what makes a great virtual presentation

About Stanford GSB

• The Leadership
• Dean’s Updates
• School News & History
• Commencement
• Business, Government & Society
• Centers & Institutes
• Center for Entrepreneurial Studies
• Center for Social Innovation
• Stanford Seed

About the Experience

• Learning at Stanford GSB
• Experiential Learning
• Guest Speakers
• Entrepreneurship
• Social Innovation
• Communication
• Life at Stanford GSB
• Collaborative Environment
• Activities & Organizations
• Student Services
• Housing Options
• International Students

Full-Time Degree Programs

• Why Stanford MBA
• Academic Experience
• Financial Aid
• Why Stanford MSx
• Research Fellows Program
• See All Programs

Non-Degree & Certificate Programs

• Executive Education
• Stanford Executive Program
• Programs for Organizations
• The Difference
• Online Programs
• Stanford LEAD
• Seed Transformation Program
• Aspire Program
• Seed Spark Program
• Faculty Profiles
• Academic Areas
• Awards & Honors
• Conferences

Faculty Research

• Publications
• Working Papers
• Case Studies

Research Hub

• Research Labs & Initiatives
• Business Library
• Data, Analytics & Research Computing
• Behavioral Lab

Research Labs

• Cities, Housing & Society Lab
• Golub Capital Social Impact Lab

Research Initiatives

• Corporate Governance Research Initiative
• Corporations and Society Initiative
• Policy and Innovation Initiative
• Rapid Decarbonization Initiative
• Stanford Latino Entrepreneurship Initiative
• Value Chain Innovation Initiative
• Venture Capital Initiative
• Career & Success
• Climate & Sustainability
• Corporate Governance
• Culture & Society
• Finance & Investing
• Government & Politics
• Leadership & Management
• Markets & Trade
• Operations & Logistics
• Opportunity & Access
• Organizational Behavior
• Political Economy
• Social Impact
• Technology & AI
• Opinion & Analysis
• Email Newsletter

Welcome, Alumni

• Communities
• Digital Communities & Tools
• Regional Chapters
• Women’s Programs
• Identity Chapters
• Find Your Reunion
• Career Resources
• Job Search Resources
• Career & Life Transitions
• Programs & Services
• Career Video Library
• Alumni Education
• Research Resources
• Volunteering
• Alumni News
• Class Notes
• Alumni Voices
• Contact Alumni Relations
• Upcoming Events

Admission Events & Information Sessions

• MBA Program
• MSx Program
• PhD Program
• Alumni Events
• All Other Events

10 Tips For Giving Effective Virtual Presentations

What to know before you go live.

September 26, 2016

Presenting online? Try these suggestions to improve your results. | Illustration by Tricia Seibold

As audiences go global and you need to reach more people through technology (including webinars, conference calls and teleconference), you must consider the challenges to connecting with a virtual audience. Here I pinpoint 10 valuable best practices to ensure you communicate successfully.

1. Be Brief

Audiences begin to lose attention after roughly 10 minutes of hearing from the same presenter. If you have more than 10 minutes of content, use interactive activities to keep your audience engaged (for example, take a poll, give quizzes, or ask audience members for their opinions via chat).

2. Be Simple

Keep slides simple — avoid too many words, graphics and animation features. Less is definitely more!

Light yourself well | Illustration by Tricia Seibold

3. Be a TV Personality

Look straight into your camera, not the screen. Wear clothing that is neutral in color (no plaids or stripes). Light yourself well and from above. Be mindful of what appears behind you in the background. Invest in a good microphone.

4. Be Standing

Even though your audience cannot see you, stand when you present. This allows you to stay focused and use good presentation delivery skills such as belly breathing, vocal variety, and pausing.

5. Be Prepared

Practice delivering your presentation with your technology in advance of your talk. Make sure all of the features of the technology work. Record your practice using the recording feature of your tool. Watch and listen to learn what works and what you can improve.

6. Be Assisted

Have someone available to deal with technical issues and to field email/text questions. Also, if you have multiple remote audience members in one location, be sure to pick one of them to be your “eyes and ears.” Ask them to queue up questions and facilitate discussion on your behalf.

7. Be Specific

Ask pointed questions to avoid too many people answering at once. For example, rather than ask, “Are there any questions?” try “Who has a question about the solution I provided?” Set a ground rule that people state their names prior to speaking.

Imagine your audience | Illustration by Tricia Seibold

8. Be Synchronized

Transitions are critical. You must connect what you just said to what is coming next when you move from point to point. Transitions between topics and slides are good opportunities to get people reengaged to your talk.

9. Be Connected

Imagine your audience even though you can’t see them. You can place pictures of audience members behind your camera so you can look at people as you present.

10. Be Early

Encourage your audience to access your call or webinar in advance of the start time so you can iron out any technical issues in advance and get them familiar with the technology.

Matt Abrahams is a Stanford GSB organizational behavior lecturer, author, and communications coach.

For media inquiries, visit the Newsroom .

Explore More

Navigating the nuance: the art of disagreeing without conflict, from good to great: what makes a “supercommunicator”, seen & heard: how to make your audience feel understood, editor’s picks.

April 04, 2016 A Big Data Approach to Public Speaking Key takeaways from analyzing 100,000 presentations.

November 19, 2014 Matt Abrahams: The Power of the Paraphrase An expert on public speaking shows how paraphrasing can help you navigate tricky communication situations.

• See the Current DEI Report
• Supporting Data
• Research & Insights
• Share Your Thoughts
• Search Fund Primer
• Teaching & Curriculum
• Affiliated Faculty
• Faculty Advisors
• Louis W. Foster Resource Center
• Defining Social Innovation
• Impact Compass
• Global Health Innovation Insights
• Faculty Affiliates
• Student Awards & Certificates
• Changemakers
• Dean Jonathan Levin
• Dean Garth Saloner
• Dean Robert Joss
• Dean Michael Spence
• Dean Robert Jaedicke
• Dean Rene McPherson
• Dean Arjay Miller
• Dean Ernest Arbuckle
• Dean Jacob Hugh Jackson
• Dean Willard Hotchkiss
• Faculty in Memoriam
• Stanford GSB Firsts
• Certificate & Award Recipients
• Dean’s Remarks
• Keynote Address
• Teaching Approach
• Analysis and Measurement of Impact
• The Corporate Entrepreneur: Startup in a Grown-Up Enterprise
• Data-Driven Impact
• Designing Experiments for Impact
• Digital Business Transformation
• The Founder’s Right Hand
• Marketing for Measurable Change
• Product Management
• Public Policy Lab: Financial Challenges Facing US Cities
• Public Policy Lab: Homelessness in California
• Lab Features
• Curricular Integration
• View From The Top
• Formation of New Ventures
• Managing Growing Enterprises
• Startup Garage
• Explore Beyond the Classroom
• Stanford Venture Studio
• Summer Program
• Workshops & Events
• The Five Lenses of Entrepreneurship
• Leadership Labs
• Executive Challenge
• Arbuckle Leadership Fellows Program
• Selection Process
• Training Schedule
• Time Commitment
• Learning Expectations
• Post-Training Opportunities
• Who Should Apply
• Introductory T-Groups
• Leadership for Society Program
• Certificate
• 2023 Awardees
• 2022 Awardees
• 2021 Awardees
• 2020 Awardees
• 2019 Awardees
• 2018 Awardees
• Social Management Immersion Fund
• Stanford Impact Founder Fellowships and Prizes
• Stanford Impact Leader Prizes
• Social Entrepreneurship
• Stanford GSB Impact Fund
• Economic Development
• Energy & Environment
• Stanford GSB Residences
• Environmental Leadership
• Stanford GSB Artwork
• A Closer Look
• California & the Bay Area
• Voices of Stanford GSB
• Business & Beneficial Technology
• Business & Sustainability
• Business & Free Markets
• Business, Government, and Society Forum
• Get Involved
• Second Year
• Global Experiences
• JD/MBA Joint Degree
• MA Education/MBA Joint Degree
• MD/MBA Dual Degree
• MPP/MBA Joint Degree
• MS Computer Science/MBA Joint Degree
• MS Electrical Engineering/MBA Joint Degree
• MS Environment and Resources (E-IPER)/MBA Joint Degree
• Academic Calendar
• Clubs & Activities
• LGBTQ+ Students
• Military Veterans
• Minorities & People of Color
• Partners & Families
• Students with Disabilities
• Student Support
• Residential Life
• Student Voices
• MBA Alumni Voices
• A Week in the Life
• Career Support
• Employment Outcomes
• Cost of Attendance
• Knight-Hennessy Scholars Program
• Yellow Ribbon Program
• BOLD Fellows Fund
• Application Process
• Loan Forgiveness
• Contact the Financial Aid Office
• Evaluation Criteria
• GMAT & GRE
• English Language Proficiency
• Personal Information, Activities & Awards
• Professional Experience
• Letters of Recommendation
• Optional Short Answer Questions
• Application Fee
• Reapplication
• Deferred Enrollment
• Joint & Dual Degrees
• Entering Class Profile
• Event Schedule
• Ambassadors
• New & Noteworthy
• Ask a Question
• See Why Stanford MSx
• Is MSx Right for You?
• MSx Stories
• Leadership Development
• Career Advancement
• Career Change
• How You Will Learn
• Admission Events
• Personal Information
• Information for Recommenders
• GMAT, GRE & EA
• English Proficiency Tests
• After You’re Admitted
• Daycare, Schools & Camps
• U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents
• Requirements
• Requirements: Behavioral
• Requirements: Quantitative
• Requirements: Macro
• Requirements: Micro
• Annual Evaluations
• Field Examination
• Research Activities
• Research Papers
• Dissertation
• Oral Examination
• Current Students
• Education & CV
• International Applicants
• Statement of Purpose
• Reapplicants
• Application Fee Waiver
• Deadline & Decisions
• Job Market Candidates
• Academic Placements
• Stay in Touch
• Faculty Mentors
• Current Fellows
• Standard Track
• Fellowship & Benefits
• Group Enrollment
• Program Formats
• Developing a Program
• Diversity & Inclusion
• Strategic Transformation
• Program Experience
• Contact Client Services
• Campus Experience
• Live Online Experience
• Silicon Valley & Bay Area
• Digital Credentials
• Faculty Spotlights
• Participant Spotlights
• Eligibility
• International Participants
• Stanford Ignite
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Operations, Information & Technology
• Classical Liberalism
• The Eddie Lunch
• Accounting Summer Camp
• Videos, Code & Data
• California Econometrics Conference
• California Quantitative Marketing PhD Conference
• California School Conference
• China India Insights Conference
• Homo economicus, Evolving
• Political Economics (2023–24)
• Scaling Geologic Storage of CO2 (2023–24)
• A Resilient Pacific: Building Connections, Envisioning Solutions
• Adaptation and Innovation
• Changing Climate
• Civil Society
• Climate Impact Summit
• Climate Science
• Corporate Carbon Disclosures
• Earth’s Seafloor
• Environmental Justice
• Operations and Information Technology
• Organizations
• Sustainability Reporting and Control
• Taking the Pulse of the Planet
• Urban Infrastructure
• Watershed Restoration
• Junior Faculty Workshop on Financial Regulation and Banking
• Ken Singleton Celebration
• Quantitative Marketing PhD Alumni Conference
• Presentations
• Theory and Inference in Accounting Research
• Stanford Closer Look Series
• Quick Guides
• Core Concepts
• Journal Articles
• Glossary of Terms
• Faculty & Staff
• Researchers & Students
• Research Approach
• Charitable Giving
• Financial Health
• Government Services
• Workers & Careers
• Short Course
• Adaptive & Iterative Experimentation
• Incentive Design
• Social Sciences & Behavioral Nudges
• Bandit Experiment Application
• Conferences & Events
• Reading Materials
• Energy Entrepreneurship
• Faculty & Affiliates
• SOLE Report
• Responsible Supply Chains
• Current Study Usage
• Pre-Registration Information
• Participate in a Study
• Founding Donors
• Location Information
• Participant Profile
• Network Membership
• Program Impact
• Collaborators
• Entrepreneur Profiles
• Company Spotlights
• Seed Transformation Network
• Responsibilities
• Current Coaches
• How to Apply
• Meet the Consultants
• Meet the Interns
• Intern Profiles
• Collaborate
• Research Library
• News & Insights
• Program Contacts
• Databases & Datasets
• Research Guides
• Consultations
• Research Workshops
• Career Research
• Research Data Services
• Course Reserves
• Course Research Guides
• Material Loan Periods
• Fines & Other Charges
• Document Delivery
• Interlibrary Loan
• Equipment Checkout
• Print & Scan
• MBA & MSx Students
• PhD Students
• Other Stanford Students
• Faculty Assistants
• Research Assistants
• Stanford GSB Alumni
• Telling Our Story
• Staff Directory
• Site Registration
• Alumni Directory
• Alumni Email
• Privacy Settings & My Profile
• Success Stories
• The Story of Circles
• Support Women’s Circles
• Stanford Women on Boards Initiative
• Alumnae Spotlights
• Insights & Research
• Industry & Professional
• Entrepreneurial Commitment Group
• Recent Alumni
• Half-Century Club
• Fall Reunions
• Spring Reunions
• MBA 25th Reunion
• Half-Century Club Reunion
• Faculty Lectures
• Ernest C. Arbuckle Award
• Alison Elliott Exceptional Achievement Award
• ENCORE Award
• Excellence in Leadership Award
• John W. Gardner Volunteer Leadership Award
• Robert K. Jaedicke Faculty Award
• Jack McDonald Military Service Appreciation Award
• Jerry I. Porras Latino Leadership Award
• Tapestry Award
• Student & Alumni Events
• Executive Recruiters
• Interviewing
• Land the Perfect Job with LinkedIn
• Negotiating
• Elevator Pitch
• Email Best Practices
• Resumes & Cover Letters
• Self-Assessment
• Whitney Birdwell Ball
• Margaret Brooks
• Bryn Panee Burkhart
• Margaret Chan
• Ricki Frankel
• Peter Gandolfo
• Cindy W. Greig
• Natalie Guillen
• Carly Janson
• Sloan Klein
• Sherri Appel Lassila
• Stuart Meyer
• Tanisha Parrish
• Virginia Roberson
• Philippe Taieb
• Michael Takagawa
• Terra Winston
• Johanna Wise
• Debbie Wolter
• Rebecca Zucker
• Complimentary Coaching
• Changing Careers
• Work-Life Integration
• Career Breaks
• Flexible Work
• Encore Careers
• D&B Hoovers
• Data Axle (ReferenceUSA)
• EBSCO Business Source
• Firsthand (Vault)
• Global Newsstream
• Market Share Reporter
• ProQuest One Business
• Student Clubs
• Entrepreneurial Students
• Stanford GSB Trust
• Alumni Community
• How to Volunteer
• Springboard Sessions
• Consulting Projects
• 2020 – 2029
• 2010 – 2019
• 2000 – 2009
• 1990 – 1999
• 1980 – 1989
• 1970 – 1979
• 1960 – 1969
• 1950 – 1959
• 1940 – 1949
• Service Areas
• ACT History
• ACT Awards Celebration
• ACT Governance Structure
• Building Leadership for ACT
• Individual Leadership Positions
• Leadership Role Overview
• Purpose of the ACT Management Board
• Contact ACT
• Business & Nonprofit Communities
• Reunion Volunteers
• Ways to Give
• Fiscal Year Report
• Business School Fund Leadership Council
• Planned Giving Options
• Planned Giving Benefits
• Planned Gifts and Reunions
• Legacy Partners
• Giving News & Stories
• Giving Deadlines
• Development Staff
• Submit Class Notes
• Class Secretaries
• Board of Directors
• Health Care
• Sustainability
• Class Takeaways
• All Else Equal: Making Better Decisions
• If/Then: Business, Leadership, Society
• Grit & Growth
• Think Fast, Talk Smart
• Spring 2022
• Spring 2021
• Autumn 2020
• Summer 2020
• Winter 2020
• In the Media
• For Journalists
• DCI Fellows
• Other Auditors
• Academic Calendar & Deadlines
• Course Materials
• Entrepreneurial Resources
• Campus Drive Grove
• Campus Drive Lawn
• CEMEX Auditorium
• King Community Court
• Seawell Family Boardroom
• Stanford GSB Bowl
• Stanford Investors Common
• Town Square
• Vidalakis Courtyard
• Vidalakis Dining Hall
• Catering Services
• Policies & Guidelines
• Reservations
• Contact Faculty Recruiting
• Lecturer Positions
• Postdoctoral Positions
• Accommodations
• CMC-Managed Interviews
• Recruiter-Managed Interviews
• Virtual Interviews
• Campus & Virtual
• Search for Candidates
• Think Globally
• Recruiting Calendar
• Recruiting Policies
• Full-Time Employment
• Summer Employment
• Entrepreneurial Summer Program
• Global Management Immersion Experience
• Social-Purpose Summer Internships
• Process Overview
• Project Types
• Client Eligibility Criteria
• Client Screening
• ACT Leadership
• Social Innovation & Nonprofit Management Resources
• Develop Your Organization’s Talent
• Centers & Initiatives
• Student Fellowships

• Quarterly Business Review
• Employee Engagement
• Employee Onboarding
• Product Training
• Virtual Team Trivia
• Team Happy Hour
• Virtual Holiday Party
• Help Center

A Deep Dive Into Virtual Presentations

Head of Product at Gloww

• Published on November 1, 2023

Virtual presentations are becoming increasingly common. With more businesses now embracing remote work, they’re an unavoidable adaptation that is essential for onboarding , employee development , and more. However, it’s not as straightforward as transplanting in-person presentation scripts into the virtual world. If you want to host virtual presentations that strike the right note, you need to think carefully about readying your material for online audiences. 

