Some of the biggest conferences and events of the year have been cancelled, or have gone entirely virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so even the most famous public speakers around are having to adapt to online presenting.
Transforming an in-person presentation into one for online use can take some getting used to, but it’s worth making the effort to ensure you’re delivering the highest possible quality to your viewers. Some differences between online and in-person presentations include:
• Location: You are no longer in front of your audience in a way where you can gauge their reaction visually.
• Presence: It is a little more difficult to make use of your body language and presence when presenting online. In contrast, the importance of the voice can be emphasised, as many online presentations may feature your voice over your slides, or in the occasional video alongside them.
• Audience: Leaving during a live presentation is extremely bad etiquette and unlikely to happen. But unfortunately, it is much easier to leave an online presentation, so you will have to work harder to keep your audience engaged and interested.
The option of delivering presentations in-person simply isn’t there for most of us at the moment, so adapting our presentations to the virtual world is essential. It is more important than ever to make your content compelling and presented in an attractive and appealing way.