or our Presentation Skills Workshops, please reach out to either Alex or Kayce and we’re happy to discuss: (Alex@improvtoimprove.org) or Kayce (Kayce@improvtoimprove.org)

Tip #3) Camera position: Try to make sure your camera is at eye-level, so you’re not looking up or down.

Tip #4) Content Use the platform to your advantage and pack it with dynamic content, including short video clips, images, times where you’re sharing your screen with compelling visuals (another tip within the tip - not graphs, unless they are the coolest graphs you’ve ever seen).

For your content prep, with presenting on Zoom, take the approach of “less is more”. Design the presentation for short bursts of you delivering content, interspersed with the above (visual content), and layered with interactivity. Ask questions, get a bit of a Q&A going, look for reactions from attendees and follow up with them. Don’t be stuck to a script.

This is one of the areas we really focus attention on during our workshops to make you a better presenter – techniques and tips to feel confident going off script and connecting with your audience in an authentic, confident, comfortable way. It personalizes the presentation, making it memorable.

Tip#5) It’s Contagious Enthusiasm is contagious. If you’re excited and energetic (appropriately for the setting) your audience will feel it and feed off it. If you’re feeling low-energy, or presenting a lack of enthusiasm, so will everyone on the call and if that’s the case, what’s the point. It’s going to fall flat. Real flat.

Make sure your energy is up and positive out of the gate, and remind yourself to keep the energy up as you move the presentation. Remember, this is online, so it’s more difficult to read body language and energy.

Tip #6) Mistakes are Good Something else we highlight in the presentation skills workshops we do is teach you hoe to turn mistakes into wins. Don’t worry about a flub, or getting lost, or a technical issue…acknowledge it, embrace it and let the audience in on it, they’ll appreciate your humility and openness. They’ll be on your side if you let them.

Everyone is managing through this new environment with the COVID-19 crisis, and by acknowledging a hiccup, your build connectivity with your audience.

Best of luck with your next (or first) time presenting on Zoom. We hope these tips help.

Stay Safe!

And remember, if you’d like more information on the corporate workshops we do in the Dallas-area, get in touch with us - Alex at (Alex@improvtoimprove.org) or Kayce at (Kayce@improvtoimprove.org)

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Also, if you’re in the Orlando, Florida area, our friends at SAK work with clients in the area of improving presentation skills through their Corporate workshops in Orlando and they also do a lot of work in the area of building stronger teams with their unique Team Building sessions.

Contact Gina to find out more - (407)-648-0001 Ext. 103 or email sakevent@gmail.com