Remote Presentations That Rock (v2)

Remote Presentations That Rock http://sachachua.com/wp/p/7181 – share this with others! Sacha Chua ( [email_address] ) LivingAnAwesomeLife.com Next: Pick one tip and focus on it. Q&A: What can help you rock your next presentation?

The rest of this file is laid out for reading. Enjoy it in full-screen mode, or go to the blog post at http://sachachua.com/wp/p/7181

1 Don't be a robot. Make your presentation real. ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],The basics: It’s hard to be energetic if your neck is sore and you can’t breathe well. That’s the position you often end up in if you don’t have a headset for your phone. Do yourself a favour and get yourself a phone headset . Smile. People will hear that in your voice. Stand up if that helps. Use your hands to gesture , even if no one can see them. Wear your favourite suit if it will give you confidence. Imagine the people you’re talking to, and pretend they’re in front of you. Pictures of people can make this easier. Even better: instead of just sharing your slides, use a webcam to add video. That way, people can see your facial expressions and even your hand gestures. Don’t be a robot. Be real. Make that connection.

2 Don't be a recording. Interact . ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],How can you build more interaction into your talk? Explore your teleconferences’ tools for interaction. For example, I ask people to use the text chat to share their questions and ideas throughout the session. In fact, remote presentations can be more interactive than face-to-face ones, because people don’t have to wait for the microphone or a Q&A session. Many webconferences will let you see how many people have raised their hands . Some even make it easy for people to answer multiple-choice questions or draw on a shared whiteboard . Experiment and explore. Feel overwhelmed? Ask a buddy to watch the text chat, keep an eye out for raised hands, or set up the surveys for you so that you can focus on speaking. When you build interaction into your talk, you help people learn, and you learn a lot along the way .

3 Don't run over time. Make space for learning . ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],Here’s how you can make sure you always end on time: Plan for a much shorter time than you have. Don’t try to cram 80 minutes of speaking into 60 minutes. Get your key message across in 10 to 20 minutes , or even shorter. Then plan backup material so that you can take more time if needed. For example, although this session is supposed to be sixty minutes long, I can give you an executive summary in less than three minutes. I know this talk fits into 20 minutes, because I've recorded a 14-minute video. All the rest of the time is for questions and answers , where the real value is. When you have a clear plan , you can make your session longer or shorter as needed. Do you need to keep talking because the next speaker is still missing? Tell more stories . Do you have to do your talk quickly because technical troubles stole twenty minutes? Don’t talk faster , just focus on the important points. Be flexible and respect people’s time.

4 Don't do too much. Keep it simple . ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],When I plan a presentation, I focus on one thing I want people to do. Then I think of three to seven things that support that key message. That’s it. It’s easier to keep things simple when you start small , instead of trying to shoehorn a large presentation into a limited space. If you need to summarize a big presentation, read through everything, then take a step back and ask: “ What do I want people to do or remember ?” Start from there and figure that out before you make a single slide. Keep it simple in terms of technology, too. Have a simple backup plan just in case. That way, you don’t panic when your fancy animations or your technology demo doesn’t work. No demo? Use slides. No slides? Talk about your key message. No teleconference? Send an e-mail or reschedule. Keep it simple.

5 Don't limit yourself. Practise everywhere. ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],You might not have time to go to presentation classes or public speaking clubs like Toastmasters, but you have plenty of opportunities to practise. Talk to yourself . Seriously. Your presentations will be much better when you don’t just write them, you listen to yourself saying them. For example, you will probably never use the word “utilize” again, because “use” feels much more natural. Talk to other people about what you’re going to present. Write about what you’re going to present. Practice isn’t just about scripting your talk and re-reading it. You can practise any time, anywhere . Stand-up comedians practise all the time so that they can figure out their punchlines, and they always keep an eye out for interesting things they can turn into jokes. If you practise, I can’t promise that you’ll be funny, but you will be much clearer and more confident.

6 Don't waste time. Start strong and end strong. ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],What does this mean for you? Move your executive summary to the front . You can still talk about your agenda and how you’re going to talk about things, but put the important stuff first. Start strong . End strong, too. Let’s say that you’ve made the most of tip #3 and planned for plenty of time for questions and answers. Don’t make your last slide just “Q&A” or “Thank you!”. It’s a waste of time and space. Instead, make a one-slide summary of key points and next actions from your talk. Include contact information and a link where people can find out more. Use that one-slide summary as your Q&A slide so that people can remember what they want to ask questions about. It’s simple, easy to do, and very effective. Jumpstart questions and answers by preparing some questions that people usually ask you. If people have been using the text chat throughout your session, you probably have lots of questions to deal with already. Great! Go for it. Take control back at the end of the session. Save five minutes at the end so that you can give a quick summary of your talk, the key points from Q&A, and the next actions you want people to take. That way, people’s last impressions of your talk are the ones you want them to have.

7 Don't stop there. Show the big picture. ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],Next time you make a presentation, think: What do I want people to do after this? It doesn’t matter if you’re reporting utilization rates or talking about the technical details of a new product – you still want people to remember something, change something, do something. If you don’t, then there’s no reason to give a presentation – just send a document . Seeing the big picture also means you can get a lot more ROI from the time and effort you invest into making a presentation. Using the same work you put into the presentation, you can share slides, handouts, videos, follow-up tips, and many other resources. In fact, you can get that kind of return even before you make a presentation. For example, when I’m working on a presentation, I post my presentation outline on my blog, where people can see it and give suggestions. I post my presentation script as a blog entry. I post my slides. I talk to people about it. As a result, by the time I get to the actual presentation, I’ve had lots of practice. You need to see the big picture of your presentation. Why does your talk matter? What do you want people to do after your talk? How can you keep the conversation going? How can you start the conversation earlier? How can you involve more people? How can you increase your ROI? Plan how, and build that into your presentation.

Remote Presentations That Rock (v2)

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