As I wrote in Effective Virtual Conversations, in virtual presentations, key differences are pace, energy, and the need for visual anchors. To keep things moving, remember:
1. Capture attention quickly. We have a limited time window—0.07 seconds according to Judith Glaser in Conversational Intelligence “to capture people’s attention and help them differentiate between the fight or flight.” Other authors say you have half a minute or so. Regardless, we want to get people into the virtual room very, very quickly. And whether it is showing icons, or a visual, or a map, we want people to connect in with the topic quickly.
2. Remember that people remember the start and end of things. The “latency and recency effect” describes how our brains remember how you start your presentation and how you end it. The mid-point is likely to be fuzzy. Ensure that you reinforce key messages at the start and end of your presentation. It may be as simple as indicating “Three areas we are going to explore today are . . .” and at the end, “Three of the key themes we explored today were . . .” or “To highlight key decisions made . . . .” Consider how to create memorable impact by showing a video, an illustration, or something else to anchor thinking in the “messy middle.”
3. Less is more. Trying to fit too much into your presentation may lead to a sense of overwhelm and lack of clarity. Consider the key messages you want people to remember and/or take action on. As you go to prepare, consider:
- The key messages you want to communicate. What are the three key bullet points?
- What elements of the presentation are essential? At the core, what is essential to cover?
- What needs further reinforcement? What key ideas need reinforcement? When and
- How will you reinforce these?
- What needs to be pruned? Yes, sometimes we do need to cut out a chunk!
To distill through your content, you may want to ask yourself, “What is a need to have? A nice to have? And where can people go to learn more?” This can help to sift out information”
Keeping aligned with Less is more, we’re going to pause here and I’ll resume with tips 4 – 6 on Thursday.
Stay tuned!
Jennifer
Potentials Realized |Reconnecting Workspaces | Group Coaching Essentials
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Retreats
Follow us on Instagram @ReconnectingWorkspaces
Phone: (416)996-8326
Check out my TEDx talk - Virtual, Remote and Hybrid Checklist
Looking to bring your workplaces back together, whether you are remote, hybrid, or face-to-face? Pick up a copy of my book, Reconnecting Workspaces, at Amazon