4 Effective Zoom Presentation Tips
Nowadays, there are more presentations given on Zoom.
Whether you own a business.
A consulting practice.
Or are a corporate professional.
This is the era when the definition of “public speaking” needs to evolve.
Public speaking is no longer only speaking in front of a physical audience.
Nowadays, you need to be able to speak in front of a digital audience too.
This article is ahead of its time.
In a couple of years, there will be more articles like this.
But don’t wait a couple of years.
Begin today.
Those who present their ideas in public get ahead.
Whether they are looking at physical eyes or digital eyes.
What to Expect with a Zoom Call
It’s different getting prepared for a Zoom presentation vs a physical presentation.
Mainly because for a physical presentation, you need to go somewhere.
There are other variables invovled.
Like dressing up, finding parking, and making small talk before the event starts.
In some Zoom presentations, getting ready isn’t even mandatory.
Because for some talks, PowerPoint and audio are all that is needed.
The lack of variables may make it easier to slack off.
But that would be a big mistake.
Rather than slacking off…
Use this as an opportunity to make a bigger impression.
Zoom Presentation Tip #1: Amplify Presence
You ever heard the saying:
‘The camera adds 10 pounds.’
This implies that your face looks fatter on camera.
Something about those damn angles and lighting!
My remix to that quote is:
‘The camera takes away 1.5x your presence.’
There was this Tampa native whose YouTube channel I used to watch.
He had talking head videos of him explaining concepts on technology.
Overall, a great speaker.
I met him in person one time at a networking event.
And I immediately felt a much stronger presence from him.
It’s not that he was a lazy presenter on camera.
It’s just that the camera converted him to pixels and took away the presence he had in real life.
Just know when you present on the screen, it may be similar for you.
No need to start yelling & acting like an ape.
Instead, see if you can dial it up 1.5x the level.
Try this exercise.
Say:
‘Apple.’
Notice how you said it.
Then say ‘Apple’ with 1.5x more power.
Whatever 1.5x more power means to you.
You’ll notice a slight difference.
That slight difference is noticed by the audience.
Zoom Presentation Tip #2 – Dress up Head to Toe
It’s effortless to speak with 1.5x more power when you dress up.
Feels like second nature.
Wardrobe influences psychology.
It’s easy to slack off on this part though.
Especially because you may have heard the joke:
‘Do you even need pants for a Zoom presentation?’
Some people are taking this literally.
They only dress from heads up.
When you only dress from heads up, you’re fooling your conscious mind, but not the subconscious mind.
Much more effort is needed to speak.
Power has been reduced.
Dress fully.
And spray the nice cologne too.
Zoom Presentation Tip #3 – Avoid Reading off the Slides
Presenting on Zoom sets you up to read verbatim from the slides.
It should be so easy then, right?
Easy doesn’t mean good in the public speaking world.
Imagine the slides will crash down right before you are about to use them.
Can you still get through your speech?
Practice with that scenario in mind.
The goal is to be fine whether you have your PowerPoint slides or not.
Just KNOWING that you will survive without the PowerPoint slides is equivalent to you having your pants on.
There is more power towards your delivery.
Almost that magical 1.5x mark.
Zoom Presentation Tip #4 – Talk to Individuals
Every now and then, you may get bored.
It’s hard to maintain enthusiasm for long when you are speaking to a camera or a computer monitor.
Remind yourself that there are people hearing your talk.
For Zoom presentations, you should be able to still see the faces.
It’ll be small faces of the other people who have tuned into your talk.
This is when not needing the PowerPoint slides becomes even more effective.
It opens up more mental bandwidth to look at each individual.
When looking at the individuals, you can see how they are connecting with your speech.
Sometimes, a few of them will make a confused face.
Good time to ask:
‘Everyone following along?’
If no one nods their head, explain the point further with an example
Also, a great time to see when faces are looking extra stiff.
Why not tell a joke and liven up the mood?
This will build a concept known as ‘digital charisma.’
When the pixelated version of you leads to empowering feelings in someone else’s nervous system.
Dominate your Talk
When factoring in history, the era of speaking to machines is rather new.
Prime the mind to understand that you are not only speaking to a machine…
You are speaking to people behind a machine.
The more you practice your talk, the better you will get.
But also know when to stop practicing.
“In times of change, learners inherit the earth; while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.”
That’s a quote by Eric Hoffer.
He understood that the world around us is constantly changing.
Only a foolish person clings to past concepts hoping they will return.
While the winner levels up and finds ways to adapt and adjust.
Expect that you’ll be called to give a few Zoom presentations in your life.
Begin practicing these Zoom presentation tips so you feel the utmost confidence when you are ready to present.
Looking for more public speaking tips that apply to the modern world?
Then be sure to check out the Speaking Wizard: the Magical World of Public Speaking.
In this book, you will learn:
-How to brainstorm a talk from scratch.
-Design the talk to educate AND entertain.
-Manage speech anxiety.
-And deliver the talk to drive meaningful change.
Sound interesting?
Check out the Speaking Wizard Here!
– ArmaniTalks 
