Overcoming COVID-19 Challenges: Virtual Presentations

Virtual presentations are nothing new, but in this time of social distancing, they have suddenly become the only option for communicating critical information to cooperative leadership.

John Grant, vice president of Events and Training for CFC; John Hewa, COO and vice president of Corporate Services for Rappahannock Electric Cooperative in Virginia; and Rick Taylor, speechwriter and strategic communications specialist for CFC, joined CFC moderators to share best practices in learning the techniques of effective online presentations, as well as tools and tips for captivating audience members through storytelling and graphics.

Delivering Effective Presentations Virtually Webinar Replay

CFC members can watch a replay of the May 26 Extra Credit Education Series webinar, “Delivering Effective Presentations Virtually,” to learn more about how cooperative leaders can most effectively communicate vital information in a virtual environment with clarity, precision and efficiency.

Four Key Presenter Insights

1.     Prepare before you present.

Once you have selected a video conferencing platform, hold a test meeting to work through any technical issues. “Make sure your camera, headphones, speakers and microphone are all working,” Taylor recommended. He also suggested adopting a practice of joining online meetings early to address any unforeseen hiccups.

Eliminating noise is equally important. Taylor recommended sitting in a quiet space when presenting and muting your audio when not speaking. “This simple step is an easy way to ensure that background noises, movements, breathing or other sounds don’t distract from you when you’re presenting,” he said.

Speakers should also put some thought into their background. “Remember that your audience will be able to see what’s behind you,” Taylor noted. “So pay attention to the other objects that are in your camera’s field of view. Think about the surroundings you want to create.”

2.     Present data with clarity, honesty and efficiency.

Cooperative professionals have a lot of opportunities to communicate financial data—but what’s the best way to present that information in an online meeting?

Grant suggested that presenters avoid trying to deliver too much information at once. Instead, use visuals that are clear, easy to understand and attract audience members’ curiosity. “You want to use colors that are appealing and complement each other,” he said.

He also urged avoiding misrepresenting statistics. “You always want to tell the truth with your data,” Grant advised. “That means avoiding scale adjustments that fit your narrative but don’t tell the real story of what’s going on.”

Efficiency is also key when communicating, whether verbally or through graphics, a point echoed by Taylor. “You always want to be succinct,” he said. “Otherwise, you’re going to lose your audience. Whenever you’re presenting, the single most difficult thing to maintain is the audience’s attention.”

3.     Adopt a virtual pace.

The pace of your online presentation will affect the overall experience for attendees. With this mind, Hewa suggested adopting a pace that is appropriate for the conditions you are in.

“If you have an asymmetrical situation where one participant could not get video and is just on a phone connection, you may have to slow things down a bit,” he said. “If everyone’s bandwidth is working well, you may be able to speed up a little.”

4.     Don’t just present to the audience, engage with them.

Keeping your audience engaged is the most important thing you can do when presenting remotely. This is where technology execution is critical, Hewa said. He recommended that presenters encourage audience members to use the chat feature available on most video teleconference platforms, as well as interactive tools like raised hands to elicit responses.

Presenters should also consider using digital polling tools to find out what audience members are thinking about your topic or a post-meeting follow-up to learn what audience members thought about the presentation once it is over. “If you have the ability to use these tools,” he said, “they can be very helpful.”