Presentation Training Tips:
Web-based Presentations That Work
By James A. Baker
Presentations Training Institute.
July 2009
The state of the current economy
is putting pressure on organizations of all sizes in all markets to
reduce expenses any way they can. Travel budgets are at the top of
the cost reduction list. Travel is expensive to be sure, but in
addition, many organizations can't afford to pull personnel out of
the field to travel for meetings when they should be working key
accounts or managing their teams. This accelerated need for
efficiency and economy is driving companies across the world to hold
meetings and deliver presentations to customers and team members via
a Web-based online meeting portal.
Without a doubt, meeting or presenting online using an interface
like WebEx saves time and money. However, the actual presentation
experience itself can be dismal and boring, unless you remember
these key best practices.
1. Sharpen your vocal delivery skills. Most people don't realize
that in a face to face presentation, 60% of the impact is created
through body language and facial expressions. For the most part,
this important tool does not exist in a web-based presentation (we
will discuss web-cams later). To compensate for the loss of body
language, you must step up your vocal skills. The four important
components of vocal delivery are:
a. Projection - You must speak up firmly and clearly. If you are the
presenter or facilitator for a web-based program, it is imperative
that you wear a good head-set to maximize the sound quality of your
voice.
b. Pace - Pay careful attention to the speed at which you deliver
your presentation. It is important to vary your speed. Going too
slow puts people to sleep and going too fast makes it hard for
people to assimilate the information you are sharing, but worst of
all is to do either one exclusively. By speeding up and slowing down
to add emphasis and excitement, you will hold your audience’s
interest longer and they will remember more of what you are saying.
c. Pause - Nothing focuses the attention of your audience faster
than the use of occasional dramatic pauses to help emphasize a key
idea. Don’t overuse this technique, but be sure and integrate it at
appropriate moments to keep your presentation from becoming
monotonous.
d. Pitch - This refers to the relative “highness” or “lowness” of
the pitch of your voice. Generally, as you speed up, your pitch
should also rise slightly to add excitement. When you come to a key
point, it is good to slow down, add a dramatic pause, and lower your
pitch to make the audience sit up on the edge of their seats and
take notice.
2. Make sure PowerPoint slides are balanced and easy to read. Your
Power Point deck will do all the heavy lifting during an online
presentation, especially since you will have no face to face
contact, so pay special attention to the layout.
a. Stick to no more than 3 colors – the slides lose their impact if
you try to be too colorful
b. For the slides, lighter backgrounds with a dark font look better.
Darker backgrounds tend to have an ominous feel.
c. Titles should be around 40pt font, while the text should be at
least 30pt.
d. No more than 6 lines of text, and no more than 6 words per line
e. On average, figure no more than 30 slides for a 1-hour
presentation.
3. Using webcams – Webcam technology has come a long way. As long as
you are using a stable high-speed Internet connection (not an
aircard), a web cam can enhance the presentation by putting a face
to your voice. Just remember these tips:
a. Make sure you “dress for success.” If you are going on camera,
dress exactly the same way you would for a live presentation.
b. Make sure you look directly into the webcam when you speak,
instead of looking at the screen or at your notes. Looking into the
webcam is the only way to preserve the illusion of eye contact with
your audience.
c. Because of the difficulty associated with trying to look into the
camera and follow your notes, it is a good idea to do a brief intro
with the webcam, then go back to your Power Point presentation, and
maybe come back to the web cam for your final summary.
4. Keep up a steady interaction with your audience. The biggest
downside to web-based presentations is the temptation your audience
faces to multi-task by checking email, surfing the web, or even
wandering away during the presentation. To keep your audience
focused on your presentation, make sure you regularly interaction
with everyone in the meeting if at all possible by:
a. Calling on them by name and asking them to interact with you.
b. Ask them to read slides.
c. Ask them to share experiences or opinions.
d. Ask them to give feedback on the answers provided by other
participants
Follow these quick, simple tips and your Web-based presentations
will be every bit as helpful and engaging as a face to face meeting,
and you will be saving time and money for everyone.
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