Posts Tagged ‘Virtual Presentations’
How (not) to end your presentation
Great stories deserve great endings.
We demand great endings from movies. We criticize them to no end when they don’t leave us with a sense of closure. Granted, some screenwriters strive to agitate their audiences with some form of an unforgettable cliffhanger (looking at you, Inception). But for the most part, the stories we love typically end with resolution that leaves us feeling satisfied. Even Sixth Sense, with its mind-bending conclusion, affords watchers some sense of restored world order.
Audiences need that same sense of resolution from our presentations. Yet too many speakers (founders, especially) abruptly arrive at their last slide and say “yeah, uh, I guess that’s it” or “any questions?”.
If Gone with the Wind or Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark had left off the way most presentations end, we wouldn’t still be talking about them decades after their release (at least not positively, anyway!).
While we’re not trying to win an Academy Award with our presentations, we do want them to be memorable. And that means adhering to a storytelling structure that includes an effective ending.
The psychological principle of recency underscores why this is so important: we remember best what we heard last. If the last thing your audience hears is an ambiguous, lackluster version of “the end” (which sounds a lot like “I’m out of slides”) then that’s what they’re going to remember. And that, my friends, is not the way to persuade or inspire anyone to do anything.
The saddest part is how easily this can be corrected.
Read MoreWhen you (really) should be on camera in virtual meetings
It was the final session of a week-long workshop. We’d crafted content. We’d prepped slides. Now we were practicing delivery. I pulsed the group: “What’s your biggest challenge presenting in the virtual setting?“
His answer: Presenting to people who aren’t on camera. Because it was such a drain on his energy.
The irony: Not only was this participant not on camera when he said it, he hadn’t been on camera all week. Not once.
Thankfully, I didn’t even have to point out the incongruity of his words with his actions. He owned it in his next sentence, saying he knew he needed to do better—for the sake of others—and flipped on his video.
We’ve all been on both sides of this equation:
- Utterly depleted from being on camera for so many meetings, day in and day out.
- Feeling challenged—maybe even frustrated—when we can’t see our colleagues during our presentation. (Have they left the building and are gallivanting around downtown Chicago? Bueller? Bueller?)
The impact of what’s becoming known as “self-presentation” is being documented with increasing regularity. It affects women and new hires disproportionately; we need to honor the need to be off camera for the sake of everyone’s mental health.
So what’s the answer for the presenter who doesn’t just appreciate a friendly face, but actually relies on the non-verbal communication of seeing their colleagues to know whether their message is being understood?
Here are my guidelines for being on (and off) camera for presenters and audiences, alike:
Read MoreMy #1 rule for public speaking. And its corollary.
Like much of the world, I’ve been watching the public discourse on Naomi Osaka’s departure from the French Open. I’m not a tennis player so my interest isn’t related to the sport itself. Instead, I’m processing the reasoning behind her decision.
I confess I don’t know the innerworkings of her story; I know only what’s been shared in recent days on various media outlets. She’s cited bouts of depression over the last four years, as well as anxiety over public speaking in press interviews.
Before I address the public speaking aspect, I feel compelled to speak on the former concern: Mental health is still a topic we don’t address openly enough as a society. There’s stigma and shame where there shouldn’t be. (Sidenote: I’d argue this is exacerbated within the church when we “counsel” someone struggling with mental health issues to simply have more faith. Resources here.) I’m grateful for the people (many athletes) who’ve courageously shared their battles with us, bringing the topic into the public forum. Let’s honor their stories—and those of so many who struggle silently—by responding with respect and compassion.
As it relates to the public speaking anxiety Osaka references, I offer an insight and a challenge for us all.
First, the insight…
Read MoreHow to deliver your best talk to a hybrid audience
At long last, we’re seeing a slow return to in-person events.
As speakers, most of us are thrilled by the prospect of once again being in the room with our audiences… to feed off the virtuous energy cycle and be able to more effectively respond to their non-verbal cues. Hooray!
Yet lower costs and higher attendance make virtual events likely to be permanent fixtures; some events have grown their audiences four-fold because of the virtual setting. What virtual events can’t do, though, is replace the many boons of in-person events, so trends indicate that hybrid events will become the norm.
What does this mean for speakers?
Read MoreFor when you’re presenting to a grid of black squares
I asked the participants in my virtual workshop what challenges they experience when presenting. Some of the usual answers surfaced: finding the right content (and the right amount of it), feeling nervous, having enough preparation time, and trying to create the slide deck that doesn’t look like a user manual.
Then came an unusual (and wildly appreciated) answer:
Read MoreHow to avoid three common non-verbal communication #Zoomfails
Virtual communication is a veritable mine-field of potential mishaps. Apart from the obvious challenges of connectivity, platform pitfalls, and the distractions of working from home, non-verbal communication has also suffered in the virtual environment. We can’t always see the other person slump in discouragement or light up with enthusiasm if they’re off camera or on a second page of participants.
A significant portion of communication is non-verbal, comprised of facial expressions, gestures, and movement. Our messages are reinforced by what our bodies convey. The virtual format has subdued (or eliminated) those while also amplifying some of our worst non-verbal habits and introducing others.
Read MoreHow to keep your audience engaged (using Zoom’s most underutilized tool)
Keeping meeting participants awake and engaged during virtual presentations is among the greatest challenges in the work-from-home dynamic. We’re all struggling with the fatigue of so many online meetings. That fatigue is further compounded by the lack of attention presenters are giving to crafting content that truly serves the audience.
Even if the speaker or presenter has cultivated a message with care, how does one keep the audience engaged?
A skilled presenter will lure—and re-lure—the audience back into the conversation at regular intervals. They can (and should) do that through a variety of means, including introducing tension through the use of story-telling principles. Asking questions that prompt responses from the audience/meeting attenders is an effective tool as well. It’s especially important when you need their input to establish consensus and arrive at a decision. The chat feature is most commonly used for that kind of engagement. Tip: you’ll get more chat responses if participants are asked to simply enter a number or letter than corresponds to a choice, such as “Y” for yes, or “2” or “B” to indicate they prefer the second of several options.
Garner more engagement by asking participants to enter a single letter or number corresponding to their choice.
But there’s an even more effective tool for engagement that most presenters don’t know how to utilize:
Read MoreWhy you should watch your speaking footage
One of the most efficient and effective ways to improve your public speaking and presenting skills is to watch yourself on video. Much like athletes reviewing game film, studying your footage enables you to see yourself through the audience’s eyes. The goal is, as always, to meet their needs and make their experience better, so watching from their vantage point is the true gauge of your efficacy.
The boon of most presentations being delivered in a virtual format today is that our footage is readily available; most conferences and meetings are recorded for later viewing by those who couldn’t attend. No longer is capturing video an expensive or complicated effort for even the smallest presentation.
You might wince at the thought of watching yourself. (We don’t like to hear ourselves either; this TED talk explains why.) But if you’re wincing, that’s really just an indicator that you can improve. (And who can’t improve?)
How to improve your public speaking and presentation skills: Five steps to gain maximum benefit from reviewing your speaking footage.
Read MoreWhat’s missing from most virtual presentations
In recent months, we’ve spent a lot of time learning best practices for giving virtual presentations on Zoom and its counterparts. Much of that dialog has been centered on the “how to” aspects such as leveraging the platform, using virtual backgrounds, and coping with Zoom fatigue.
But there’s an important piece missing from this conversation and it’s causing too many presentations to fall short of their mark.
Read More