The Ultimate Guide to Virtual Presentations
A while ago, I was asked to host a session on how to really smash virtual presentations. I said no. Because I hate them. I like being in the room with people - seeing their reactions, their engagement, their sweaty little faces. All of what I do is really based on connection - something that feels impossible to genuinely establish on a Zoom call.
Shortly after, I was talking to the MD of a company of several hundred people. She was telling me about her experiences with trying to deliver company meetings virtually. “I’ve given people the best news of their careers over Zoom - and had to announce some pretty traumatic news too. And the reaction was the same for both - blank faces and blank screens. Just talking into a void”.
So. There must be a way to avoid the void, right? We can all agree that virtual meetings and presentations are less than ideal for lots of occasions, but also preferable to, say, flying to Edinburgh to pitch for a client that doesn’t turn up. It’s a necessary evil of modern knowledge work - one that enables us to work from home, as long as we’ll put up with a small dissolution of our souls every time someone says “We’ve finished 67 seconds early, so I’m going to give you all the gift of time back hahaha”.
Why are virtual presentations so hard?
There’s lots of science behind it but in a nutshell it comes down to:
Lack of non-verbal cues.
Cognitive load
Tech hiccups
Multitasking audiences
Distance
Lack of Non Verbal Cues
The lack of feedback is tricky, there’s no getting around that. Even with everyone’s camera switched on, it’s nigh-on impossible to gauge the subtle gestures and expressions that let you know whether you’ve really engaged your audience or you’ve bored them to death.
There’s no eye contact - until they can bury a webcam under the screen, your audience (and you) will be looking at the screen, not the webcam, meaning you never quite meet anyone’s eye, something which becomes quite stressful over time (although AI is hopefully going to fix this soon). Body language is hard to parse on small screens, making it harder for the presenter to get their point across, and to gather feedback. Mehrabian’s (now somewhat disputed) 1971 study showed just how important non-verbal communication is when talking to someone. And there’s very little to be had online.
Cognitive Load
Zoom is great. Zoom. Audio, video, chat, emojis. Interruptions. Screen freezing. Seeing yourself onscreen all day - with plenty of time to take in your pores, your eye bags, the silly way you move your mouth when you laugh. You’re hideous. Look at you. For another hour. While you talk. Who let this happen? This is an insane way to operate.
The demands on your cognitive load are immense. A study by Bailenson (2021) highlights four causes of Zoom fatigue: excessive amounts of weird close-up eye contact, cognitive load from interpreting non-verbal cues in a small window, seeing oneself during video calls, and reduced mobility.
Additionally, with real live people you have real live energy in the room - energy you can harness and amplify, feeding on it like a benevolent vampire. Virtual meetings can feel very flat - and you have to pour all your vibes into a big black hole, dialled up to compensate for the absence of amplifiers. Our brain works hard to fill in the gaps - so we end up knackered.
Technology
Technology is also, hilariously, still quite shit. Mute buttons flick randomly on. People are unceremoniously disconnected. Mics echo. Cameras decide to turn themselves off. Howls of feedback cause everyone to wince. Two people are dialled into to the same meeting - but also sat next to each other. Combined with an inability to read conversational cues, this this leads to unnatural pauses and interruptions; halting, stilted dialogues which require lots of mental effort to stay engaged. It’s frustrating - in fact, Eventify has identified “tech” as the key challenge still facing virtual events.
Multitasking audiences
We said it - you multitask when on a Teams chat, and so do your audience. The virtual environment often contains more distractions compared to a physical meeting room. Research by Rosen et al. (2013) found that multitasking with technology can impair performance and reduce information retention. Who’d have thought! Emails, notifications, texts, dating app alerts - all coming in thick and fast while you try to keep your audience engaged.
Distance
The Social Presence Theory (Short, Williams, & Christie, 1976) suggests that the perceived presence of others affects communication effectiveness. Lower social presence in virtual settings can lead to reduced interaction and engagement. Additionally, virtual presentations can create a sense of psychological distance between the presenter and the audience, making it harder to establish rapport and build connections. Research from Trope & Liberman, (2010) indicates that increased distance can reduce empathy and connection, leaving you often feeling lost and isolated as a presenter.