What is a virtual presentation? How can you keep online audiences engaged? These are the questions you should be asking yourself if you want to make effective use of the virtual format. 

How Are Virtual Presentations Different From Regular Presentations?

While the ultimate goal of virtual presentations is the same as in-person presentations, there are a lot of differences between the two formats . For starters, there’s generally less performance involved. When delivering an in-person presentation, a lot of focus is placed on keeping an audience engaged . A good presenter needs to be comfortable with public speaking and a master when it comes to body language. 

When presenting online, there’s far less pressure when it comes to performance. This is despite the fact that a presenter may be broadcasting to dozens, if not hundreds of people. An effective virtual presentation is generally more informal and relaxed. 

However, there are some downsides to delivering a presentation online. One of the biggest issues that presenters face is that they’ll have to contend with more distractions than if they were presenting to an in-person audience. These same distractions are what can render a standard conference call a challenge, and presenters often have to work extra hard to maintain audience engagement. 

What’s more, while the usual presentation skills aren’t always necessary, different proficiencies come into play. Body language doesn’t read as well when presenting online, but a speaker will still need to project a message virtually. Tone of voice is crucial, and a speaker needs to consider pauses carefully. Additionally, it’s important to constantly engage the audience if you want to maintain their interest levels. Relying too heavily on slides or failing to interact with an audience is a surefire way of dooming a virtual presentation to failure. For some inspiration you can find our employee engagement calendar on our blog too.

Why Are Virtual Presentations Important?

If your business operates in the virtual space and your teams are working remotely, you need to be thinking seriously about virtual presentations . It’s simply not practical to bring remote teams together for in-person training and team-building exercises, especially if employees are dispersed across the globe. 

Virtual presentations can be used as a learning tool to develop your workforce and introduce them to new ideas and ways of working. Some businesses utilize digital training documents for this purpose, but there’s little scope for interactivity here. With virtual presentations, you’re giving yourself the chance to connect with remote teams . As well as being a powerful tool for communication and instilling a sense of company culture , a live virtual presentation provides you with the chance to gauge engagement and understanding levels. 

How Do You Create a Virtual Presentation?

Is this your first time staging a virtual presentation ? Adapting your in-person approach to the virtual world might seem like a good idea, but you won’t achieve good results this way. To make your next virtual presentation a success , we’ve put together some handy tips. 

Start with Your Content 

This is the most important thing to consider when readying your presentation material for an online audience . While the bare bones of your in-person presentations can be used, they’ll need to be refined for the virtual space. Are you delivering training content to an online audience? All the key information can be captured here, but make sure it’s accessible and not overbaked. Is your presentation more client-facing? Make sure you’re capturing key selling points and considering what can be shared in other formats. 

Think About Your Slides 

Cramming too many slides into your presentation is a guaranteed way of sending your audience to sleep. If you want to maintain high engagement levels, keep slides sparse . During an in-person presentation, it’s easy to read the room and elaborate on complex slides if you feel the need to. When presenting online, this isn’t always possible. If your presentation has to be slide-heavy, try and stick to a single slide for every minute of speech. Ensure the slides you are using are concise and capture key information. 

Focus On Your Audience 

When presenting to an audience, you need to constantly reaffirm the fact that the information you’re discussing is relevant to them. Reading body language and audience responses can be a little tricky when presenting online, but keeping the focus on participants is crucial if you want to achieve good results. Regular interaction is a good way of keeping presentation material focused on your audience. Make a point of underlining how what you’re talking about applies to them and how it can help them achieve their everyday goals. 

Even if the material you’re covering in a presentation is pretty dense, you need to remain lively and dynamic to capture audience attention. Avoid leaning on your slides too heavily and make sure you’re not bound to a script. A little deviation can work wonders for audience engagement. 

Involve Your Audience to Avoid the Ringelmann Effect 

The Ringelmann Effect is something you might encounter if you’re presenting to a large audience. The bigger an audience gets, the less likely it is that individual participants are going to engage. By constantly involving your audience, you can overcome this. If you need to bring a hypothetical scenario into play , put someone on the spot. This way, everyone’s kept on their toes and constantly braced to interact. 

Remove External Distractions

While there’s not much you can do to ensure participants aren’t dealing with their own distractions, you can eliminate distractions from your presenting environment . Make sure your schedule is completely cleared to avoid any unwanted phone calls or interruptions. Are you presenting from an office location? Let anyone who is sharing your space know you need complete quiet so you can concentrate on delivering the best virtual presentation possible. 

Be Enthusiastic 

Even if the content of your presentation is on the dry side, you need to be able to sell it to your audience . If you’re not animated and engaged with the material, you can’t expect your audience to show an interest. Familiarizing yourself with presentation content will go a long way in ensuring you can deliver a lively and passionate event for participants. 

Professional Surroundings and Backgrounds 

No matter how animated you are during a presentation, you’ll still need to keep things professional . A low-key background will not only eliminate distractions but set the right tone for learning and development. Here’s our list of best backgrounds .

Best Virtual Presentation Tips

Now you’ve created a compelling outline for your virtual presentation , you’ll need to work on your presentation skills and deliver a memorable event. Below are some handy tips to get you started. 

Proper Webcam and Lighting 

Production values count when it comes to virtual presentations. A standard laptop webcam probably isn’t going to cut it if you want to make the right impression. An external webcam is therefore a must. You’ll also want to play around with lighting to make your presentation as effective as possible. 

Check Your Internet Connection 

Technical issues are sometimes unavoidable. However, even the slightest lag can render a virtual presentation pointless. Check your internet connection ahead of time to ensure you’re not going to have to contend with this issue. 

Talk to the Camera

It’s tempting to check the reactions of your online audience, but this isn’t really practical if you’re delivering a presentation to a large number of people. Rather than work overtime in an attempt to make a personal connection, talk to the camera instead. This gives you the best chance of making a connection with everyone who’s watching.  

Use Body Language 

Body language is very important when presenting online. While you won’t be able to make eye contact with individual audience members and use the space around you, you can make use of hand gestures and facial expressions to strengthen your message. However, remember to keep things simple.  

Engage Your Audience Members 

If you’re planning a longer virtual presentation or covering a lot of key topics, you need to make sure your audience is engaged . Constantly reach out to participants to hammer out specifics with examples or use quick-fire quizzes to keep everyone engaged. You can even use one of the 49 icebreakers to spice things up .

Be Yourself 

Authenticity matters when presenting online. It’s particularly important if you’re an employer presenting to remote teams. Make sure the persona you’re projecting is true to the one you’ve already established. The more authentic you are, the more credible your message will seem. 

What is the Optimum Amount of Time You Can Keep People Engaged Online? 

Most people will struggle to remain engaged with a single topic beyond five minutes. Your presentation is going to be longer than this, so avoid dwelling on specific topics for too long. For best results, try and keep your overall presentation no within 45 minutes . 

How Often Should Your Audience Share Their Thoughts?

Reach out to participants once every five minutes or so. You can ask individual participants to reflect on topics you’ve just covered, or break things up with more interactive elements like quizzes and polls. 

How Many Presenters Should There Be in a Virtual Presentation? 

With shorter presentations, it makes sense to keep things simple with a single presenter. If you’re planning a longer event and want to keep things as dynamic as possible, consider using two or three speakers. 

Host Your Next Virtual Presentation with Gloww 

Ready to unlock the potential of virtual presentations? Whether you’re presenting to prospective clients or need to reach out to remote teams, virtual presentations are the way forward . However, you’ll need a reliable video conferencing solution to stage a successful virtual presentation. 

With Gloww, you have everything you need to deliver memorable presentations that strike the right note with audiences. You can adapt your existing presentation material for the virtual space or explore brand-new elements to bring interactivity to your sessions. Add existing slide decks to readymade templates, make things more interesting with polls and quizzes, or integrate multimedia assets to take your presentations to a whole new level. You can get started with Gloww today. If you want to learn about Gloww can help you fine-tune your virtual presentations, explore our pricing plans , and discover more about our premium features. Do you still have questions about Gloww? Get in touch with the team.

Want to learn more? Here’s everything you need to record your meeting , a template for your monthly business review meetings , virtual meeting etiquettte , and all about how video conferencing works .

Ben Aflalo heads Gloww's product team with over two decades of leadership experience. Passionate about leveraging innovative technology, he is committed to building products for the greater good.

Table of Contents

• April 3, 2024
• by Ben Aflalo

• March 19, 2024

• March 11, 2024

• February 22, 2024

• February 1, 2024

• January 4, 2024

• January 2, 2024

• December 28, 2023

• December 26, 2023

• November 1, 2023

• October 4, 2023

• September 21, 2023

• August 24, 2023

• August 23, 2023

• August 1, 2023

• July 31, 2023

• July 13, 2023

• July 6, 2023

• June 29, 2023

• June 9, 2023
• Business Meetings
• Team Building Activities
• Learning and Development
• Employee Engagement Calendar
• Sales inquiries
• © 2024 Gloww video ltd.
• All rights reserved.
• Privacy policy

Privacy Overview

12 virtual presentation tips to get your audience’s attention

Delivering an effective virtual presentation is no easy task. 

Whether it’s for pitching to potential clients or discussing project goals with your team, you’ll have to compete for your audience’s attention and ensure your message gets through.  

In this article, we’ll cover the top 12 virtual presentation tips and best practices for your next virtual meeting. We’ll also look at some of the key benefits of virtual presentations.

This article contains: 

(Click on the links below to jump to a specific section)

• Research your Audience Well in Advance
• Be Vigilant with Technical Checks
• Embrace the Use of Technology and Visual Aid Tools
• Start with an Agenda in Mind
• Reduce and Eliminate Distractions
• Stick to Short, Punchy Sentences
• Interact with your Audience
• Pace Yourself and Plan for Delays
• Incorporate Back-Up Systems
• Allot some time for Q&A Sessions
• Know When to Stop
• Reach Out for Feedback and Reflect
• 3 Useful Benefits of Virtual Presentations

Let’s begin! 

12 practical tips for your next virtual presentation 

Virtual presentations can be intimidating for someone just starting out with them. 

But don’t worry. 

Here are some practical tips and best practices to ace your next virtual presentation. 

1. Research your audience well in advance

With virtual presentations, you need to do a little more research than you’d usually do. It’s best to know your audience and their expectations from the presentation. 

For a webinar or similar events, you can create a registration page or an electronic submission form a week in advance. 

Collect general information about who’s attending the event; ask questions about what they expect to gain from the meeting, or if they have any pressing questions. 

If you’re giving an office presentation, you can set an agenda for the concepts you’ll be covering. For example, think about what your keynote will be.  

Seek input from team members about your presentation structure and prioritize the action items that need to be addressed. If possible, send your meeting agenda in advance and have your managers/seniors glance through the key points. 

2. Be vigilant with technical checks

You cannot control an unexpected power-cut or internet connectivity issue no matter how much you prepare. So, your best bet is to be super precise with technical checks. 

Here are some things you should consider: 

• Is your camera working? Can the audience see you clearly?
• Do you have a proper mic and speaker installed? 
• Are you well-versed with the tools you’ll be using? For example, can you switch between google slides or enable screen sharing? 

These are some questions you should ponder over.

Most importantly, make sure you have solutions for any last-minute technical glitches. Prepare to have a backup or appoint someone who can handle the IT. 

3. Embrace the use of technology and visual aid tools 

The entire concept of a virtual presentation is based on the premise of technology. So naturally, you want to make good use of as many tools as possible.

You can use Canva to create a Canva QR code , Microsoft Powerpoint, Google slides, etc., to create an interactive presentation . 

You can also integrate your virtual meeting software with various tools for better audience engagement during the presentation. For example:

• Tools like Zoom , WebinarNinja, etc, let you conduct virtual polls and quizzes during video conferencing.
• You can also use a tool like Poll Everywhere to create word clouds in real-time. 
• Online game tools like Kahoot are great for creating group quizzes.
• Zoom or ClickMeeting can be useful as a whiteboard tool .

Another advantage of being well-equipped with the right tools is having better control over your audience. Virtual presenter tools can help with audience engagement. You can also monitor any distractions and eliminate them. 

For example, virtual presenters can mute an audience member due to disturbances or pin an important comment for everyone to see.

4. Start with an agenda in mind

In virtual meetings, if you do not start out with an agenda in mind, you’re setting yourself up for distractions. 

A good rule of thumb is to prepare a chronological list of things to be achieved during the presentation. What’s the most important concept you need to cover? Take notes, and make sure that all your other points transition back to your main concept and flow with the structure. 

Next, try to simplify your data points. Use visual imagery, gifs, videos, or animations to attract attention to the key points. 

Define the outcomes of your presentation, and set a time limit for each goal. For example, if the schedule has four points in total, don’t spend more than 30 minutes on each. 

5. Reduce and eliminate distractions

A remote audience is always multitasking between work, so there are bound to be some distractions. 

You can brief your audience about these best practices to minimize distractions: 

• Everyone stays on mute while the presenter is speaking.
• Instead of directly interrupting the host, people can ‘raise’ their hand on the virtual platform if they wish to speak.
• Request your audience members to limit any distraction on their end. This could be due to background noise, kids, pets, social media, or another family member.

Apart from this, make sure that you run technical checks and prepare for any possible problems. For example, close down all unnecessary tabs if you’ll be using screen sharing features. 

