Mastering the Virtual Stage: A Guide to Remote Presentations

A professional skill that has become more crucial than ever in the hybrid world is the art of delivering an outstanding ‘virtual’ presentation over platforms like Teams or Zoom. Let’s talk a bit about the nitty-gritty details of preparing and executing a flawless virtual presentation that will leave your audience wanting more.

Set the Stage: Gear Up for Success

First things first, let’s talk tech. Your camera, microphone, and overall setup play a huge role in how your audience perceive you. No one wants to squint at a pixelated version of yourself or struggle to hear your brilliant insights. So, invest some time in ensuring your camera is crystal clear, your microphone delivers crisp sound, and your background is free from distractions. Position your camera at eye level so you can easily look at it from time to time so it will appear you are making eye contact with the audience.

Positioning matters too—find that sweet spot where your face is well-lit, and your background tidy (or you use a simple, professional virtual background). It’s like curating the perfect Instagram post, but with a professional twist. Pro tip: face the light source to avoid awkward shadows.

Seeing Clearly: Notes and Demos

Now, let’s address the challenge of managing your presentation materials. One of the trickiest parts is seamlessly switching between your PowerPoint slides, your speakers’ notes, and other applications you might need to show on screen as part of your presentation. The last thing you want is to fumble around awkwardly, losing your audience’s attention in the process.

The first thing to do is to make sure you share only your PowerPoint presentation window, rather than your entire screen. This allows you to switch to your notes app if you need to without anyone seeing it—they’ll just see the current PowerPoint slide. If you’re using Microsoft Teams, you can actually take advantage of its built-in PowerPoint presentation feature, which means you don’t even need to load up PowerPoint separately in order to run a presentation. You can even see your notes at the same time, which is an enormous help.

Another option is to use a second monitor for your notes, so you can easily glance at them if you need to.

Time is of the Essence

Arrive fashionably early, not just for the virtual coffee and small talk, but to give yourself ample time to set up. The worst feeling is scrambling to start your presentation while attendees are already pouring in. Give yourself a buffer to deal with any last-minute technical hiccups—trust me, Murphy's Law loves virtual presentations. Nothing disrupts your flow more than realising your slides aren’t displaying correctly while your audience patiently waits.

Ideally, you want to be logged in with your presentation shared and your notes ready a good five minutes before its due to actually start. With all the prep out of the way, you can get yourself ready mentally and make sure you’re all set to give a great performance.

The Art of Handling Glitches

Technical glitches are the unwanted guests in the virtual presentation world. Equip yourself with a backup plan and, if possible, a co-presenter who can take the reins if things go awry. Have your notes ready so you can start making your key points and engage with your audience even if the slides refuse to appear. Remember, staying calm and collected during technical hiccups not only shows your professionalism but also reassures your audience that you’ve got everything under control.

Taking Questions and Notes

When it comes to questions, be prepared for interruptions. However, encourage participants to use the chat or dedicated Q&A features, and designate specific times for addressing queries. This way, you can maintain some control over the flow and ensure a smooth experience for yourself and everyone taking part.

When people are asking questions or giving feedback, it can definitely be tricky to take notes without losing your flow. You want to be seen to be listening carefully, so any hint that you are frantically trying to load up the right app so you can write down what they are saying will not make a good impression! If possible, have a colleague be responsible for taking notes. If that’s not possible, then use your trusty paper notebook! It’s by your side, and you can use it instantly, scribbling down a few words if needed.

If you have that second monitor, that can also work well. Have your notebook app ready, so all you need to do is click and type without losing your context on the primary screen.