Tips for a professional online presentation

Giving a presentation online can be challenging. During a meeting with your colleagues to discuss the day, it may not be a problem if the sound or lighting is not up to standard. But if you have an important meeting, you want to make sure you give a strong online presentation.

What should you pay attention to in an online presentation?

To ensure that your presentation is rock solid, we have listed several tips for you.

Ensure interaction with your audience

We all know the feeling you get after a presentation in which the audience was genuinely interested in your presentation. A good feeling, right? For an online presentation, this is no different than a physical presentation, except that interaction is perhaps even more important. Not only are you talking to a screen, but your audience does the same. And that’s different from seeing you in real life with the necessary body language.

You become even more enthusiastic when the audience asks you questions, and you can answer them well. Interaction with your audience often makes a more relaxed and varied presentation. You’ll see that the time flies by!

If necessary, ask a colleague to manage the chat. He/she can extract questions that you can then answer. This also creates interaction.

Turn on the participants’ camera

In addition to the tip above, it often helps if the audience’s cameras are turned on. This makes the presentation feel a lot more personal, and it doesn’t look like a telephone conversation. Besides being able to look at people in their eyes, you can also see their reaction. It becomes a lot more fun to communicate with the audience.

Is there a big group involved in your presentation? Turning on too many cameras can distract you. So decide for yourself what you are comfortable with and what the maximum is.

Choose the right posture

If you give an online presentation, you will quickly be tempted to do this while sitting down. After all, your audience will also be seated, so you’ll be at the same ‘eye level’. But think back to the times when we still presented physically; we always did that standing up, right? And that brings many more advantages than you might think!

We all know the image of a face filling your screen. But your nonverbal communication is not only in your face; it’s in your whole body. So why not show it off and give your presentation extra power?

Move that chair aside and assume a standing position. Make sure your laptop or camera is adjusted to the right height, so you don’t get crazy camera angles and your arms and waist are well in view. For example, make use of a stack of books, laptop holder or cabinet.

Bonus tip: if you present standing up, not only will your breathing be better, your voice will also have more volume, and you will often come across stronger.

Keep your presentation short

In general, people are less able to keep their attention digitally. Because let’s face it, looking at a screen takes more effort than looking at a physical presentation. So make sure your presentation is not too long. It is therefore even more important to have a strong story. Tell your audience at the start how the presentation will go and what parts or various elements will be covered. This way, the audience knows what to expect. For example, indicate that you will start the presentation by explaining the topic. After that, you go further about different parts that will be covered. In the end, there will be room for answering additional questions at the end of the presentation.

Choose the right background

We understand that not everyone has the luxury of a study at home. As much as we enjoy peeking into that colleague’s living room, it can also be very distracting. Is there nothing else to do but to present in the living room or another room? Then make sure the background is calm and neutral. Hide the laundry piles, don’t sit in front of the colourful bookcase and clean up the dishes. Remove everything that could distract from your presentation from view so that your full attention is focused on you.

Make sure you have your (technical) basics in order

It may seem obvious; good preparation is half the battle. It makes you much more confident when you go into the presentation. It also allows you to solve any technical problems in time. If you are presenting an online event from home, there is no need to purchase any high-tech equipment. All you need is a laptop or computer with a good webcam and a good microphone. Earbuds or headphones can also be used as a microphone.

Once you know which platform you will use, you can start testing the tool a few days in advance. Check how it works to share your screen, prepare any files for the audience, record your screen, how the chat works and whether you need to give other participants rights to share their screen.

Are you familiar with the platform? Great. Then it’s time to make sure you have a good setting.  Keep the following in mind:

• Arrange for good lighting (daylight or a lamp);
• Arrange for a stable internet connection and keep a fixed network cable handy;
• Turn off all notifications on your computer so you will not be distracted or disturbed;
• Test the sound and your microphone;
• Allow for backlighting if you are sitting in front of a window;
• Close your windows to keep sound out.

Good preparation is essential not only for you but also for your audience. If necessary, send a manual of the platform in advance, some tips for an excellent technical basis and make sure the participants can get into the tool a little earlier. This way, there is enough time to test, and you can be sure that everything runs smoothly.