But don’t fear. There is a way - a way to be better and presenting and hosting virtually. It involves a wily mixture of trickery, techniques and radical reframing. Let’s goooo.
It’s important to lay out your accessories exactly like this.
What’s the difference between a virtual presentation and a physical one?
We’ll start here. And yes, it’s obvious. But understanding the parameters of what you’re doing is key to success here. Think about how you behave when you’re in the audience for a webinar or an All Hands or Town Hall or Hall Hands or whatever they’re called now. Here’s what you’re doing:
You’re multi tasking. You may be doing this with your camera off or on-camera. On camera you’re probably also sending emails, checking LinkedIn, planning your dinner and occasionally nodding. Camera off, and, well, you could be doing anything. Either way, your concentration is probably ebbing and flowing - you’re focusing back in when something interesting or relevant is being covered by the presenter.
When it’s your turn in the host seat, presume your audience is doing the same thing. They pay attention when it matters. So make lots of what you say matter. But don’t be fazed when you’re getting little to no feedback - treat it as if your audience is listening to a podcast they like (you) while they do other stuff. They’re not being rude - just productive.
How to structure a virtual presentation
Many of the classic rules still apply. Start strong with an attention-grabbing fact, question or statement. I often like to start off in media res, which is a posh way of saying halfway through a story or without any introduction. You know, the record scratch and “you may be wondering how I ended up here” thing they do in late 90’s films.
You may prefer to start with an image of The Queen on a motorbike, or telling your audience their company will be bankrupt in 5 years, or a Taylor Swift quote. Whatever floats your boat and get them to lean in for what comes next. Start strong.
And finish strong. I mean two things by this; yes of course finish with a strong conclusion and call to action. But then don’t waste that by mumbling goodbyes and waving awkwardly while people take six minutes to log off. Keep the ending as snappy as the beginning. Know your last line and log off like the assassin you are.
In between, don’t forget the classic narrative structures that can help you deliver a compelling presentation, whether virtually or physically.
Use a Classic Narrative Arc, with a clear beginning, middle, and end, or to be specific context, challenge, conclusion/resolution.
If appropriate, use a Character Arc: show how you or the key players have evolved over the course of the story - their growth, challenges, and transformation.
Remember that, like jokes, “presentations are puzzles to be solved” (can’t remember who said that first, sorry), and the minute your audience solves it (or guesses your punchline), you lose their attention. Use your audience’s desire to solve the puzzle as a way to keep them engaged - withhold information until the last minute. Build suspense.
Don’t forget the power of creating an emotional connection - this might take the form of a personal anecdote which uses humour, regret or surprise to frame the issue before the first slide appears, or using a shared memory or symbol to trigger some emotion in your viewers.
Having a central and recurring theme to your presentation helps concepts stick and can aid in simplifying complex messages by using metaphors and analogies. Similarly, using the rule of 3 to group information into… well, 3, helps make it memorable for some definite yet unknown reason.
As for the conclusion - we’ll we’ve covered the need to finish strong. Clearly articulate the key lessons or messages from your story, and make sure your audience knows what you want them to do next.
If in doubt, watch a virtual Ted Talk or two. Although often somewhat formulaic, TED speakers keep the audience engaged through personal anecdotes, clear visuals, and a structured narrative.
How do I optimise content for a virtual presentation?
There’s no arguing - your slides are doing a lot of heavy lifting here.
It’s time to prioritise interactivity, unusual visuals and the power of the build
Visuals for online presentations
Visuals are essential in virtual presentations because they help maintain audience interest and clarify your points. However, it’s easy to go overboard. A common mistake is overcrowding slides with text and images. Go for clean, simple slides with key points and impactful visuals. Looping video as a backdrop to some standout text can be really effective. Use animations and dynamic slides to introduce movement and momentum into your presentation. At a very basic level, don’t forget to build individual points so your audience can’t read ahead of you.
