I witnessed a frustrating Virtual Presentation recently.
It was given by a well-known company, by speakers who clearly knew their content and they delivered in a confident manner.
Yet the result was disappointing.
Why?
Because they failed to look at any aspect from the standpoint of their audience.
The text on many of the slides was too small.
They kept some slides on the screen for an eternity.
The company logo on their screen was back to front.
There was zero attempt at audience engagement until they were thirty minutes in.
And when they did attempt audience engagement – they simply asked ‘are you all still with me?’ but there was no way to respond!
Lessons to be learnt…
When you are faced with your next virtual presentation, make sure you invest time in looking at things from an audience perspective.
To quote the poet Robert Burns in To A Louse:
“O wad some Power the giftie gie us
To see oursels as ithers see us!”
In practical terms, I suggest doing a full rehearsal of the virtual presentation and getting at least one person to observe.
This person should join the meeting online and physically be in a separate room, just like your real audience.
Ask for feedback afterwards.
But specifically ask the following three questions.
Firstly, what did they think of the slides?
Were there any that they could not read easily.
Secondly, how did the speakers appear visually on the screen?
Was there anything that needed to be changed.
Thirdly, where did they feel engaged? And where did they disengage?
You should have an idea about this already – as you can see the chat box, polls etc.
Always take time to do this.
It will never fail to pay dividends.
For more advice on the importance of knowing and focusing on your audience – check out the following article below…