On your part, your chats will probably be filled with queries, doubts, or suggestions while you’re interacting with the audience. Instead of getting side-tracked by these chats, it’s a good idea to let a colleague or co-host moderate them for you.

6. Stick to short, punchy sentences 

When explaining concepts to a remote audience, you should always stick to shorter, more humorous sentences. That’s because most audiences often tune out after 10 minutes . 

Especially in a remote work environment, you have to capture and re-capture your audience’s attention while talking. Shorter sentences are easier to understand. But if it’s your first time being a virtual presenter, you can try these tips: 

• Maintain eye contact with the audience (through the webcam).
• Use appropriate hand gestures , facial expressions, and body language. 
• If possible, the person presenting should stand up. Set up your webcam accordingly.
• Ensure that your lighting is bright and lively. Make use of natural light for a better virtual background.

Moreover, keep your content prompt and precise. Avoid repetition of points, and do not over-evaluate any concepts. Ideally, do not speak for more than 10 minutes without some form of audience engagement (a story, quiz, or question).

7. Interact with your audience

According to a 2019 Duarte survey , over 68% of people believe that an engaging virtual presentation is more memorable than traditional one-way presentations. 

That’s because virtual users have a very limited attention span. It’s fairly easy for them to get distracted, especially if they have to sit through a presentation without any form of interaction. 

Interacting with the audience also makes you more ‘human’ in their eyes; you become more relatable. You can also plan your interaction activities in advance. 

For example, you can host a quiz or poll or use a whiteboard session every 10 minutes to encourage virtual participation. You can also encourage the use of breakout rooms for audience discussions. 

8. Pace yourself and plan for delays

There are little to no social cues to rely on from your audience in a virtual environment. You’ll need to practice and maintain a good pace to not speed through your presentation. 

Ideally, rehearse with someone virtually. Take notes of any delay in response you may experience or points that come across as confusing to the attendees. 

A remote audience often takes more time to respond. This could be due to technical issues, network delays, or unfamiliarity with the tool. But on your part, you can pace yourself according to your audience. 

For example, you’ll need to incorporate longer pauses after questions or slow down your talking speed for better clarity. These changes can be observed during your practice run so that you’re better prepared for your live presentation. 

9. Incorporate back-up systems

It’s important to plan for a worst-case scenario while presenting virtually, i.e., if you lose access to the meeting or content. In this case, it’s handy to share your presentation material with a co-host or a moderator. 

If you’re giving a video presentation, your co-host can have access rights to the meeting if you accidentally go offline. They can interact with the audience or present the video slides while you go back online. 

It’s also a good idea to be well-versed with your content. If you ever face a delay or glitch in your tools, you can always continue presenting the points with the help of a whiteboard. 

10. Allot some time for Q&A sessions

When conducting a virtual presentation, it’s good to allot a specific time slot for all the doubts and queries. You can do this before or during the event. 

In addition to having your own set of potential questions, inform your audience that you’ll be solving all the queries towards the end of the session. 

This serves two purposes:

• Your attendees can pay full attention to the presentation, knowing that their doubts will be cleared towards the end. 
• You do not get distracted by stopping and answering questions after every concept. 

A Q&A platform like Tribe or BoostHQ can be useful for noting down everyone’s questions. Participants can even ask anonymous questions. This way, all your queries are stored in a single database, and you can run a more organized, distraction-free Q&A session. 

11. Know when to stop 

Knowing when and how to close a presentation is one of the most important virtual presentation skills you could pick up. 

In a virtual event, you are bound to get distracted or carried away, so much so that you may lose track of your points. In that case, you should be precise with how much time you spend on each topic and when you should stop. 

Towards the end of the presentation, it’s more productive to be brief and to-the-point and conclude with an informative synopsis. You should properly summarize the conference proceedings, highlight key points, and create a lasting impression on your virtual audience. 

Here’s how you can do that:

• Prepare a clear and concise closing statement.
• Include a summary of your main agenda.
• Include a call to action.
• Include a powerful quote/message.
• Allow your audience to stay in touch with you. Consider adding a QR Code linked to your business card to your presentation.

12. Reach out for feedback and reflect

When you’re done with your presentation, a great practice is to reach out to the participants or attendees for any feedback. 

If you’re presenting to your office colleagues, you can ask for feedback on your talk. Note down how you can improve, including your content, speech, engagement, or presentation structure.

You can also provide post-presentation support. This could include: 

• Extra materials/data to support the topic you covered.
• A brief recap or summary of your presentation.
• Recordings of the online presentation.
• A link to a survey to note the material you could cover in the next presentations, ways you could improve, etc. 

Now, let’s take a look at some of the advantages of virtual presentations.

3 useful benefits of virtual presentations

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual presentations have been the norm for most organizations and companies. They’re more accessible and can accommodate a larger audience. 

Here’s how you can benefit from an effective virtual presentation. 

1. Higher inclusivity 

Virtual presentations offer more room for individuals to collaborate and learn. 

In a traditional presentation, most of the audience is limited by their geographical location. Only people who can access the location, and manage the time, can attend. 

In contrast, a virtual presentation has no bounds. 

People from all over the world can join in at the same time. It’s also highly accessible for people who otherwise wouldn’t attend physically due to health, childcare, or disabilities. 

2. More flexibility

Virtual presenters often offer recordings of the event for those who can’t attend. Moreover, you can also choose to keep your camera off while still attending. 

This makes it easier to participate in meetings. You also save more time by hosting shorter, more effective presentations. 

3. More economical 

When you’re virtually connecting with an audience, you use fewer resources than regular presentations. Organizers incur fewer electricity/venue costs, while participants have no travel costs at all. 

Virtual presentations also lower the company’s carbon footprint by lowering the number of unnecessary travel trips. They’re a great way to practice sustainable business practices.

Final thoughts

Virtual meetings and webinars often test your public speaking and presentation skills. 

You need to plan your presentation design and slide structure, manage distractions, and effectively deliver the content to the audience. You can also make good use of online presentation software to engage your audience better.

Use the tips and tools we covered here to understand how you can deliver effective virtual presentations today.

Book a free demo of Time Doctor

Liam Martin is a co-founder of Time Doctor which is software to improve productivity and help keep track and know what your team is working on, even when working from home.

Hiring flexible staff: Everything you need to know

Top 15 ground rules for your team’s virtual meetings, related posts, 8 strategies that can help optimize remote team structure, no promotions for dell’s work-from-home employees, how remote work is reshaping ireland, top 10 best countries for remote work in 2023, amc and zoom transform movie nights into meeting days, australian workers may secure legal right to work from home.

Home Blog Presentation Ideas A Guide to Mastering Virtual Presentations

A Guide to Mastering Virtual Presentations

Virtual presentations are becoming a standard. With over 30+ billion presentations being created every day, traditional in-person presentations, which used to be the commonality, are more and more being adapted to a more frequent online presentation scenario. 

Through the recent pandemic, the video conferencing platform, Zoom, had a participant increase of 2900% with a daily meeting participant figure of 350 million people in December 2020 alone. Yet, either triggered by the lack of human interaction or technological barriers, the truth is that online presentations can still and easily feel daunting.

That doesn’t need to be the case, however! With online presentation templates for a solid base and specific tactics to keep remote audiences engaged, presenters can easily connect with people in a virtual setting for great presentation success. 

This guide to virtual presentations provides a definition of virtual presentations, common examples, and instructions on how to best present online. 

What’s a virtual presentation?

A virtual presentation is an event whereby a presenter or a group of people face an audience online to go over virtual material of common interest. In the best of scenarios, a great rendition of an online presentation is clear, meeting a specific purpose that is of its audience’s interest. 

Examples of virtual presentations

At SlideModel, each of our PowerPoint templates sets a valuable example of the kind of virtual presentation that works best for very particular settings. These go over topics in business, strategy, marketing, and SWOT Analysis templates , to name a few. There are also different themes to these on diverse virtual presentation templates; the latest to suit numerous needs. 

As further examples of great online presentations, here’s a Notion at Work webinar titled Manage Your Contacts and Sales Funnel. It’s highly recommended by webinar software company LiveWebinar. This presentation’s style and setup might be of special interest to business presenters as it follows regular industry standards. 

How virtual presentations happen

Virtual presentations most commonly take place via web and/or video conferencing platforms . Though numerous tools exist to allow a presenter to meet an audience exclusively online, the most famous for this purpose are currently Zoom, as we described above, as much as Google Meet, and Skype. Other virtual presentations can take advantage of video presentations , where the presenter records the presentation, save it as a video, and then stream it to the target audience using a video presentation platform.

In general, these platforms include a screen-sharing ability to let presenters display online presentation decks . And they’ve become a great go-to resource with an augmented work-from-home (WFH) model worldwide. 

Presentation types

Internal virtual presentations (between colleagues).

We give these kinds of presentations to people within our organization. Whether it’s for the same department or team as ours or another stakeholder within our company, college, or any sort of official body with which we interact, internal presentations serve people whose interests and needs we can access first-hand via a common ground. 

Events (conferences, discussion panels, TED talks)

More public than the first item, virtual presentations can also be part of large events, whether these are public or private. Take all sorts of online conferences or talks into account. We can go online to meet worldwide communities of diverse sorts and be invited to speak at a discussion panel or conference, for example, making our presence visible to multiple computer users or over a single live broadcast on a large screen in an auditorium, for instance. 

Sales presentations with prospects

At times, pitches need to happen on-screen with potential prospects who give us a certain allotted timeframe in their schedules for us to touch base on our product or offer. Virtual sales pitch is another method to use.

Training/educational presentations

Other virtual presentations can be delivered for training purposes. Those can happen for internal and even external teams or as part of an educational program at different institutions. When we’re seeking to build talent up with new skills, our presentations require a lot of clarity with specific instructions, workflows, examples, charts, videos, and as many interactive or information-specific tools as possible. 

But how do we present online events like the above? 

How to Prepare for Virtual Presentations

Here are a few tips on how to best prepare for virtual presentations. We’ve made sure to include these steps as being well-prepared for an online meeting can significantly improve your road to success.

As usual, do your research before putting a single slide together. Reading up on what you will talk about to an audience can set an enormous difference between the knowledge you bring to a presentation and that of anyone else in the same room with you. Chances are that people listening to you as a presenter are very invested in your topic. As such, they can come from diverse backgrounds, and truly have a natural interest in what you have to say. Be valuable to your audience with high-quality content. For that, seek what interests them, how they respond to similar material, and the best ways in which you can engage them. 

Putting material together

Then, work at designing great PowerPoint slides . Keep a balance between design and content, tailoring what you present with your branding or voice in competitive, slick design that also clearly exposes your expertise. 

Consider your audience’s attention spans here. For that, spread content throughout several slides, if possible. Instead of packing each slide full of text or images, fill them with catchy titles, relevant sub-titles, meaningful text, and attention-grabbing visuals. Doing so will add dynamism and generate a more frequent visual change viewers are bound to appreciate. 

Add the above visual flow especially if your audience will need to spend a long time on-screen to follow you. Quicker online presentations can, on the contrary, afford concise and to-the-point material over the shortest amount of slides you can muster.  

Preparing your script

You may have all the know-how in the world on a given topic, company, subject of study, a product, or whatever is getting you to a virtual presentation need. Yet, an outline of ideas, a sequence of thoughts, and the most important areas of your presentation are all valuable tools to ensure success as you present. 

Write your thoughts out. Think of the sentences you’re verbalizing, how you’re phrasing your communications, and the order in which these will be presented. Slides don’t make up for your verbal communication. That vocal area needs preparation, too. 

Write an outline, jot down pointers, and even prepare an essay, if you must. However you feel most comfortable, a script in any form is necessary for a clear rendition of your ideas in front of an audience, whether that happens virtually or in person. 

While you’re at it, include attention-grabbers as you prepare what you’ll say. These can be as easy as saying: “Look over to our graph at the bottom right”, for example, inviting people to actually connect to what you’re presenting. These tricks are especially needed during a virtual presentation given the potential audiences have to be distracted via so many other means that are available on their computer, tablet, or cellphone. 

Practicing in front of an audience

Quite succinctly, peer feedback can do wonders for your virtual presentations. Gather whoever will connect with you to get their valuable insight on what’s coming through from your efforts. 

Sit back without judgment to listen to what business partners, friends, and even family have to say about your work.

Recording a demo

Tied to above, record that session. You can use it as your demo. 

Pushing you to be fully ready for a practice run will ensure you have thought about everything that matters for your final presentation. It will also add a level of security that can give you a more successful edge in the end. 

This practice might sound tedious, but it can also help your team, for example, if you bring people on board to your demo before you launch a product, face a client, present before a different department, face your teacher, and so much more!

Checking your online tools

Because online presentations essentially depend on technological tools, much more so than in any other kind of presentation setting, take the time to check everything works before you get started. 

Check your invitation links, log in to your meeting platform, open up relevant files, click on the presentation sharing icon, and make sure you’ve got all the privileges you need to perform any action you intend on making. Test your audio, try your mic and speakers, and hit the record button as a trial…do it all!

A demo, practice, and even setting 30 minutes ahead of your presentation can be golden for you to troubleshoot any unexpected technological failures. Go through your required steps one by one to make sure everything works!

Presenters are muted quite commonly and cannot get their volume to function, their cameras have stopped working, or they simply can’t share their screen. While no one will generally count that against anyone if the delays aren’t meaningful, this kind of setback can easily signal a lack of preparation. Because many issues can get in the way of a successful and timely virtual meeting, prepare for those challenges ahead of time. 

Concentration

Once your checklist up to here is done, remember to take some time for yourself. Seek your focus. However you concentrate best, find that mental spot where you can truly be attuned to your thoughts and the way you speak. Release any heavy emotions, such as anger, fear, anxiety, or stress. And seek to be balanced within your own self. Even three deep breaths can do the trick if time is pressing, but never forget to start presenting until you’re at your best concentration level. 

Putting yourself out there

Then go for it! Hit that record or live button, let people in your waiting room into your meeting area, say hi to anyone present, or let people know if you’re expecting anyone or waiting for someone for a few minutes. Become the host and take over as a leader, which is ultimately what presentations are about; for a specific period, all attention will be on you. Take your space, put yourself out there, and do your best. 

Establishing conversation

Virtual presentations don’t end when you’re done presenting your slides. Whenever possible, open up the space for the audience to give you feedback, ask questions, and engage in conversation with you. You can include a question and answer (Q&A) session or display frequently asked questions as a means of addressing commonly unclear areas. Also, leave room to address whatever comments come up via chat. 

By the way, just as a pointer to get your next presentation rolling, set the stage at the beginning of your online presentation in terms of when and how you’d like your audience to ask questions. Will everyone be able to stop you as you’re presenting to clear any items that come up? Or would you rather leave all questions for last? 

Commonly, addressing questions via chat or at the end of the session keeps your attendees’ focus under better control. Remember you’re directing people’s attention every time you present. This works just like a maestro would command an orchestra. Make the best of your expertise and knowledge to wow your audience with a unique presentation that gets people talking. 

Conclusions

Virtual meetings aren’t going anywhere. If anything, the use of online tools to group on a given topic is more and more common. As work-from-home leniency becomes widespread after COVID-19, especially, we can heavily rely on virtual presentations being here to stay. 

Consider using templates to help your slide quality. Templates are a great base for design as much as content. With industry or topic-specific material, templates are a great guide that can also accelerate how you create and share content in a high-paced environment. 