I once had to partake in a virtual speed awareness course. Every 90 seconds there was a question, and each participant had to write down their answer and hold up the paper to their webcam to prove they weren’t asleep. I wouldn’t recommend that, but I would recommend building in polls, questions and interactive elements at strategic points. You can use built-in gestures and emojis, or sophisticated bolt-ons slide like Slid.io or Mentimeter to gauge your audience’s opinions on key points. I’ve even used them to help the audience co-create content with me in real time. It didn’t work that well, but you might fare better.
Additionally, don’t forget you can create breakout rooms, where people can do do discuss points you’ve covered, or workshop ideas. If you decide to use workshops or breakout spaces, make sure your instructions to participants are crystal clear. If breakout rooms are overkill, you can use tools such as Miro or Microsoft Whiteboard to have participants scribble their thoughts onscreen in realtime. Live annotations to your slide might be just what you need to bring your presentation to life.
If you’re feeling very brave ands the subject allows, ditch slides all together and… just talk to the audience as if they’re your friends.
Photo by Tim Gouw
How to deliver a virtual presentation
In short: like you’re a TV presenter. Because temporarily, you sort of are. The actual style will depend on your topic and audience of course (Newsnight or Blue Peter?), but in order to connect through a small screen, you have to dial it up a bit. This might mean speaking a bit more emphatically, or using stronger pauses. It might mean being 10% louder and more expressive than usual. It should definitely mean thinking about varying your pace, tone and expression so you don’t become background noise. You have less tools to use, so use the ones you have more.
Sidenote: that bit at the beginning while you’re waiting for latecomers to join while you hum and the webcam focuses in on your face is guaranteed to be awkward. Consider a holding slide for this period. Set your start time and unapologetically kick off when than time arrives.
How to use body language during virtual presentations
This is a tricky one. Your body language is one of the most powerful tools you have for being an engaging presenter (checkout our guide here).. You’re stuck in a chair. You’re looking at the screen, not your webcam, so you’re not making eye contact. But! What if… what if you just stood up? When I present from home, I prop the laptop up on a box and stand up in my kitchen, looking into the webcam at eye height. Suddenly I can move around, use my arms and create a sense of dynamism that just isn’t possible when seated. And I can hide my double chin. It feels odd at first, but give it a go - it can make a world of difference to how you feel and how you come across.
Even if you remain seated, try and sit straight and use your gestures when you can. Your expressions are probably more important when you’re onscreen than onstage, and don’t forget to try to look into the webcam, not the screen, to approximate eye contact.
Tech checks for online presentations
No matter how slick your tech is, things go wrong sometimes. There are only two things you can do here:
Have a dry run dialling into Zoom, Teams, or whatever platform you’re using with a colleague who can act as “audience” (make sure all your software is up to date).
Test your mic and your webcam. You might want to use headphones to increase your audio quality.
Check your screen sharing works, figure out how any interactive elements function.
Sort out your lighting and your background.
Clear your desktop of anything unnecessary and close other browsing tabs.
Decide on your policy for your audience to have mics on or off and how you’ll make this work.
If you’re dialling in from home ask your partner to stop binge-streaming Married At First Sight for the duration of the call - commandeer your wifi.
You might want to run a speed test on your internet and have a hotspot ready to go as a backup plan.
Have some hard copy notes to refer to if you need.
Store up some pithy lines for when it all goes weird anyway.
Photo by Prateek Katyal
Conclusion
There’s no getting away from it - virtual meetings and online presentations can be as difficult, draining and awkward as physical ones.
There are lots of variables (many of them outside of our control) and a lack of feedback that can send our brains haywire.
But! That doesn’t mean it’s impossible to deliver compelling, interesting and potentially career-changing ones. They just need to be approached thoughtfully and a little differently.
It’s easy to deliver a crap virtual presentation.
It’s unusual to deliver a brilliant one.
Be unusual.
And get in touch if you or your team needs some help.