Ensuring Your Next Virtual Presentation Is Successful

As meetings have moved out of the conference room and into the home office, managers and employees are realizing that the skills that made in-person meetings work don’t necessarily translate to virtual presentations. Nonverbal cues aren’t as readily apparent, and distractions are rampant. Technical issues can quickly derail meetings, and participation can be stifled. To make virtual meetings a success, consider learning and using platform’s engagement features. Most offer built-in polls, chats, whiteboards, and thumbs-up/thumbs-down features to keep audience members engaged. It can also be helpful to solicit participation in advance. Give the audience a heads up that you’ll be asking for two or three volunteers to share their experience during the meeting and ask if anyone is interested. Additionally, it helps to be clear and brief. Keep lengthy monologues to a minimum and don’t be afraid of silence. Ask questions confident that someone will answer. Finally, follow up after the meeting and ask for feedback. This will help you ensure you do better next time.