Like this article? Please share

Business PowerPoint Templates, Business Presentations, Communication Skills, Presentation Skills, Presentations, Verbal Communication, Virtual Presentations Filed under Presentation Ideas

Related Articles

Filed under Business • February 7th, 2024

How to Create & Present a Competitive Landscape Slide for Your Pitch Deck

Get to know how to properly create a winning competitive landscape slide for your pitch deck. Boost your pitch performance now.

Filed under Business • February 2nd, 2024

Business Plan Presentations: A Guide

Learn all that’s required to produce a high-quality business plan presentation in this guide. Suggested templates and examples are included.

Filed under Business • January 31st, 2024

How to Create a Sponsorship Deck (Guide + Examples)

Impress your audience and secure deals by knowing the insights on how to create a winning Sponsorship Deck. Step-by-step instructions + templates.

Leave a Reply

How To Ace Your Virtual Presentation: Our Top 10 Tips

Table of contents, what is a virtual presentation.

A virtual presentation is a demonstration, lecture, informational session or speech meant to inform, persuade, motivate, build goodwill , or present a new concept through a digital medium such as a web video conferencing software where the host, presenter and attendees are convening remotely.

Virtual presentations have gained popularity over the last decade due to the advancement of video web conferencing software such as Zoom and Google Meets as well as the convenience virtual presentations have afforded us. Virtual presentations have also helped break down challenges experienced in different fields of work and study.

How Are Virtual Presentations Different From Regular Presentations?

On the surface, it might seem that the only difference between a virtual, online presentation and an in-person presentation is the method in which it is delivered.

In reality, however, the two require different approaches to keep viewers engaged in the presentation. Here are two major differences between virtual and regular, in-person presentations you should consider when deciding if your next meeting should be held online or in-person:

Audience Members – Is The Audience Engaged?

Participants viewing a virtual presentation are far more easily distracted than a typical meeting participant would be when viewing the content in the same room as the presenter. With in-office presentations, participants are typically in the conference room, which is a controlled environment with fewer distractions competing for attention, making it easier to pay attention to what the speaker is saying.

Self-surveillance is also less prominent in a virtual meeting rather than in a physical meeting. When you’re in a room with other individuals, you subconsciously start to self-regulate your behaviour thinking others are watching you. For example, you will not find yourself looking at your phone and you will maintain eye contact with the speaker.

With virtual presentations, on the other hand, the attendee has the ability to turn off their video and microphone allowing them to easily switch their attention to other distractions like their phone or carry on side conversation without anyone else ever knowing.

Scalability & Flexibility

Unlike an in-person presentation where the host, presenter and attendees are physically present at a singular location in the real world, virtual presentations allow for greater scalability which is not bound by the physical environment they are held in.

An in-person meeting would have you bound to the limitations of the room or venue space and the flexibility of other people to attend the presentation at a singular location. On the other hand, a virtual presentation allows you to present to more people at the same time, aided by group video conferencing services, which allows for hundreds of participants per meeting. With a virtual presentation, you are not restricted to the physical capacity of a venue space or the challenge of traveling distances for people.

Either virtual or in person you need a visual presentation that captures the attention of your audience before you tell your story.

Here's One We Did For SalesForce

When the most dynamic CRM sales tool in the industry reaches out for help, we couldn’t resist joining forces. We worked with their team to develop a concept that aligned with their branding and allowed their “Sales Force” to share their value proposition with potential customers in an engaging way.

Why Are Virtual Presentations Important?

Virtual presentations are important because they help break down barriers when it comes to bridging time zones, connecting remote regions and keeping one another safe as we have recently seen with COVID-19.

Remote teams working in space or up north in remote regions are able to share their research and findings far more quickly and easily by being able to connect with other researchers around the world and discuss in real-time. Although it may seem like this could have been done with phone calls, fax machines or even videos, virtual presentations allow for a consolidated, streamlined process that allows for spur-of-the-moment conversations with multiple people in a live presentation format.

As globalization continues to impact our everyday lives, virtual presentations are another way we are connecting with one another around the world. With remote work on the rise , learning about virtual presentations and the nuances that come with them is an important skill to know as more companies, government agencies and cultures adopt virtual presentations and communication.

How Do You Create A Virtual Presentation?

With any other project you decide to take on, to make it excellent, knowing where to start and setting up a good foundation is key to its success. The same applies to virtual presentations. If you don’t have a solid plan in place or create a solid foundation on which to build your presentation upon, your presentation won’t be as successful as it could be.

We’ve put together our top four virtual presentation tips to bring your virtual presentation to life.

1) Start with your content

First, you need to start with your content and understand what message you want to share with your audience. You need to fully understand the topic and content at hand so you’re confident in your delivery.

Start by asking yourself some questions.

• What are the key takeaways you want everyone to leave with?
• What is the purpose of sharing this content?
• Is this content relevant?
• What questions might the audience have and do I know the answer to those questions

It might help to create a story around your topic with a beginning, middle and end to help guide you and your audience through the content.

2) Think about your slides

You want your slides to be engaging. Without engaging slides, you’ll lose the interest of your audience. Remember to keep slides colorful. Use an image or a graphic to help tell the story of the slide. Don’t go overboard though. Keep it simple and follow a 1:1 ratio. One image per slide.

3) Focus on your audience

Throughout your career, you’ll be presenting material to different audiences. Not every audience is the same. For younger audiences, you’ll want to use more visuals and use more vocal energy to keep the audience’s attention. For an older demographic, you might want to keep things more succinct, to the point and talk at a slower pace. It’s one thing to know the content and create a great presentation but it’s useless if you’re not sympathetic to how your audience gathers information.

4) Be dynamic

Keep the attention of your audience by being dynamic and not static. If you’re able to present with a webcam, then do so. Take advantage of as many tools and features as the video web conferencing software you decide to use will allow. For example, some software allows you to have the audience interact with your screen and slides. Depending on the content you’re delivering, you can even have the attendees break out into smaller groups. This will keep the presentation lively, unique and encourage audience participation. Ultimately, you want to keep it fun.

Get inspired with slide ideas from our portfolio

Our Top 10 Best Virtual Presentation Tips

Before you deliver your next virtual presentation , be sure to review these ten tips to help you prepare.

1) Proper Webcam & Lighting

First, check your webcam and lighting. Before you present, turn on your webcam and make sure you’re visible. Even if you think you have sufficient lighting, it’s always best to double-check as some webcams aren’t calibrated correctly. If you’re using a ring light, it may appear like a harsh, blue light is being used. Use this time to also check your microphone and audio source. You’ll be able to check the sound quality and ensure the audio pick-up levels are correct.

2) Familiarize Yourself With The Technology

If you’re not used to presenting virtually or you’re using new software, try practicing your delivery with the technology you’ll be using. If you run into any technical issues, you’ll be able to resolve them beforehand.

3) Check Internet Connection

This is absolutely critical . A virtual meeting or presentation is only possible with an internet connection. If you don’t have a proper internet connection, you won’t have a presentation. It’s also a good idea to practice presenting with all the technology you’ll be using as more software usage requires more internet bandwidth. If you plan on presenting with your webcam on, test your internet connection with your webcam on so you have an accurate measurement.

4) Talk To The Camera

When you’re delivering your message, make sure you keep eye contact with the camera . This will allow the audience who is watching your presentation to feel more connected and engaged. If you’re simply reading from a screen, it makes the presentation feel inauthentic, unpolished and it makes it seem like you’re not confident in the content you’re presenting.

5) Present As You Would In-Person

If you have the ability to stand up while presenting, you should . Standing is beneficial because it allows your airways to be fully open. While you’re sitting, your core is typically tight and you might find yourself hunched over. This will restrict your diaphragm from moving to its fullest potential. If you stand, you’ll have a much clearer voice when speaking.

6) Use Body Language

Keep your presentation dynamic. Your body is a communication tool. Use hand motions to emphasize key points. Use facial expressions to deliver emotion . The combination of body language with your words will help connect the audience to your message on a much deeper level.

7) Engage Your Audience Members

Keep your audience engaged and allow them to participate. Some ways you can keep your audience engaged is by using polling software to ask the audience questions. You can host a Q&A at the end of your meeting , or you can have them play games like Kahoot! to win prizes.

8) Have A Moderator

Having a moderator helps you stay focused. A moderator can help monitor the chat and gauge audience engagement. If you’re conducting a Q&A session, depending on the software you use, a moderator can help filter questions that might be inappropriate. They will screen questions before they are made public to the rest of your audience.

9) Use Evaluation Tools & Learn

This is a tip not many presenters take advantage of that will help you stand out amongst the rest and will make your next presentation even better. At the end of your presentation, consider sending out a poll. Ask for feedback from your audience to see how well you did . You might want to ask their opinion on the visuals, see what information they retained or see how you presented as a whole. If done correctly, for your next virtual presentation, you’ll know if you need to slow down if you’re a fast talker or if you need to add more visuals.

10) Be Yourself

The most important tip of them all is to be yourself . When you’re yourself, you’ll have fun. Presenting and everything will appear natural.

Are You In Need Of A Custom Presentation? We Can Help

Now it’s about you! Are you in need of a fresh, engaging presentation that captures your audiences attention? Whether you need a clean up, a re-design or a completely custom build we have you covered. You can find our presentation packages and pricing options here . Want to speak to a geek, click the button below.

Author:  Ryan

Related posts.

FREE PROFESSIONAL RESOURCES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX.

Subscribe for free tips, resources, templates, ideas and more from our professional team of presentation designers.

1 (800) 537-9001

• Shop Online

• Promotional Products
• Sustainable Swag
• Branded Apparel
• Retail Brands
• Pop-Up Shops
• Digital Marketing
• HubSpot Services
• Design & Creative
• Case Studies
• Creative Portfolio
• Comprehensive Guides
• Our Brand Story
• Get in Touch

Learning Center / For Marketers / Event Marketing

8 Tips for Creating More Effective Virtual Presentations

Virtual presentations pose different challenges. Here are 8 tips for creating more effective virtual presentations and keeping your audience engaged.

by David Houston

• Prep Your Tech
• Set the Scene
• Ditch the Sweatshirt
• Communicate Clear Expectations
• Choose Fonts Wisely
• Use Animation
• Create Sections

Your headphones are on, with seven tabs open on your screen. Your buzzing phone steals your attention for a second before your dog barks. Laptop in one hand, you walk and listen as you check to see who’s at the door…

All this while the presenter on the virtual presentation continues to drone on, oblivious to the thousands of distractions you're battling as you work from home.

Did I just describe the last virtual event you attended? You’re not alone. 

In June, 42% of the U.S. workforce was working from home, with virtual events up 1,000%. When home distractions combine with the virtual world’s flexibility, it’s harder than ever to stay engaged during a virtual presentation. This makes the bar for creating effective virtual presentations higher than ever.  

If you're a presenter, the only way to tackle these new challenges is to understand what makes a virtual presentation different. 

What are the Differences Between In-Person and Virtual Presentations? 

If you consider yourself pretty good at public speaking and presenting, it might be tempting to think you'd automatically master the virtual presentation. But there are key differences between the two formats that require seperate approaches to keeping your viewers engaged. Understanding the differences will help you effectively shift your strategy. 

In-Person Presentation

There are three main elements of a typical, in-person presentation: the presenter, the presentation, and the audience. Here’s what comes into play as these three parts interact:

• Charisma and body language - Because the presenter is there with the audience in person, the speaker’s ability to charm their listeners becomes a focus. The presenter is also able to use body language and interact with their slides. 
• The ability to read the room - Because the presenter is in the same place as their audience, they have a better sense of how they are being received. This can help them change their pace if they can tell the audience is getting bored. 
• Social convention - During an in-person presentation, most people won’t get up and leave because that’s considered rude. The audience also feeds off of each other. Laughter and applause are infectious, so even if someone tunes out, they might hear the crowd’s energy and tune back in. 

Virtual Presentation

When it comes to virtual presentations, the presenter, the presentation, and the audience are still the main three elements, but things look different. 

• Speaker and audience disconnect - In a virtual presentation, the presenter is often at home, and their audience can be anywhere in the world. This makes a strong presence more challenging to convey. Even the most commanding speaker lacks gravitas while viewed on a tiny window on a tiny screen. 
• Muted audience - Typically, the presenter can’t hear anything but their own voice. This can be unnerving, as the feedback loop with the audience is completely broken. 
• Audience distractions - Because the audience can’t be seen, they feel more liberated to multitask during a virtual presentation. Thus, the bar to retain attention is much higher when presenting online. Plus, the audience can’t feed off of other attendees’ energy. So if someone is tuned out, they will stay tuned out. Laughter and applause won’t bring them back.

8 Tips to Create More Effective Virtual Presentations

So how do you overcome these challenges and create an effective virtual presentation? There are many tips, tricks, and ideas out there, but ultimately it can be narrowed down to these two focuses: eliminating distractions and making content compelling . 

Eliminating Distractions

Understanding that more distractions will tempt your audience than ever before in a virtual setting, it’s important to eliminate distractions that you can control. Here are a few tips that will help keep your audience tuned in. 

1. Prep Your Tech

Ensuring you have the right tech set up to host and attend meetings is an absolute must. Double or triple check your microphone, webcam, and web connection before your presentation starts. Make sure you have enough bandwidth. Most virtual meeting providers like Zoom , Microsoft Teams , and Webex suggest somewhere in the region between 2-2.5 MB for both download and upload speed. 

2. Set the Scene

Since you’re not presenting on a formal stage or in front of a podium, it might take a bit more creativity to look professional. Clean up your background, and consider presenting in front of a blank wall instead of a cluttered room. 

If you don’t have this capability, a virtual background might be a good option. Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Webex all offer standard, templated backgrounds. Or you can get a bit more creative and create your own using a tool such as Canva, or if you’re a bit more advanced, Photoshop. 

3. Ditch the Sweatshirt

Again, looking professional is key. Not only will you come across as a more trustworthy source, but you’ll also feel more polish and prepared. When choosing an outfit for your presentation, consider avoiding disrupting patterns or shiny fabrics that might reflect on the camera. Keep your outfits simple; solid colors are best. The goal is to have your audience focused on you and not your clothes or surroundings. 

4. Communicate Clear Expectations

Nothing leads to distraction more than interruptions, especially from the audience. Avoid this by clearly setting expectations before your presentation begins. Let your audience know when they should ask questions or expect to participate. For larger audiences, utilize the chat function of virtual meeting platforms for questions. This will avoid everyone talking over each other. Ask your audience to mute themselves before you begin to eliminate any background noise or other interruptions that could distract. 

Making Content Compelling 

The second, but equally important step to creating more effective virtual presentations is to make compelling content. Sounds pretty obvious, right? Unfortunately, there’s a lot of presenters that don’t follow through with this step - and it shows, especially on a virtual platform where your presentation is the central focus. 

Here are a few action items to help make your content more compelling. 

5. Use Images

This is a must. According to Prezi’s State of Presentations report , visual aids make presentations 43% more persuasive. Images and visual aids can also help explain complex information more coherently, leading to a better learning experience for your audience. If they understand what you’re saying, they are less likely to tune out and more likely to be engaged. 

6. Choose Fonts Wisely

How often do we just slap on a font because it looks nice? I know I’m guilty of it. But fonts are important, especially when it comes to creating a pleasing visual experience for your audience. It’s important to select fonts that aren’t distracting, while also have a broad range of styles to help you illustrate and emphasize different points. Consider avoiding fonts like Calibri, Cambria, or Arial, as these standard fonts don’t offer style options. A better option is Helvetica, which comes in a broad range of weights and styles.  

