What skills do you need to develop when giving a presentation?

Developing your verbal and non-verbal virtual communication skills can not only help you make a strong first impression but also ensure you have a strong virtual presentation from start to finish.

Find a comfortable place for you

Capturing your next virtual audience begins long before cameras and microphones are turned on. To be a strong speaker, you need to be a comfortable speaker who looks physically at ease and confident.

You need to be confident in yourself so that you think about how you physically look on the screen. While each choice has its advantages and disadvantages, start by thinking about which option makes you feel most comfortable.

For example, should you sit or stand? The standing position gives the audience a clear view of the speaker, improves posture, and provides a stronger, more energetic voice. But sitting is useful for speakers who tend to sway or change their movements. Sitting also helps establish right angles between the speaker and the camera lens, promoting proper eye contact with your audience. Your choice of sitting or standing should depend on your personal comfort. What helps you, the host, feel at ease?

What should you wear? The outfit should always match the formality of the event. If the stakes are high, you can opt for business attire such as a jacket or blazer. If they are lower, a button-down shirt or dress may suffice. The background of your video can change how your outfit looks on screen, so test your outfit on video before going live. Also, be aware that busy patterns can create a so-called moiré effect or noisy visual distortion on the screen. These visuals, while invisible to the presenter, can greatly distract your audience.

Move with intent

A strong presenter uses dynamism to grab—and hold—the audience’s attention. To do this, the dynamic speaker uses gestures and movements.

In a traditional stage presentation, a lot of movement can help you convey passion. But in a typical virtual presentation, your scope for visible movement is physically limited. This means that you need to adjust the way you move to be the most efficient.

For your audience: In general, try to keep your movements open and engaging. Fidgeting, crossed arms, and closed postures send a non-verbal signal that you are insecure, insecure, or unprepared. Speak with open gestures that invite the audience into your space. A gesture with the palms shown pointing outward at a 45-degree angle, as if you were saying, “I’m giving you this thought.”

Both gestures and facial expressions provide context and additional meaning to help your audience understand. For example, knocking on the table when you say keywords indicates to your audience the importance of your message. Or a furrowed brow might alert your audience that you’re concerned.

For you: Gestures and facial expressions not only help your audience understand, but can also prompt you, the speaker, to speak more engagingly. Using gestures can help boost your energy levels, which in turn can make your voice sound more lively. Even if your audience can’t see all of your gestures, practicing these gestures and facial expressions can help you feel more energetic as a speaker.

Make the most of your voice

Virtual presentations have many benefits, including the ability to speak to a global audience. With this flexibility comes potential audio quality issues from the audience. Even if your presentation is recorded and delivered at the highest quality, poor connections and equipment along the way can skew your message.

In addition to using gestures to maximize their voice, influential speakers also need to speak clearly. It is very important to follow the pace of speech, pronounce the words and speak loudly to block any noise.

One way to improve your voice is to correct your posture. Sit or stand up straight, with a straight back and squared shoulders. Breathe deeply with your diaphragm to make your voice sound stronger, and don’t be afraid to slightly paraphrase your words to ensure accuracy.

In addition, vocal variety helps your audience understand your message by adding emotion to your words. Get their attention by changing the volume, tempo, and pitch. Here are some examples:

Emphasize a word or phrase by speaking it louder: When you get to a key point in your presentation, play with the emphasis on the most important words using the volume turned up. For example, instead of saying “We MUST do this”, try “We MUST do this”.

Use pauses to emphasize the point: whitespace or lack of material is a very important design element, and the same applies to the conversation. A word gap, or intentional pause between thoughts, gives your audience time to absorb your message.

Speak faster to convey urgency or excitement: When you need to move your audience to action, your voice can come in handy. Increasing the speed of your speech will help your audience understand that your message is timely or critical.

Speak slowly to convey seriousness or calmness: Slowing down your speech can help reduce tension or anxiety among team members. Especially after a moment of urgency or excitement, talking slower can create the contrast your audience needs to return to calm.

Use a higher tone to sound more approachable: Especially when making contact with an audience, don’t be afraid to raise the pitch of your voice to make it sound warm and inviting. Just be careful not to speak in a high tone – it can rob you of your authority. Balance is the key to success.

Use a lower tone to sound authoritative and commanding: Using the lower register of your natural pitch range can help you convey power and importance. Especially when there is no room for disagreement, a more authoritative voice can tell your audience, “This is the only way forward.”