Preparing for Virtual Presentations

Name: Preparing for Virtual Presentations
Author: Brielle Plump

Learn to become a more engaging and effective presenter in virtual settings.

Preview the first lesson free — get full access to all 3 lessons.

Course: On-Demand

The key to a successful virtual presentation is preparation. Let's go over how to prepare by analyzing your audience, exploring the kinds of software you'll need and making your presentation inclusive. Businesses and working professionals are becoming increasingly reliant on virtual formats to communicate with colleagues and clients. You may have a virtual presentation on your calendar this month yourself. As you begin to prepare for your presentation, it's helpful to stop and ask yourself, who will be my audience? Considering your audience or performing an audience analysis is a crucial first step. It's important to find out all you can about how many people will be in your audience, what they have in common and why they wanna hear from you. In addition to these considerations, there are usually logistical questions to consider. Such as, what time zone will the majority of the audience be located in? Will you be the sole presenter or will you be speaking in a group? And do you need an ASL translator or any other inclusivity related accommodations? Once you have a better idea of the makeup of your audience and basic logistics, you can start planning accordingly. As you prepare for your virtual presentation, it's also helpful to step back and ask yourself a big picture question. What will my success as a visual presenter look like? Maybe success means that everyone in the audience will learn three new skills that they can apply to their professional lives. Or it could mean that your audience engages in important dialogue with one another later on. As you decide what success looks like for you, it's equally important to consider what could go wrong in a virtual presentation. What if only half of the expected attendees show up? What if the audience doubles in size? What if your camera stops working? What if your visual aids don't load? And worst case scenario, what if your internet or computer stops working altogether? While these problems can cause anxiety, they're ultimately manageable. For example, if you have too few attendees you can turn the presentation into a discussion. And if you have too many attendees, you can create breakout rooms. A breakout room is a way of sub categorizing your meeting or presentations attendants. They can be grouped together within a single program and talk amongst themselves. It's basically a mini call. You can also plan a slideshow in case your camera stops working. And review your entire plan for the presentation with a trusted colleague who can substitute for you if needed. If you end up not needing them, they can still help field questions if your virtual meeting room has a chat feature.

Beginner Provider : Brielle Plump 3 Lessons · 10m in Arabic, German, English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Chinese

Course Description

This course identifies key tools that can help you become a more engaging and effective presenter, discusses how to navigate technology you might want to use, introduces tips for effective storytelling, and explores how to encourage dialogue.

It also covers how to understand and present to a specific audience while ensuring inclusivity. Finally, it shows how to troubleshoot virtual presentation obstacles while strategizing the most effective ways of conveying information.

What You'll Learn

Analyze your audience so that you can tailor your presentation as needed
Identify types of presentation technology and navigate virtual meeting software
Create a culture of inclusivity for your virtual presentation
Manage and encourage audience engagement and dialogue
Apply tips for effective storytelling to convey information
Gauge the success of your virtual presentation and troubleshoot obstacles

Key Takeaways

Identifying and navigating the right presentation technology helps you become a more engaging and effective presenter.
Understanding and analyzing a specific audience lets you tailor and present your content effectively.
Creating a culture of inclusivity is a key part of preparing a virtual presentation.
Encouraging dialogue and managing audience engagement strengthens a virtual presentation.
Troubleshooting virtual presentation obstacles supports the most effective ways of conveying information.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does this course cover?

It identifies key tools to become a more engaging presenter, discusses how to navigate presentation technology, introduces tips for effective storytelling, explores how to encourage dialogue, and covers presenting to a specific audience while ensuring inclusivity and troubleshooting virtual presentation obstacles.

What skills will I gain from this course?

You will learn to analyze your audience and tailor your presentation, gauge the success of your virtual presentation, identify types of presentation technology, create a culture of inclusivity, and manage audience engagement.

What lessons are included?

The course includes lessons on Analyzing Your Audience, Visualizing Success; Exploring Virtual Meeting Software; and Making Presentations Inclusive.

Who is this course for?

It is for anyone who wants to become a more engaging and effective presenter for virtual presentations, including learning to navigate presentation technology, encourage dialogue, and present to a specific audience inclusively.