7. Use Animation

With so many different presentation tools out there, animation is fairly easy to incorporate into slideshows. By adding movement to text, graphics, and images you will be creating a more dynamic and engaging experience for your audience. Animation can also help you as a presenter pace your presentation. 

Powerpoint users can utilize the Morph Tool , for an easy way to automatically animate, move and emphasize objects on slides. 

Here’s how to use it: 

• Create your slide with the text and/or graphic elements on it.  
• Once your finished with the initial slide design, right click on that slide in the Slide Sort on the left and select "Duplicate Slide."
• On your new duplicated slide, move items/text around, change their properties, add effects, etc. 
• With that same slide still selected, navigate to the "Transitions" tab and select "Morph."
• Finally, click “Preview” on the left side of the "Transitions" tab to see your animation in action! When there are common objects in two back-to-back slides, PowerPoint recognizes that and applies a smooth and simple animation transition from slide to slide. 

This tool is helpful when trying to present a complex idea to your audience. If you have a detailed graphic with a lot of different elements,  instead of showing the image as a whole, consider using the Morph transition to zoom in to detailed portions of the graphic. Move your presentation along with it to focus on certain sections within. Below is an example of this tool in action: 

8. Create Sections

Linear presentations are a bore. 64% of people believe that a flexible presentation with two-way interaction is more engaging. This can be a challenge with virtual presentations because that audience feedback loop is broken. But creating sections can help piece the disconnect back together. Sections will allow a pause for questions or a time to incorporate a “quiz/chat/or polls” section to get the audience involved. You can achieve this in Powerpoint by utilizing the Slide Zoom Tool . 

• First, you will need to divide your slides into sections by right-clicking on your slides and adding a section name. 
• Go to “Insert”, and find the “Zoom” option.
• Click “Section Zoom”. 
• Select which slides you would like, and choose insert.
• You then have a thumbnail of that slide, which you can use as an active link to that section. 
• Create a “table of contents” with these thumbnails, and you will have an easy way to break up and transition your presentation into different sections.

Utilize the Opportunities Virtual Presentations Offer 

We talked a lot about the challenges that virtual presentations pose, but we also can’t ignore the opportunities they offer. Sure, different processes and focuses become important when going virtual, but if we embrace these changes, we’ll open up new possibilities. 

Yes, your audience might be more distracted and maybe more disjointed than if you had the crowd in front of you in person. But with a virtual presentation, you have the capability to reach more people than ever before . 

Because the barrier of travel has been eliminated, your attendees could quite possibly be all over the globe. Keep this in mind when you're planning your presentation. Be mindful of time differences and schedules. And don’t forget the vast opportunity that you and your message has with this extended reach. 

Creating and delivering effective virtual presentations will look a bit different than the traditional in-person method. But embrace these challenges. With the right strategy and the right content,  you’ll be opening new doors of opportunity

Get actionable marketing and product insights from The LATEST

• For Marketers
• Event Marketing

Published on November 2, 2020

Continue learning with these related articles

Social Media

Best social media lead generation tactics for 2024.

November 2, 2020  •  4 min read

Website Design

5 ux best practices you need to know (+examples).

November 2, 2020  •  5 min read

Digital Marketing for Manufacturers: Best Practices for 2024

November 2, 2020  •  6 min read

Delta Marketing Group

78 Ethan Allen Drive South Burlington, VT 05403

Quick Links

• Get The LATEST

Branded Merchandise

Marketing solutions, learning center.

© 2024 Delta Marketing Group Privacy Policy | Trademarks

• Success Stories

They Ask, You Answer Mastery

A coaching & training program that drives unmatched sales & marketing results.

Sales Performance Mastery

Improve the competencies and close rates of your sales organization.

Website Mastery

Web design, development & training for your team.

HubSpot Mastery

Everything you need to get the most from HubSpot.

AI Enablement Mastery

Unlock the power of AI in all aspects of your revenue operations.

More Services

• Paid Search & Social
• Request a Speaker
• Join the Community

Learning Center

Free resources to help you improve the way you market, sell and grow your business.

• Podcast Episodes
• Tools & Assessments

Quick Links

• What is They Ask, You Answer
• Free Sales & Marketing Assessment
• Certifications
• The Endless Customers Podcast
• Meet the Team
• Certified Coaches

Free Assessment:  How does your sales & marketing measure up?

Free Assessment:

By Stephanie Baiocchi

Jan 20, 2021

Join 40,000+ sales and marketing pros who receive our weekly newsletter.

Get the most relevant, actionable digital sales and marketing insights you need to make smarter decisions faster... all in under five minutes.

8 ways to make your virtual presentation memorable and engaging

Virtual event presentation tips

• Look and sound professional
• Optimize your internet speed
• Get to know your audience
• Get familiar with the tech
• Optimize your slide content and layout
• Utilize segments
• Involve your audience in your presentation 
• Use all of your on-screen space 

As we come up on a full year of online events replacing in-person events , I often wonder how many people have been burned by poor virtual event experiences. How many people have sat through so many hours of boring Zooms they’ll never give another virtual event a chance? 

How can we, as event planners and presenters, combat this virtual event fatigue and bring quality content to the table for our attendees? 

Cristian Shirilla got creative since he was stuck in quarantine while creating his talk for Video Sales & Marketing World

After producing seven virtual events in 2020 and attending countless others, I’ve learned quite a bit about what it takes to make a great online presentation that captivates, educates, entertains, and leaves people feeling like it was a fantastic use of their time. 

I’ve distilled these down into some of the key things you can do right now to improve your virtual event presentations. Here are eight ways to make your virtual presentations memorable and engaging:

1. Look and sound professional

The way you look and sound are the foundation for your virtual event presentation. 

Without high-quality audio and proper lighting, even the best content won’t be enough to engage your audience. In fact, poor audio or lighting can even distract so much from your presentation, people may only remember those negatives, or worse, tune out completely.

Fortunately, there are a few simple ways to make sure your audio and video are ready for showtime. 

First off, make sure you have the right equipment. Let’s talk audio . Using an external microphone or even headphones with a microphone can make a huge difference in the quality of your audio content. It helps eliminate echo, makes sound more crisp, and avoids background noise.

Once you’ve nailed your audio, it’s time to work on video quality . Your laptop’s built-in webcam is probably decent enough but you have other options. If your session is pre-recorded and you have a relatively new smartphone, you can likely film your talk on your phone and wind up with higher video quality. Another option is to use an external camera that connects to your computer. 

I asked speaker Ramon Ray for his thoughts on this. He said “[I use a] Logitech Brio with Logitech Capture Software . SO MANY people are into the ATEM Mini and other really "cool" and advanced solutions - but I wanted something simpler with minimal hardware and heard about this!”

His camera quality is great even when zoomed in as you can see below: 

Finally, you’ve got to nail your lighting. 

First, try to face a window to get as much natural light as possible (though avoid direct sunlight!). If that doesn’t cut it, Grab any lamps available around you and position them in front of and beside you. A simple and inexpensive ring light can also be a great solution. As you’ll be the focus of this talk, make your face well-lit without significant shadows. 

However, when it comes to lighting, fixing one problem may create another: glasses glare. To avoid glasses glare from additional lights, I recommend adding something to soften the lights if possible or potentially removing your glasses. If all else fails, simply tilt your head until you find a comfortable angle that avoids glare as much as possible. 

Showing my overhead lighting (and how to avoid a double chin) in my session at Video Sales & Marketing World on "How to Look and Sound Great on Camera"

When you put your camera, lights, and audio setup all together you’ll be ready to give a next-level presentation with flawless quality! 

David Meerman Scott’s tech setup

David Meerman Scott’s setup shown above you can see how he has an external camera attached to his computer, a ring light, and more. Granted, David’s setup allows him to do unique things like have his slides behind him so his video takes up the full screen in any platform he’s presenting in.

David Meerman Scott’s presentation setup

In his book, Standout Virtual Events , David talks about how we need to get creative with virtual and not simply try to replicate what we did at in-person events. 

2. Optimize your internet speed 

Ah, internet. The downfall of even the best speakers can be poor internet connection. There’s nothing more disappointing than getting to the most important moment in your talk only to have your connection cut out! 

There are a few simple things you can do to improve your internet net speed to make sure you’re ready to go for your presentation.

Before anything else, test your speed using a simple (and free) internet speed test tool like Speedtest by Ookla . Once you’ve evaluated your internet speed, you can look for ways to improve it if necessary. 

The minimum bandwidth for using Zoom is actually quite low (about 1.5 mbps) but for quality streaming, it’s important to have faster speed and a consistent and reliable connection.

So what can you do? First, close out all tabs and applications you’re not using on both your computer and other devices. In fact, I recommend taking your phone off WiFi as well and, if you can, prioritize your device during your talk. 

If you’re really struggling, before you go all-in on paying for faster internet, you can try moving closer to your router or even connecting directly with an ethernet cable. Sometimes a certain wall or obstruction can be causing more problems than you might think.

Finally, you can get a WiFi extender to help your internet reach your desk with a little more strength. Goodbye choppy internet connection and hello smooth sailing presentations. I personally have the Google Nest WiFi mesh system and I absolutely love it.

3. Get to know your audience

One simple way to make your presentation better that is often overlooked is getting to know your audience. When you present, make sure you take the time to talk with the organizer of the event ahead of time to learn more. 

Ask them what the attendees are expecting from the event, who they are, and what they’re like. Is this a professional event or more personal? Is it intended to be tactical or inspirational? This will serve as a basis for how you guide your session. 

We saw a great example of this recently at IMPACT. We had a magician at our end-of-year celebration and he not only took the time to get to know our event, he looked up information about our company and worked it into his tricks. 

Magician Daniel Martin performing at IMPACT’s end-of-year celebration 

By taking time to understand the goals and vision of the event and the audience, you can tailor your presentation to be more relevant. This will also help you keep your audience engaged because they’ll see you’ve taken time to care about them specifically and are not just regurgitating a previous talk again and again. 

4. Get familiar with the tech ahead of time

No matter how many virtual presentations you’ve done in the past, it’s your duty as a speaker to make sure you know the platform you’ll be using. 

Even if it’s something you use often, like Zoom, platforms we know well evolve and there are more variables that come into play. Maybe the event organizer has turned on breakout rooms or turned off the ability for the audience to chat. Perhaps you plan on using polls but the organization hosting the event hasn’t upgraded to the level of Zoom that offers. 

🔎 Related: 5 best virtual event software options for businesses and brands

If the event host offers a tech rehearsal or gives you any guidance ( which they should ), take advantage. If not, make sure that you check in with the event organizer early on to confirm all tech details. 

Beyond just the event platform, you need to be comfortable with your own tech as well. If you get a new camera or microphone, make sure you’ve tested it on your own time. Don’t be caught fumbling with the audio source as you’re trying to start your talk. 

While a poor tech experience can make attendees quickly lose interest, a polished and flawless presentation can captivate your audience and keep them wanting more. 

Be memorable for your polish and not your stumbles.

For instance, when speaker Ian Altman played an audio clip of a mock sales call while showing the call notes being typed, complete with typing sound effects, in his presentation at our Digital Sales & Marketing World keynote event, our audience was blown away. 

They were far more engaged than they may have been if he just told the story without any audio or visual additions. 

But, if this had been a clunky experience where Ian had struggled with the sound or screen sharing, the moment would have completely lost its magic. How smoothly he pulled this off played a huge part in the success of this presentation. He had clearly practiced this and was confident in delivering the message while running the presentation. 

He didn’t just get to know his tech - he leveled up his presentation by pushing the boundaries of what live streaming tech can do. 

If you have slides and plan to share your screen, you may want to use a clicker. This can be incredibly helpful when you want to stand farther away from your camera. 

5. Optimize your slide content and layout

When designing your presentation slides, they’ll probably be larger to you than they’ll eventually be to your audience. Make sure you design them with large text and simple bullet points, much like you would if you were presenting at an in-person event. 

If an event gives you a template to use you should follow their guidelines but if your text feels small, you can ask them for a screenshot of what the final presentation will look like in the platform. 

In addition to the size of your text and images, make sure your slide content is brief. If attendees are forced to read too much they’ll focus on reading and tune out the speaker. 

Ann Handley does a fantastic job of making her slides simple visual aids that guide her conversation without being distracting. They are easy to read and reinforce her point.

If you’re using animated GIFs in your presentation, make sure those are not on screen for too long that the repetition becomes distracting. 

Perhaps, you don’t even want to have slides and want to go a more analog route. (or ANNalog route…) In addition to great digital slides, Ann Handley has been making custom-designed hand-drawn “slides'' for some of her presentations. This is a fun way to surprise the audience with something different and show that you put a lot of time and care into preparing your talk.

Finally, consider how you’ll share your slides and screen. While not every platform may allow for this, you can get creative by putting slides behind you or beside you. 

Many presenters, including Ian Altman who I referenced above, use a platform called ECamm Live to help make this possible. The Ecamm Live broadcasting studio allows you to add background content, overlays, and more. 

6. Utilize segments 

In addition to making your content easy to read, you also want it to be easy to follow. Dividing your content up into segments can help with this. 

While this is true of any presentation, even in-person ones, it becomes even more important when you’re presenting in a virtual space because you don’t have the audience’s collective energy to draw from. 

In fact, you may be losing your audience without even realizing it. Everyone’s attention spans are short and there are plenty of distractions just a click away with email, phones, and more. 

Segments help keep your audience with you throughout your talk by dividing it up into chunks they can pay attention to for shorter periods of time. 

IMPACT’s Zach Basner does a fantastic job working segments into his talks to make it easy to follow along with what he’s teaching. 

You can clearly see from this slide he’s going to cover four things: composition, exposure, lighting, and audio. He then has each of these segment titles pop up when he starts a new segment in his presentation to help the audience follow along. 

Dividing content up like this makes it easier to digest and retain as well as easier for you to present. 

7. Involve your audience in your presentation

Yeah, yeah, I know, the concept of “engaging your audience” is not only a given it’s kind of been beaten to death. However, there are endless new ways to get creative with how you engage your audience. Involving your audience in your presentation is the best way to keep their attention and help them feel connected to you even through a screen. 

Ian Altman uses Ecamm Live to take questions from the audience Q&A and put them on screen while he answers them. This simple addition of putting the question on screen makes attendees feel more involved. 

He uses this same functionality, shown below, to share poll results, offers, links to his website, and more. 

Polls and Q&A work great but how can you take it a step further? What if when you asked a question you gave a copy of your favorite book to the first person who answered? What if the first person to speak up in a discussion got a coffee on you? 

In one of our recent events, a speaker asked a question and when someone answered, he surprised them by telling them they’d receive a copy of his book for being the first to participate.

This is a great way to surprise and delight your attendees and keep them paying attention wondering what will happen next. It also helps bring your virtual interactions into the real world, making them that much more memorable and meaningful. 

You can also engage your audience via social media through hashtags, community groups, and more. While not everyone will have two monitors, many are capable of multitasking to watch and participate in a virtual event at the same time. 

🔎 Related: Use Text-to-Subscribe at Live Events to Supercharge Your Email Marketing

8. Use all of your on-screen space

Last, but certainly not least, one of the most important things you can do to be memorable and engaging in your virtual talk is to make good use of all of your on-screen space. This includes everything from your background to the clothes you’re wearing. 

Your clothing on screen

For instance, if your shirt has a logo on it, is it visible? YouTuber Philip DeFranco created these shirts so that his phone number would always show up on the screen during his daily videos: 

I always wear a shirt with IMPACT’s logo whenever I’m speaking at external events as a subtle reminder of who I represent. 

