Connect with Your Audience Virtually

Learning Objectives

After completing this unit, you’ll be able to:

• Describe remote presentation.
• Identify the biggest threat to connecting remotely.
• Explain maximum engagement.

Live from Your Screen

Face-to-face is the most engaging way to connect with your audience, but it greatly limits the size of your audience. When travel isn’t feasible, you need a way to present everywhere from anywhere. How? Through the magic of video!

A remote or virtual presentation is all about creating a connection with your audience wherever they are. Whether it’s your face or your slides up on the screen, online is the new in person.

Remote presentations let you reach audiences of any size. Virtual meetings can range from a couple of people in a virtual meeting to a large number on a webinar. Whatever the size, your job is to engage your audience as if they are in the same room.

A virtual presentation is more than just a way to communicate, though. It’s a skill that can be the difference between gaining or losing customers. 

Don’t Let Them Tune Out

Don’t worry about your remote audience being distracted—they already are. Whether they’re at home with a barking dog or in a crowded office where people are trying to get their attention, they have other things to worry about. You need a plan and a strategy.

If you aren’t used to presenting online or you think you could be more engaging, don’t panic. Just like acting, remote presentation is a skill that can be learned and coached.

The Key to High Ratings

The most important part of remote presentation is… maximum engagement. You’ve got to admit, that just sounds awesome. It pulls you in and makes you want to find out more.

Maximum engagement means keeping your audience as attentive and engaged as if you were standing right in front of them. 

A remote presentation reaches for maximum engagement when it is:

• Clear. Craft a message that your audience can understand.
• Concise. Say as much as you can in as few words as possible.
• Credible. Build trust to gain a customer.
• Compelling. Create an experience that draws in your audience.

These details make your presentation strong, but if you just talk at the audience, it becomes a lecture. We’ve all attended lectures that we’ve tuned out. Sticking to the script means nothing if your audience isn’t listening.

If your attendees are on a webcam, keep an eye on them. If not, note how often they respond or react to your presentation. Either way, check in whenever you say something awesome to see if your audience is as excited as you are.

When your audience’s engagement is drifting, change things up by asking questions and adapting to your audience’s interests. This may mean slowing down, speeding up, or even switching topics to something they care more about. Your job is to keep your audience engaged, even if that means going way off-script. 

Wrap Up

In the next unit, we take a deeper look into maximum engagement. We even share with you the most important thing you need to succeed in a remote presentation. Want to know what it is? Stay tuned!