May 27, 2021 3:25:15 PM
You’ve got a huge presentation to deliver, cue butterflies and sweaty palms. And to make matters worse you’ve got to deliver it remotely, so add technical difficulties and choosing a professional background to your list of worries.
Thankfully, there’s several things you can do to prepare and give yourself the confidence you need to ace it.
1. Prepare your tech set up
Being late and flustered will not make a good first impression and could throw you off. So make sure you check your tech set up in advance. If it’s a platform you’ve not used before, download it early and set up a test meeting. Make sure you can connect your camera and microphone. Choose your location and check there’s nothing too distracting in the background. Work out the best position for you to sit or stand so you fill the camera, put a sticky note on the floor if necessary so you know where to put your chair. Mute all notifications on your laptop so nothing embarrassing pops up. Warn your audience up front if any interruptions are likely from little people or pets.
2. Give yourself a pep talk
Once you’re happy with your tech set up. Get up and walk around. Give yourself a confidence boosting pep talk in the mirror. Strike some power poses and take deep breaths. Relax your shoulders and smile. When you smile your brain releases tiny molecules called neuropeptides that help fight off stress. So no matter how anxious you’re feeling, smile.
3. Look into the camera
Once you kick off your presentation, make sure to look into the camera and not just stare at the screen. This helps to simulate eye contact with your audience. You could add a sticker or a photo next to your camera to remind yourself to look up and smile. Definitely don’t watch yourself. Most video conferencing platforms have the option to hide your own image.
4. Use animated videos
Kick off your presentation with a short animated video. This will help wow your audience and set an awesome first impression. But it also gives you a little time to settle your nerves. Animated videos are an extremely effective way of explaining a complex topic or showcasing your business or services. Try creating one yourself using our drag and drop video creator, VideoScribe. Or our Studio team can create a jaw-dropping video for you.
5. Add interactivity
It can be really hard for an audience to concentrate for long periods during virtual presentations. People’s minds start to wander. So break up the monotony of one person speaking, this can be by changing the pace with videos as mentioned above. But also by asking questions, and sparking conversation. Telling a funny story or a shocking statistic. If you have a large audience, encourage them to use the chat feature, use polls and short quizzes to keep everyone engaged.
Did we miss anything? Share your confidence boosting virtual presentation tips in the comments below 👇
Speak to our Sparkol Studio team today to create an animated video that will wow your audience.