Many dress “up” for presentations as they would for in-person talks. Though you don’t have to go all-in on this of course! Take Marcus Sheridan for example. He’s business on the top but comfy on the bottom. 

Framing your shot

When you set up your camera be sure to test how you look and your distance from the camera. 

David Meerman Scott often talks about how your proximity to the camera affects how your audience will perceive what you’re saying. You need to be close enough to make it feel like a conversation you’d have in person, but not so close that it’s distracting. 

When a presenter is in-frame, you can see their facial expressions and absorb what they’re saying along with their visual cues. However, if someone stands too far back or even sits down and leans back in a chair (yes, I’ve seen people do this), it not only makes it harder to pay attention, it feels like the speaker isn’t engaged in the presentation.

Making the most of your background

In addition to how your face and clothing show up on camera, consider your background. 

You especially want to make sure there’s nothing potentially offensive or incredibly distracting in your background. However, your background is also a chance to share a little about yourself with the audience and extend your brand. 

For instance, Ann Handley redesigned her bookshelf to be color-blocked and it now serves as the background for many of her talks. As an author, this makes perfect sense for her brand and adds an interesting element to her background without being distracting.

If you don’t have the space or ability to create something like this though, not to worry! You can purchase a simple background you can easily set up and take down on the fly. There are many available at a low cost on Amazon such as this one used by Marcus Sheridan:

Ian Altman has two sets: one for sitting and one for standing. One is a physical background and one is virtual via Ecamm Live. You can read about his entire production setup here .

Ian Altman’s “standing” virtual background setup using Ecamm Live

Making your virtual presentation unforgettable

When it comes to virtual presentations in 2021, the bar is set higher than ever before. Audiences expect more from speakers and expect you to deliver. Now is the time to make sure you’ve covered all your bases from tech to setup to content and beyond. 

So, what will you do next to make your next presentation a success? Order some custom t-shirts with your logo up higher? (I’m definitely considering that one.) Change up your background? See what else your presentation software is capable of?

2021 is the year presenters will get creative with their online presentations and believe me, attendees expect nothing less.

Related Articles

5 best marketing events to attend for the rest of 2022.

6 powerful trade show budget alternatives to drive growth

7 tips for effective virtual event speaker guidelines (examples and best practices), 5 best virtual event software options for businesses and brands, covid-19 made them a necessity, but virtual events are here to stay, how to find and manage speakers for your virtual events, how long does it really take to plan a successful virtual event, what does a virtual event sponsorship actually look like, 8 best virtual digital sales and marketing events in 2020.

How much does a virtual event consultant cost?

Virtual summits and the future of business events in a post-covid-19 era [infographic].

Without COVID-19 vaccine, most marketers won't attend in-person conferences in 2020 (I doubt they're alone)

What a best-in-class virtual events team looks like (recommended roles + examples), how to promote a virtual event (our 8 best tips and strategies).

Virtual event planning: How we took a 3,000-person virtual sales and marketing event from idea to reality [Interview]

Struggling with event sponsorships? This is likely why

"how oli billson has driven $1 million+ in revenue from 5 small events" (inbound success ep. 92), how to drive hundreds of webinar registrations [case study], how to create an event marketing strategy from scratch [template], 4 simple reasons why your event sponsorship will fail.

Google Maps May Soon Let Businesses Create & Share Public Events

Use text-to-subscribe at live events to supercharge your email marketing, the 3 stages of successful live event marketing (& tips for nailing each), you’re thinking about the roi of sponsorships all wrong. here’s the reality., join the 40,000+ sales and marketing pros who receive our weekly insights, tips, and best practices., thanks, stay tuned for our upcoming edition..

We use essential cookies to make Venngage work. By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.

Manage Cookies

Cookies and similar technologies collect certain information about how you’re using our website. Some of them are essential, and without them you wouldn’t be able to use Venngage. But others are optional, and you get to choose whether we use them or not.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

These cookies are always on, as they’re essential for making Venngage work, and making it safe. Without these cookies, services you’ve asked for can’t be provided.

Show cookie providers

• Google Login

Functionality Cookies

These cookies help us provide enhanced functionality and personalisation, and remember your settings. They may be set by us or by third party providers.

Performance Cookies

These cookies help us analyze how many people are using Venngage, where they come from and how they're using it. If you opt out of these cookies, we can’t get feedback to make Venngage better for you and all our users.

• Google Analytics

Targeting Cookies

These cookies are set by our advertising partners to track your activity and show you relevant Venngage ads on other sites as you browse the internet.

• Google Tag Manager
• Infographics
• Daily Infographics
• Graphic Design
• Graphs and Charts
• Data Visualization
• Human Resources
• Training and Development
• Beginner Guides

Blog Beginner Guides

How To Make a Good Presentation [A Complete Guide]

By Krystle Wong , Jul 20, 2023

A top-notch presentation possesses the power to drive action. From winning stakeholders over and conveying a powerful message to securing funding — your secret weapon lies within the realm of creating an effective presentation .  

Being an excellent presenter isn’t confined to the boardroom. Whether you’re delivering a presentation at work, pursuing an academic career, involved in a non-profit organization or even a student, nailing the presentation game is a game-changer.

In this article, I’ll cover the top qualities of compelling presentations and walk you through a step-by-step guide on how to give a good presentation. Here’s a little tip to kick things off: for a headstart, check out Venngage’s collection of free presentation templates . They are fully customizable, and the best part is you don’t need professional design skills to make them shine!

These valuable presentation tips cater to individuals from diverse professional backgrounds, encompassing business professionals, sales and marketing teams, educators, trainers, students, researchers, non-profit organizations, public speakers and presenters. 

No matter your field or role, these tips for presenting will equip you with the skills to deliver effective presentations that leave a lasting impression on any audience.

Click to jump ahead:

What are the 10 qualities of a good presentation?

Step-by-step guide on how to prepare an effective presentation, 9 effective techniques to deliver a memorable presentation, faqs on making a good presentation, how to create a presentation with venngage in 5 steps.

When it comes to giving an engaging presentation that leaves a lasting impression, it’s not just about the content — it’s also about how you deliver it. Wondering what makes a good presentation? Well, the best presentations I’ve seen consistently exhibit these 10 qualities:

1. Clear structure

No one likes to get lost in a maze of information. Organize your thoughts into a logical flow, complete with an introduction, main points and a solid conclusion. A structured presentation helps your audience follow along effortlessly, leaving them with a sense of satisfaction at the end.

Regardless of your presentation style , a quality presentation starts with a clear roadmap. Browse through Venngage’s template library and select a presentation template that aligns with your content and presentation goals. Here’s a good presentation example template with a logical layout that includes sections for the introduction, main points, supporting information and a conclusion: 

2. Engaging opening

Hook your audience right from the start with an attention-grabbing statement, a fascinating question or maybe even a captivating anecdote. Set the stage for a killer presentation!

The opening moments of your presentation hold immense power – check out these 15 ways to start a presentation to set the stage and captivate your audience.

3. Relevant content

Make sure your content aligns with their interests and needs. Your audience is there for a reason, and that’s to get valuable insights. Avoid fluff and get straight to the point, your audience will be genuinely excited.

4. Effective visual aids

Picture this: a slide with walls of text and tiny charts, yawn! Visual aids should be just that—aiding your presentation. Opt for clear and visually appealing slides, engaging images and informative charts that add value and help reinforce your message.

With Venngage, visualizing data takes no effort at all. You can import data from CSV or Google Sheets seamlessly and create stunning charts, graphs and icon stories effortlessly to showcase your data in a captivating and impactful way.

5. Clear and concise communication

Keep your language simple, and avoid jargon or complicated terms. Communicate your ideas clearly, so your audience can easily grasp and retain the information being conveyed. This can prevent confusion and enhance the overall effectiveness of the message. 

6. Engaging delivery

Spice up your presentation with a sprinkle of enthusiasm! Maintain eye contact, use expressive gestures and vary your tone of voice to keep your audience glued to the edge of their seats. A touch of charisma goes a long way!

7. Interaction and audience engagement

Turn your presentation into an interactive experience — encourage questions, foster discussions and maybe even throw in a fun activity. Engaged audiences are more likely to remember and embrace your message.

Transform your slides into an interactive presentation with Venngage’s dynamic features like pop-ups, clickable icons and animated elements. Engage your audience with interactive content that lets them explore and interact with your presentation for a truly immersive experience.

8. Effective storytelling

Who doesn’t love a good story? Weaving relevant anecdotes, case studies or even a personal story into your presentation can captivate your audience and create a lasting impact. Stories build connections and make your message memorable.

A great presentation background is also essential as it sets the tone, creates visual interest and reinforces your message. Enhance the overall aesthetics of your presentation with these 15 presentation background examples and captivate your audience’s attention.

9. Well-timed pacing

Pace your presentation thoughtfully with well-designed presentation slides, neither rushing through nor dragging it out. Respect your audience’s time and ensure you cover all the essential points without losing their interest.

10. Strong conclusion

Last impressions linger! Summarize your main points and leave your audience with a clear takeaway. End your presentation with a bang , a call to action or an inspiring thought that resonates long after the conclusion.

In-person presentations aside, acing a virtual presentation is of paramount importance in today’s digital world. Check out this guide to learn how you can adapt your in-person presentations into virtual presentations . 

Preparing an effective presentation starts with laying a strong foundation that goes beyond just creating slides and notes. One of the quickest and best ways to make a presentation would be with the help of a good presentation software . 

Otherwise, let me walk you to how to prepare for a presentation step by step and unlock the secrets of crafting a professional presentation that sets you apart.

1. Understand the audience and their needs

Before you dive into preparing your masterpiece, take a moment to get to know your target audience. Tailor your presentation to meet their needs and expectations , and you’ll have them hooked from the start!

2. Conduct thorough research on the topic

Time to hit the books (or the internet)! Don’t skimp on the research with your presentation materials — dive deep into the subject matter and gather valuable insights . The more you know, the more confident you’ll feel in delivering your presentation.

3. Organize the content with a clear structure

No one wants to stumble through a chaotic mess of information. Outline your presentation with a clear and logical flow. Start with a captivating introduction, follow up with main points that build on each other and wrap it up with a powerful conclusion that leaves a lasting impression.

Delivering an effective business presentation hinges on captivating your audience, and Venngage’s professionally designed business presentation templates are tailor-made for this purpose. With thoughtfully structured layouts, these templates enhance your message’s clarity and coherence, ensuring a memorable and engaging experience for your audience members.

Don’t want to build your presentation layout from scratch? pick from these 5 foolproof presentation layout ideas that won’t go wrong. 

4. Develop visually appealing and supportive visual aids

Spice up your presentation with eye-catching visuals! Create slides that complement your message, not overshadow it. Remember, a picture is worth a thousand words, but that doesn’t mean you need to overload your slides with text.

Well-chosen designs create a cohesive and professional look, capturing your audience’s attention and enhancing the overall effectiveness of your message. Here’s a list of carefully curated PowerPoint presentation templates and great background graphics that will significantly influence the visual appeal and engagement of your presentation.

5. Practice, practice and practice

Practice makes perfect — rehearse your presentation and arrive early to your presentation to help overcome stage fright. Familiarity with your material will boost your presentation skills and help you handle curveballs with ease.

6. Seek feedback and make necessary adjustments

Don’t be afraid to ask for help and seek feedback from friends and colleagues. Constructive criticism can help you identify blind spots and fine-tune your presentation to perfection.

With Venngage’s real-time collaboration feature , receiving feedback and editing your presentation is a seamless process. Group members can access and work on the presentation simultaneously and edit content side by side in real-time. Changes will be reflected immediately to the entire team, promoting seamless teamwork.

7. Prepare for potential technical or logistical issues

Prepare for the unexpected by checking your equipment, internet connection and any other potential hiccups. If you’re worried that you’ll miss out on any important points, you could always have note cards prepared. Remember to remain focused and rehearse potential answers to anticipated questions.

8. Fine-tune and polish your presentation

As the big day approaches, give your presentation one last shine. Review your talking points, practice how to present a presentation and make any final tweaks. Deep breaths — you’re on the brink of delivering a successful presentation!

In competitive environments, persuasive presentations set individuals and organizations apart. To brush up on your presentation skills, read these guides on how to make a persuasive presentation and tips to presenting effectively . 

Whether you’re an experienced presenter or a novice, the right techniques will let your presentation skills soar to new heights!

From public speaking hacks to interactive elements and storytelling prowess, these 9 effective presentation techniques will empower you to leave a lasting impression on your audience and make your presentations unforgettable.

1. Confidence and positive body language

Positive body language instantly captivates your audience, making them believe in your message as much as you do. Strengthen your stage presence and own that stage like it’s your second home! Stand tall, shoulders back and exude confidence. 

2. Eye contact with the audience

Break down that invisible barrier and connect with your audience through their eyes. Maintaining eye contact when giving a presentation builds trust and shows that you’re present and engaged with them.

3. Effective use of hand gestures and movement

A little movement goes a long way! Emphasize key points with purposeful gestures and don’t be afraid to walk around the stage. Your energy will be contagious!

4. Utilize storytelling techniques

Weave the magic of storytelling into your presentation. Share relatable anecdotes, inspiring success stories or even personal experiences that tug at the heartstrings of your audience. Adjust your pitch, pace and volume to match the emotions and intensity of the story. Varying your speaking voice adds depth and enhances your stage presence.

5. Incorporate multimedia elements

Spice up your presentation with a dash of visual pizzazz! Use slides, images and video clips to add depth and clarity to your message. Just remember, less is more—don’t overwhelm them with information overload. 

Turn your presentations into an interactive party! Involve your audience with questions, polls or group activities. When they actively participate, they become invested in your presentation’s success. Bring your design to life with animated elements. Venngage allows you to apply animations to icons, images and text to create dynamic and engaging visual content.

6. Utilize humor strategically

Laughter is the best medicine—and a fantastic presentation enhancer! A well-placed joke or lighthearted moment can break the ice and create a warm atmosphere , making your audience more receptive to your message.

7. Practice active listening and respond to feedback

Be attentive to your audience’s reactions and feedback. If they have questions or concerns, address them with genuine interest and respect. Your responsiveness builds rapport and shows that you genuinely care about their experience.

8. Apply the 10-20-30 rule

Apply the 10-20-30 presentation rule and keep it short, sweet and impactful! Stick to ten slides, deliver your presentation within 20 minutes and use a 30-point font to ensure clarity and focus. Less is more, and your audience will thank you for it!

9. Implement the 5-5-5 rule

Simplicity is key. Limit each slide to five bullet points, with only five words per bullet point and allow each slide to remain visible for about five seconds. This rule keeps your presentation concise and prevents information overload.

Simple presentations are more engaging because they are easier to follow. Summarize your presentations and keep them simple with Venngage’s gallery of simple presentation templates and ensure that your message is delivered effectively across your audience.

1. How to start a presentation?

To kick off your presentation effectively, begin with an attention-grabbing statement or a powerful quote. Introduce yourself, establish credibility and clearly state the purpose and relevance of your presentation.

2. How to end a presentation?

For a strong conclusion, summarize your talking points and key takeaways. End with a compelling call to action or a thought-provoking question and remember to thank your audience and invite any final questions or interactions.

3. How to make a presentation interactive?

To make your presentation interactive, encourage questions and discussion throughout your talk. Utilize multimedia elements like videos or images and consider including polls, quizzes or group activities to actively involve your audience.

In need of inspiration for your next presentation? I’ve got your back! Pick from these 120+ presentation ideas, topics and examples to get started. 

