How to Give a Great Virtual Presentation on Zoom
With virtual conferences and events becoming the new normal, it is now more important than ever to familiarise yourself with virtual presentation best practices. Here are our top five tips for delivering a great virtual presentation on Zoom.
1. Have a professional setting
Although you may be in the comfort of your own home, it is still recommended to dress in business casual when delivering a virtual presentation. Other considerations for a professional setting include using a neutral background. If this is not possible, Zoom’s virtual background feature is very handy to avoid distractions for viewers. It is also important to have good lighting and the use of a headset can minimise background noise and provide clear audio. All of these elements together will minimise distractions for viewers and enable you to deliver an engaging, professional virtual presentation.
2. Be ready to go fifteen minutes before
It is very important that you familiarise yourself with the Zoom platform prior to the presentation to have a clear understanding of the functionalities and features available. Test runs are very helpful to practice using control functions and identify possible delays when transitioning between slides. Presenters should log in ten minutes before their allocated time slot to test their audio and video, and be ready to present at least five minutes before the start time.
3. Efficient time management
Most conferences have a rigorous schedule. It is important that you are aware of your time allocation and do not run over. Time management is also required within your presentation to ensure that you have appropriate time to discuss each point, and sufficient time should be allocated at the end of your presentation to allocate Q&A. This ensures that the audience have an opportunity to participate and get the most value from your presentation.
4. Structure your presentation
The risk of viewers becoming distracted at a virtual presentation is even higher than that of in-person events. Therefore it is important to provide an engaging and concise presentation. When it comes to the structure of your presentation, you must know what you want to say and how you want to say it. Clear, concise and simple points should be used to make it easy for your audience to follow. The use of visual signposts can be very effective for yourself and the audience in structuring your presentation as they indicate where you are going next.
5. Effective use of slides
When putting your slides together there is no need to include unnecessary slides, less is more in this case. Slides should follow a coherent structure starting with a title slide, a slide that outlines the topics you will discuss, and a slide to introduce each new theme or topic. Effective slides include a mixture of text, images and statistics to engage the audience. To finish the presentation, you should always include a conclusion slide that reiterates the key points of the presentation. This should be followed by a slide that thanks the audience and provides contact details if they would like to follow up with you or connect on social media channels.
Cyber Science 2020
This year’s virtual conference has a very impressive line-up of keynote and industry speakers that will be delivering virtual presentations throughout the conference. If you have already registered for Cyber Science 2020 check out our blog post on How to Network at Virtual Conferences to ensure you get the most value out of attending this year’s online conference. If not, registration is still open.