How to Speak more Clearly During Online Presentations?
One thing you and many others who have had to do more talking and presentations from home in an online environment have likely noticed is that the whole thing feels a lot different to doing the same thing in-person or in front of a real audience in the same room. While both can be classified as public speaking, they are very different and present different challenges.
Speaking online and in-person do share a lot of aspects and skills: diction, being able to tell a story, making eye contact and connecting to your audience. But speaking online also requires some adjustment, because you cannot rely on body language cues and you have to compensate for a ton of distractions for your audience. Creating energy through the screen is not easy, but it is possible when you set a mission for yourself to speak more clearly. Here are a few strategies that will allow you to do just that:
Do a recording of yourself to catch the mistakes
This is a simple strategy that will allow you to see if you are doing anything wrong during your online presentation. There are a few main goals to do that. First, this is the simplest method to test your setup of the microphone and camera. You need to listen to yourself and see yourself on the screen. You also get a nice chance to see the background, get a feel of what it will be like to appear on other people’s screens and whether you have to adjust lighting or any other settings on your computer or software. Another important aspect of recording yourself and checking it out later is that it provides you with a very nice way to rehearse and catch any unintentional mistakes you are making. Maybe you are not looking where you should be or maybe you show signs of nervousness. Whatever it is, you can catch it by recording yourself and then examining said recording.
Begin big and end in the same fashion
The key to successful online talks and presentations is to be energetic from the start and to end on a similar high point. When it comes to online communication, you can count on the middle being more of a blur to everyone listening, which is exactly why it is important to set the tone and end it with a real punch. When you begin with energy, you enthuse the audience to stay engaged and as you finish your delivery, emphasise the inspirational part of your delivery and end with a solution/call to action that will leave them thinking. When you begin and end on a high note, you will leave a lasting impression and be more successful in your presentation.
Pace yourself well enough
The pace is very important in online presentations because it directly impacts how engaged your audience is and whether they lose interest in your speech. Remember, there are a lot of distractions for them. For all you know, they could be browsing anything and not paying attention to you. If you are going too slow, you will lose them. That is why it is important to present at a steady pace, not too slow but also not too fast to the point where it becomes difficult to follow your speech.
Streamline your presentation
Another important strategy for successful online presentations lies in streamlining your points. You should ensure that all of your visuals and extra materials add flair and reinforce your points, all the while keeping them simple. Remember, when you are not explaining things in person, it can be more difficult to make them clear. That is why it is a good idea to streamline them.
All of these strategies are efficient in many ways and are necessary to ensure that you are successful in your online presentations. Make sure to adopt them and you will see what difference they make.