Creating a stunning presentation with Venngage is a breeze with our user-friendly drag-and-drop editor and professionally designed templates for all your communication needs. 

Here’s how to make a presentation in just 5 simple steps with the help of Venngage:

Step 1: Sign up for Venngage for free using your email, Gmail or Facebook account or simply log in to access your account. 

Step 2: Pick a design from our selection of free presentation templates (they’re all created by our expert in-house designers).

Step 3: Make the template your own by customizing it to fit your content and branding. With Venngage’s intuitive drag-and-drop editor, you can easily modify text, change colors and adjust the layout to create a unique and eye-catching design.

Step 4: Elevate your presentation by incorporating captivating visuals. You can upload your images or choose from Venngage’s vast library of high-quality photos, icons and illustrations. 

Step 5: Upgrade to a premium or business account to export your presentation in PDF and print it for in-person presentations or share it digitally for free!

By following these five simple steps, you’ll have a professionally designed and visually engaging presentation ready in no time. With Venngage’s user-friendly platform, your presentation is sure to make a lasting impression. So, let your creativity flow and get ready to shine in your next presentation!

• Extraordinary Leadership
• Extraordinary Service
• Extraordinary Organizational Performance
• Meeting Planners

View Cart Checkout

• No products in the cart.

Subtotal: $ 0.00

Your future is more digital than it ever was. The exponential growth of technology has impacted every aspect of how we live and do business.

One big example: virtual presentations. While virtual meetings are not a new phenomenon, their frequency has increased drastically, largely driven by Covid 19. While the same principles of effective combination apply, the way you apply those principles has changed dramatically.

You will need to be good at virtual presentations to stay even. You will need to be extraordinary at virtual presentations to outpace your competition.

What follows are eight of the most important factors for your success in communicating digitally. Whatever your role, learning how to give a successful virtual presentation is a deal maker or a deal-breaker. Your ability to get the results you desire means becoming a digital presentation virtuoso.

#1 Platform

We define platform as the technology you use. Sometimes that platform—Zoom, GoToMeeting, MicrosoftTeam—is determined for you. If that is the case, always familiarize yourself with that platform and take an online tutorial in advance. Learn at least the basics of what you need to know to meet expectations when using that platform.

We suggest you truly master the platform you use most frequently. Be good at several but masterful at one. Proficiency is important but mastery will set you apart.

#2 Presence

Your presence is how you come across to your digital audience. It includes appearance, demeanor and energy. Have you heard someone refer to another person’s “vibe?” They were probably talking about a combination of these things but ultimately how that person comes across to others.

Authenticity is essential, but that doesn’t mean just being yourself. The best authenticity is about being your best self and making sure that the best aspects of your personality and abilities shine through. That is the essence of digital presence.

Few people like watching themselves, but we suggest you review every major online presentation you make. Your presence predisposes people to like you, respect you and want to listen to you. Lack of it achieves just the opposite.

#3 Performance

This is the essence of what and how you communicate virtually. Are you confident or hesitant? Prepared or perplexed?  Performance is the third P we at Virtual Presentations Institute believe in to complete your virtual effectiveness.

This is where in-person and virtual presentations intersect.Your performance is primarily determined by your preparation and practice. A pro never “wings it,” although some people are so prepared and practiced that it looks effortless. There are many things you don’t control, but how well you prepare (determining your objectives, crafting your message and perfecting your platform technology skills) and practice (rehearsals and run-throughs) are two things you completely control.

  Stephen Covey famously said, “Begin with the end in mind.” Years later, Simon Sinek wrote his bestselling book, Start with Why . Both are powerful truths about how to craft your message.

Clarify the purpose for the virtual event and your participation in it. Unclear objectives create unclear results at best and no results at worst. What is it you want people to think and feel during your presentation? Both are important. Then what do you want them to do as a result? Most great presentations end with a call to action.

In you don’t invest the time necessary to create a powerful message, these other elements will be of little benefit to you.

#5 Graphics

Is it important to use graphics? Usually, unless the presentation is very short or very personal (i.e., you want to create an intimate, heartfelt relationship with your audience). But bad graphics can be worse than no graphics at all.

Bad graphics undermine a good message. How? By distracting, being hard to read and/or visually unappealing, just to name three ways. Clean, concise and clear are the operative guidelines to any text you use. Graphics that support your message by illustrating your primary ideas are required for a great virtual presentation.

#6 Engagement

Many think participation is limited or even impossible in a digital presentation. It isn’t. Asking people to answer yes/no questions or to provide short answers in the chat box are easy ways to get people involved. Polls are relatively easy and effective if designed well, and there are exercises you can do as a group (depending on size) or in breakout rooms.

Engagement and interaction holds the attention of those you’re presenting to and enhances retention. While not necessarily more difficult in the digital domain, the techniques you use are very different. Learn how to engage virtually.

#7 Variety.

Variety in what? Everything: your speaking speed/pace, inflection, engagement techniques, questions, polls and even your energy. When you present like everything is important, the truly important things get buried.

At the same time, monotone teachers or speakers are off-putting and so are monotone digital presentations. Analyze your presentation for message and graphics, and variety that will keep your audience engaged and interested.

  This might not be the most important thing—the first seven can kill the appeal of a presenter even if he or she is having fun—but it is essential for an enjoyable presentation for both you and your audience. People almost always learn better when they are having fun, and you set the tone for a fun or a forgettable presentation.

These are the major deal makers or deal-breakers. Using all eight to become an extraordinary virtual presenter is simple, but not easy. You’ll need to apply yourself to addressing and learning these skills.

But extraordinary results always take a little extra effort.

What to become an extraordinary virtual presenter? Go to Virtual Presentations Institute for comprehensive training and certification.

Mark Sanborn is an award winning speaker and Leadership Expert in Residence at  High Point University, the Premier Life Skills University . For more information about his work, visit  www.marksanborn.com. 

For a free assessment and information about  The Classic Fred Factor  online training and a unique opportunity to license the training, go to  www.FredFactor.com .

Author:  Mark Sanborn

Mark is recognized globally as an expert on leadership, customer service and organizational performance. A member of the National Speakers Association Speaker Hall of Fame, he is the author of 8 books including the international bestseller, The Fred Factor: How Passion in Your Work and Life Can Turn the Ordinary Into the Extraordinary. Mark teaches his clients to BE EXTRAORDINARY™.

Related Posts

• Pingback: B2B Reads: Customer Trust, the Hard Truth, and Bad CEOs – B2B Press Wire

Comments are closed.

How to make a great presentation

Stressed about an upcoming presentation? These talks are full of helpful tips on how to get up in front of an audience and make a lasting impression.

The secret structure of great talks

The beauty of data visualization

TED's secret to great public speaking

How to speak so that people want to listen

How great leaders inspire action

10 Tips to Improving Your Virtual Presentations

When presenting and speaking in front of an audience, you have a wide range of virtual presentation tips and tricks to take into account. However, it’s also crucial to keep in mind what challenges or obstacles are associated with this kind of presentation. As convenient as a remote meeting can be, creating an effective virtual presentation is difficult.

Whether you’re speaking to new clients or to your team about a project plan, you must put a lot of effort into grabbing their attention and ensuring they get your message. Virtual presentations might be scary for someone who’s just starting, but don’t worry—we’ve got you covered. This blog will discuss the best practices and top virtual presentation tips for your upcoming virtual meeting.

Vibe Boards provide a simple way to make your virtual presentation captivating and intriguing. Use these tips to ensure that your upcoming virtual presentation receives the respect it merits.

Research Your Topic Ahead of Time

You need to do a little more research than usual when making virtual presentations. It’s smart to start with what you know about your audience. Knowing your audience and what they hope to get out of the session is the best way to charm them.

Here’s what you do: A week before a webinar or similar event, set up a way for people to RSVP to your event electronically.

This way, you can find out some basic information about the people who will be there. You don’t have to be shy, either. Ask them what they hope to get out of the session and if they have any critical concerns.

You can plan what you’ll talk about in an office presentation by outlining. Think about your keynote speech, for example.

Ask your coworkers what they think about how you set up your presentations and rank the actions you need to take. If you can, send the meeting agenda ahead of time and ask your supervisors and senior staff to review the essential points quickly.

Keep An Eye Out for Technical Tests

No matter how well you plan, you can’t control things like power outages or problems getting on the internet that you didn’t expect. The best thing to do is to do detailed technical inspections or host the meeting in a space that’s reliable and consistent (e.g., from your desk vs. at a coffee shop with unpredictable WiFi).

Here are some things you should think about:

• Is your camera functional? Can the people watching you see you well?
• Have the right microphone and speaker been put in?
• Do you know how to use the tools you’ll be using? Can you, for example, share your screen or switch between Google Slides?

The most important thing is to ensure you have backup plans for any last-minute tech problems, whether that’s having the IT team at the ready or being proactive about your connectivity.

Get Hyped about High Tech

If you know how to use the equipment you’ll be using for your virtual presentation well before you give it, you’ll be less likely to hesitate or have problems. Whether that means knowing how your favorite video conferencing software works or making sure your presentation set-up is the best it can be, this small amount of planning ahead of time could add an essential touch of professionalism and class.

Crafting a multimedia presentation can be impactful—which is why many expert speakers are turning to smart whiteboards to craft an interactive and memorable presentation. You don’t even need to learn any new presentation tools to get started. You can use Canva, Microsoft Powerpoint, and Google Slides on a Vibe Board.

Having the right tools at your disposal also lets you have more control over your audience. Presenting with smart whiteboards can make it easier for people to get involved. You can also use your virtual meeting software with various other technologies to get the audience more involved in the presentation. For example, you can lean into Zoom’s virtual polls and tests during a presentation to get updates and info from your participants throughout the session. 

You can also keep an eye out for and get rid of any distracting things. For example, a virtual presenter can pin a crucial point so that everyone can see it or silence an audience member who is making too much noise.

Set A Plan Before You Begin

When you start a virtual meeting without a plan, you set yourself up for interruptions. A good rule of thumb for presentation skills is to list the tasks that must be done during the presentation. What are the most important things you need to talk about? Who is your audience? Write it down, and make sure that all of your other points fit nicely into the framework and lead back to your main point.

Next, try to make your essential data easier to understand. The Vibe Board, with its massive touchscreen and annotation features, makes using visual graphics, gifs, movies, or animations to draw attention to the essential facts easy and fun.

Get Rid of Distractions

Remote audiences are typically more distracted than in-person audiences. That’s because remote participants are often multi-tasking or working from more distracting environments.

You can tell your audience about the following best practices to cut down on noise:

• Everyone stays quiet (or muted) when the presenter talks.
• If someone wants to talk, they can “raise their hand” on the digital platform instead of interrupting the presenter.

For engaging with your audience , ask the people in your audience to stay as focused as possible. When you talk to your audience, you should expect them to ask questions, have doubts, and give you ideas. It’s a good idea to have a coworker or co-host take charge of these conversations, so they don’t distract you. You can request that your audience hold their questions until the end of the session, or have them write down any questions on a shared canvas that you can address at a later time.

Use Brief, Impactful Sentences

People’s attention spans are shorter than you might think. To keep the spotlight on you, always use shorter, funnier lines when explaining ideas to participants far away.

When sentences are short, they’re easier to understand. But if this is your first time giving an online presentation, you might try the following:

• Face the audience (through the webcam).
• Use gestures, body language, and facial expressions.
• If possible, the person giving the presentation should stand up. Set up your webcam the right way.
• Make sure your lights are bright and clear. Use daylight to make your virtual set-up look better.

Keep your information up to date and correct. Don’t use the same points of view more than once, and don’t say too much about any one idea. Don’t talk for more than 10 minutes without giving the audience something to think about (a story, quiz, or question).

Engage Your Audience in Dialogue

People are more likely to remember a compelling virtual presentation than a traditional one-way presentation. 

Since it might be harder to hold your remote audiences’ attention, make sure your participants aren’t bored, especially if they have to sit through a presentation without doing anything.

Slow Down When You’re Delivering

In a virtual setting, it’s hard to read your audience’s body language. To ensure you don’t rush through your speech, you’ll need to work on it and keep it moving at a good pace.

Try to practice with a virtual partner if you can. Note any delays in responses or things that don’t make sense to the audience.

Explore Vibe’s All-in-One Collaboration Hub

Read our privacy policy .

We’ve sent you an email with the PDF download link. Enjoy!

Can't wait? Read now

Utilize Backup Systems

When giving an online presentation, it’s essential to be ready for the worst-case scenario, like losing access to the session or presentation. In this situation, sharing your presentation materials with a co-host or supervisor makes sense.

If you go offline by accident while giving a video presentation, your co-host can take over the meeting using your shared slides or materials while you focus on getting  back online.

It’s a good idea to know everything there is to know about your subject. If there is ever a delay or a problem with your equipment, you can always keep making your case.

Know When to Stop

One of the essential virtual presentation skills you can learn is when and how to end a presentation.

In a virtual presentation, you must be very careful about how much time you spend on each topic and when to stop.

At the end of a presentation, it’s better to keep things short and to the point and end with an educational summary. To leave a lasting impression on your virtual viewers, you must carefully summarize the events of the conference and highlight important themes.

Here’s what you should do:

• Make your last sentence short and precise.
• Add a summary of your main goals.
• Put in a “call to action.”
• Add an inspiring quote or message.

Another great way to keep your presentation in your audience’s mind is relatively straightforward: Remember to share your presentation materials after the fact, so your audience can reflect on certain slides or figures whenever needed.

Final Thoughts

Virtual meetings and webinars can challenge even your most basic presentation skills. They test your ability to speak and present in a way that motivates people.

That’s why tools built for virtual meetings and remote collaboration , like smart whiteboards for business , are now essential to delivering a successful presentation . 

Use the virtual presentation tips and tricks we’ve given here to start building your next great presentation—and don’t forget that adding a Vibe Board to your presentation toolbox can be the biggest game-changer of all.

Interested in learning more about Vibe? Vibe Boards were created to be user-friendly and compatible with the tools your team already knows and loves.. With innovative smart whiteboard technology at the center of your pitch, your upcoming virtual presentation will be different from anything you’ve ever given before.

How do you engage people in virtual presentations?

Creating engagement in virtual presentations is very tricky, especially with body language and non-verbal communication not as easy to see or experience. Engage people in virtual presentations with technology like the Vibe Board that can make presentations more interesting and interactive for your audience.

How can I improve my virtual presentation?

Typical presentation tips like knowing your topic and rehearsing beforehand can still make a big impact, just as in in-person presentations. For virtual presentations, make sure your tech (video conferencing, speakers, presentation aids) are working ahead of time, and use multimedia presentations to keep your audience engaged and interested.

What makes a great virtual presentation?

Interactivity is absolutely key. Ask participants for feedback several times throughout the presentation. Make sure that they are dialed in. Use videos and animations to keep your audience’s eyes on your presentation, and not wandering on to a different tab.

Subscribe to get updates on all things at Vibe

• SUGGESTED TOPICS
• The Magazine
• Newsletters
• Managing Yourself
• Managing Teams
• Work-life Balance
• The Big Idea
• Data & Visuals
• Reading Lists
• Case Selections
• HBR Learning
• Topic Feeds
• Account Settings
• Email Preferences

What It Takes to Give a Great Presentation

• Carmine Gallo

Five tips to set yourself apart.

Never underestimate the power of great communication. It can help you land the job of your dreams, attract investors to back your idea, or elevate your stature within your organization. But while there are plenty of good speakers in the world, you can set yourself apart out by being the person who can deliver something great over and over. Here are a few tips for business professionals who want to move from being good speakers to great ones: be concise (the fewer words, the better); never use bullet points (photos and images paired together are more memorable); don’t underestimate the power of your voice (raise and lower it for emphasis); give your audience something extra (unexpected moments will grab their attention); rehearse (the best speakers are the best because they practice — a lot).

I was sitting across the table from a Silicon Valley CEO who had pioneered a technology that touches many of our lives — the flash memory that stores data on smartphones, digital cameras, and computers. He was a frequent guest on CNBC and had been delivering business presentations for at least 20 years before we met. And yet, the CEO wanted to sharpen his public speaking skills.

• Carmine Gallo is a Harvard University instructor, keynote speaker, and author of 10 books translated into 40 languages. Gallo is the author of The Bezos Blueprint: Communication Secrets of the World’s Greatest Salesman  (St. Martin’s Press).

Partner Center

Virtual Presentation Tips for a Great Presentation

The importance of great design for presentations should not go understated.

A PowerPoint that is thoughtfully designed (both visually and logically) helps presenters get their talking points across to their audience. As a presentation design agency, we always ask our clients who their audience is and how the presentation will be delivered . There are notable differences in what makes for good presentation design when it is an in-person meeting or virtual. With the help of yoyomeeting , here are some key considerations for the two types of presentations and what to keep in mind when designing a presentation deck for virtual meetings.

Virtual presentations vs. In-person presentations

While there are many similarities between virtual presentations and in-person presentations, there are subtle—but important—differences. Presentations delivered virtually rely on the internet in lieu of a physical meeting space, allowing individuals and groups to attend a meeting remotely or watch the presentation after the fact. However, having attendees located elsewhere than a central physical room can oftentimes lead to more difficulty maintaining their attention. With an online audience, there are higher risks of distraction than with a live, in-person audience.

In-person presentations

For an in-person presentation, the speaker can better control the environment for the audience. When presenting in front of an audience, it is especially important to be prepared to express your message through your physical presence—such as facial expressions, stance, and eye contact—more than through your script and the slideshow itself.

Virtual presentations

With virtual presentations, the visual focus shifts from the presenter to the slideshow; as a presenter, your use of words and intonation are even more critical. Designing a presentation deck for virtual delivery has additional visual and technical considerations compared to those for in-person delivery. Colors, the number of words used in a slide, and photos all have to be carefully chosen to help maintain the audience’s attention throughout the presentation and prevent information overload . Additionally, PowerPoint presentations for online meetings need to be designed to look correct across all screens and devices.

Virtual presentation design tips

With an increased focus on design, there are many factors to consider when designing a virtual presentation for a remote audience. Here are some design tips for creating presentation slides for your next virtual meeting.

1. Keep it simple

A great design starting point for virtual presentations is to keep it simple. The slides used in such presentations should follow a simple design that express the presenter’s message plainly. The main points and purpose for each slide should be easily identifiable—the details can usually be filled in by the presenter’s speaking.

2. Use colors effectively

The colors used in the presentation can influence the audience’s interpretation of various points in the slideshow. In some cases, your color choices may be restricted by corporate-branded templates or company brand guidelines, but you can also consider the colors of your photos. Color psychology can play a subtle role in how your virtual audience responds to your message; using color psychology to your advantage can help make an impact.

3. Create purposeful titles

Slide titles play an important role in presentations; they inform the viewer and provide context for the slide content.Titles can go beyond simply naming the subject of the slide—such as “Company Overview”—and instead, state the main idea for that slide. For example, a slide titled “Competitive Advantage” might be renamed to state the advantage. Purposeful slide titles prime viewers for the content presented and in turn, help them follow the presentation more easily.

4. Choose 'safe' fonts

The fonts used in the presentation should reflect not only the company brand, but also the tone of the message. Most importantly, all fonts used must be easily legible for any individual—sans serif fonts tend to be safer than serif fonts. Be sure to consider how the fonts look across devices, factoring in smaller and larger screens and whether the font is installed.

5. Limit charts and diagrams

The use of data can help make your presentation more convincing; however, presenting too much data can overwhelm the audience and lose sight of the key takeaways (circling back to the concept of information overload) . Consider limiting the number of charts and diagrams, using them only when needed—typically, this is when detailed information needs to be simplified.

6. Tell a story

Any presentation should follow a story as you progress through the slides. For virtual presentations, you need to capture the attention of your audience without the aid of body language. Telling the story and presenting your key messages logically will help keep your audience on track and attentive.

7. Use transitions and animations minimally

Since virtual presentations are transmitted through the internet, the chance of lag and audio-visuals going out of sync are high for each viewer, depending on their quality of connection. It is good practice to restrict the use of transitions and animations to keep the moving element sat a minimum, which will better avoid the presentation being streamed choppily to your audience. Any animations used should be more simple and subtle than complex.

8. Emphasize key points

Highlighting important text can leave lasting impression in the minds of the individuals viewing your presentation. Emphasizing key points by bolding, underlining or using different colors can drive home key points for each slide.

9. Use white space

White space on presentation slides is a subtle design element, but oh-so important—not everyone notices when it’s properly used, but everyone can tell when it’s not. White space is any clear, empty space around individual elements such as images, slide titles, and other text boxes (such as paragraphs). Having sufficient white space helps the slide appear less busy or jumbled, which can interfere with the message a presenter is trying to convey.

We hope these tips for virtual presentations help you create a well-designed, effective presentation. Remember: for virtual meetings, it’s important to capture the attention of your audience, engage, and make sure the message is easy to understand throughout the presentation. Great slide and presentation design will help your audience connect and resonate with the content after the presentation is completed.

For more information both designing and presenting virtual presentations, readout contribution to yoyomeeting’s article on virtual presentation tips .

With these tips, you are better equipped to design impactful and effective PowerPoint presentations for your next virtual meeting. Best of luck!

We’d love to hear about your project.

Complete the form below and one of our consultants will reach out within 24 hours.

Integrations

Inspiration

Consideration

Go hybrid with Prezi

It’s a new world. Are you ready? Here’s how Prezi helps your team thrive in today’s hybrid workplace.

Prezi Video explained

We’ve compiled these quick, easy-to-follow tutorials to make you a Prezi Video master in no time.

The science

Learn to grab their attention and keep it with presentation advice from the pros.

Create moving, zooming presentations that grab attention and keep it.

Appear right alongside your content while presenting to your audience.

Make stunning interactive charts, reports, maps, infographics, and more.

Virtual presentation software

Make virtual presentations that work.

Create more impactful and engaging virtual presentations to reach new audiences with interactive content, dynamic graphics, and a seamless connection to the top video conferencing platforms out there.

1-844-773-9449 8:30 am–5 pm PST

Create interactive virtual presentations, reports, and more to grab attention and keep it. Use templates to get started or repurpose an existing presentation with your own content.

No more screen sharing that blocks you from view during video calls. Show your virtual presentation or content like text, video, images, and GIFs right next to you on-screen for a more memorable virtual presentation.

Ensure your team uses the right logos, colors, and fonts on every virtual presentation when you customize your brand kit. Once your assets are in place, your Prezi brand kit automatically creates templates using your color palettes and preferred fonts.

On virtual calls, where everyone is reduced to a small box, it’s more crucial than ever to stand out. Bring interactive media like GIFS and videos alongside your video feed to make a lasting impression.

Distributed teams will mostly interact online, so make your meetings more engaging with highly visual presentations and boost participation with real-time reactions and feedback. Can’t make the meeting? Record a video and share it through messaging apps like Microsoft Teams and Slack.

Works with the top video conferencing tools

Seamlessly connect Prezi Video to a video conferencing platform of your choice and improve engagement in your virtual presentations.

Get all our virtual presentation tools

Our suite of easy-to-use products helps make anyone a great visual communicator. They’re all included with a subscription or Teams license.

Appear right alongside your content in live or recorded presentations, keeping the human connection in remote meetings and videoconferences.

Create stunning interactive charts, reports, maps, and infographics to make any message more compelling and easier to understand.

No more clicking through slides to get to the topic you want. Navigate freely and zoom in on details to focus on what matters to your audience.

No need to start from scratch

Jump-start your amazing content with these quick, simple ways to create your best virtual presentations ever.

Virtual presentation templates

Discover stunning, fully customizable presentation templates made for everything from sales pitches and marketing reports to internal updates and employee trainings.

See more presentation templates

Presentation Gallery

There are millions of Prezi presentations out there. Check out our favorites in the Prezi Gallery.

View presentation examples

Frequently asked questions

What is a virtual presentation.

A virtual presentation takes place online and allows you to present to people who aren’t in the same room as you. They’re convenient ways to sync with your remote and hybrid teams, but require a different set of skills than presenting in person.

How do you create a virtual presentation?

Creating a virtual presentation is a little different than making an in-person presentation, starting with one obvious difference – you need some kind of technology in order to show your presentation virtually. Most people share their presentation on a video conferencing platform. Create your virtual presentation using a tool specifically designed for the virtual format — Prezi Video , for example, incorporates visuals and content right on your screen — for the most seamless experience.

What makes a good virtual presentation?

Since your audience is attending virtually, they’re less inclined to give you their full attention (they may try to get a little work done or check their email instead). Breaking down your presentation into bite-sized chunks allows you to take multiple breaks throughout your presentation to check in with your audience. Bite-sized pieces of information are also easier to digest, and in an age of video conference fatigue , it’s best to make your virtual presentation as easy to understand as possible. Use visuals to grab their attention, and incorporate animations with GIFs and video to help convey emotion and tone.

Why are virtual presentations important?

As more people are working remotely and businesses are transitioning into a hybrid work model , virtual presentations are becoming a staple in the modern workplace. They take place online, making it so that more people are able to attend. A highly visual virtual presentation that is packed with relevant content can be even more engaging than in-person presentations and can promote better online collaboration among teams.

How do you make a virtual presentation interesting?

Unlike a traditional presentation, you don’t have the benefit of being in the room to establish a presence. In a virtual environment, presenters need to use their cameras to make a connection with their audience. Using visuals instead of text and keeping things moving along are good ways to keep your audience engaged and interested in your virtual presentation.

Prezi’s Virtual Presentation Innovators have made the transition from in-person to virtual events, and they’ve done it in style. They use Prezi Video to put their visuals next to them on-screen and create virtual presentations that can be even more engaging than traditional, in-person speaking events. Learn how they’re re-shaping the industry and get their advice for better presentations.

Discover more virtual presentation tips on our blog

Create your first virtual presentation today

Prezi gives you the tools you need to engage remote teams through eye-catching, interactive content. See for yourself.

Microsoft 365 Life Hacks > Presentations > 5 ways to make a good virtual first impression

5 ways to make a good virtual first impression

Your camera, internet and mic? All set up. Your background? Nothing gross or embarrassing. Your apps? Muted. Teeth, hair and outfit? Brushed, coiffed and looking good.

Basically, you’ve covered the basics.

So, what can you do to step up your next virtual presentation , meeting or chat beyond the basics—and make a really good first impression online? Not to add to the pressure but a recent survey found that you have less than 30 seconds to do it. Even more shocking is the fact that nearly 70 percent of those surveyed say they’ve already formed an impression before you even have a chance to speak.

So, now what?

The good news is that the things that help you make a good first impression in person—are the same ones that help you make a good first impression online. But you may have to make a few tweaks to have it come across virtually. Here’s what to do:

Tell your story with captivating presentations

Powerpoint empowers you to develop well-designed content across all your devices

Sure, it’s simple and obvious. Yet, so many people overlook the sheer strength of the smile. Study upon study has shown that smiling makes you appear more attractive, more youthful and more likely to have positive personality traits. Aside from making people feel better about you, smiling has been shown to make you feel better about yourself—reducing stress, while boosting your mood, immune system and overall health, which can give you the feel-good confidence you need to pull off any virtual meeting, chat or presentation in style. So, first and foremost… smile.

2. Look ’em in the virtual eye.

Easier said than done during a virtual chat or presentation, right? Wrong! Tech companies are starting to recognize the power eye contact has in forging human connections. For example, Microsoft has created an Eye Contact feature on its Surface Pro X , which works on video calling apps like Microsoft Teams , Skype , and others. While this tech is limited to Surface Pro X users for now, you can still maintain eye contact during virtual chats or presentations simply by knowing where your camera is. Too often people look at themselves on the screen rather than into the camera itself—making you look like a local TV mattress salesman using cue cards. It can be even worse if you’re working with two screens or if you have a docking station setup. So, be sure you’re looking at the camera on the proper screen, rather than at the screen itself—this will help give the impression of direct eye contact.

3. Don’t sell… tell.

Whether you’re selling an idea, a new business plan, or just yourself to a potential dating partner—the best way to sell ’em is to tell ’em. Tell stories. Tell them something about yourself. Tell them a story about the charity you support. Tell them the story behind your product. Or the story that sums you up to a tee. In other words, connect with them as people first and foremost. Nobody remembers garbled stats, hard sells or forced humor (well, maybe, but for all the wrong reasons.) They may remember a story , though, and they just may remember you. Speak to their personalities and their emotions, rather than just their intellect. Aside from having some great stories in your tool box, it’s also a good idea to really get to know the audience you’ll be talking to beforehand—whether it’s your future in-laws, your new boss, or a group of potential volunteers. Do some research and it’ll pay off. When you put others first, you come across as pleasant and confident, without a hint of cocky salesman.

4. Keep your finger on the pulse of your audience.

When having a virtual conversation or presenting online , it’s important to listen—not just with your ears—but by observing facial cues and then pivoting on the fly. Many apps now have amazing tools onboard that offer more lifelike presenting capabilities , like a bird’s eye view feature that lets you observe audience reactions as they see your slides, allowing you to adjust in real-time to better connect. Some chat software also lets you view your entire group via features like together mode together mode , which puts you in a shared background, so you can see other people’s faces and body language. They can also share their reactions to your stories, comments, jokes, facts and more via emojis. By keeping an eye on everyone, you sense when you’re connecting with them and when you’re not—and then adjust accordingly.

5. Live and learn.

Maybe your first impression wasn’t exactly what you wanted. That’s okay. Unless you’re among the lucky few that are born brimming with natural personality, chances are, it’s gonna take some practice. Learn from your past missteps and adjust as you go. You can do this by recording your online chat sessions when possible, reviewing them and making notes. If your virtual chat involves a presentation, next time practice in front of family and friends first or, better yet, use the built-in coaching tool that’s available on some presentation software. It can help you avoid embarrassing mistakes like culturally sensitive phrases, robotic delivery, grammar issues and more.

Life’s short. The time it takes to make an impression is even shorter. By following these tips and honing your online chat and/or presentation skills, you’ll soon be wooing audiences far and wide—whether that includes family and friends, colleagues, social groups or that new cutie you met online.

Get started with Microsoft 365

It’s the Office you know, plus the tools to help you work better together, so you can get more done—anytime, anywhere.

Topics in this article

More articles like this one.

How to create an educational presentation

Use PowerPoint to create dynamic and engaging presentations that foster effective learning.

Five tips for choosing the right PowerPoint template

Choose an appropriate PowerPoint template to elevate your presentation’s storytelling. Consider time length, audience and other presentation elements when selecting a template.

How you can use AI to help you make the perfect presentation handouts

Learn how AI can help you organize and create handouts for your next presentation.

How to use AI to help improve your presentations

Your PowerPoint presentations are about to get a boost when you use AI to improve a PowerPoint presentation.

Everything you need to achieve more in less time

Get powerful productivity and security apps with Microsoft 365

Explore Other Categories