How to Manage A Remote Presentation

Giving remote presentations comes with its own set of challenges: managing technology and maintaining audience engagement come to mind. So, it's a good idea to plan ahead, whether that's in-person presentations or in a remote setting.

A successful presentation relies on good preparation, so we've taken a look at some of the most important steps to help you get it right before the event.

And, you also need the right tools. There is obviously lots of choice when it comes to software for putting your designs together before you deliver your presentation. In this post, we'll take a look at how you can both plan your remote presentation, the best packages to help you design the content, and some tips to ensure you keep your cool and get your key messages across.

How can you engage an audience during a remote presentation?

If you're not physically present, knowing how to give an engaging online presentation can be the difference between winning them over and sending them to sleep.

Depending on the goals of your online presentation, you might need to create a plan for getting your audience members involved, engaged, or even participating throughout the actual presentation.

You'll also need to give them room to digest what you're saying, and to avoid overwhelming them with too much information.

There are also factors like avoiding a linear presentation structure, adding interactive elements, and actively getting audience feedback.

These tips can help tailor your entire presentation.

1. Know your audience

Before diving into your presentation, it’s important to take some time to understand your audience. Are they the team from customer service who are more concerned with the clients’ needs? Or are you talking to decision-makers who need to approve a budget? using this information will help get the audience involved and keep the presentation interactive.

2. Start with a story

Studies show that audiences are more likely to remember a fact when it's told as a story. That's why it's always a good idea to open with a captivating story or anecdote related to your topic that unfolds throughout.

This tip is especially important in a remote presentation where you need to work twice as hard to hold the audience's attention.

3. Keep things visual

Incorporate interactive content like images, charts, and infographics to complement your content. Visuals not only make your presentation more engaging but also help reinforce key points and concepts.

It’s also important to strike a balance between visuals and data-driven content in your full presentation. After all, data provides credibility and support for your arguments. Incorporating both elements keeps things visually engaging and intellectually stimulating.

4. Use simple language

Depending on the context, you may want to avoid jargon and overly technical language that might lose the audience's attention. This is especially true for a broader audience, but might be less of a concern if you're speaking to a specific department or perhaps the company leadership.

If you're speaking to the general workforce, opt for clear and straightforward language that everyone can understand. If you do have to use jargon or acronyms, don't assume that everyone knows what this means and perhaps take a moment to explain at the top of the meeting.

This can make all the difference to how much people take away from these virtual meetings.

5. Break it up

There are several merits to breaking up your presentation into smaller, digestible chunks to avoid overwhelming your audience. Some include:

• Better comprehension on your audience’s part
• Greater retention
• More discussion opportunities

The best way to do this is by using headings, subheadings, and bullet points to organize your content and achieve these goals.

It's also useful to break your presentation into clear sections so people can keep track of where they are in terms of the information being presented. For example, you can take a moment to sum up a section, summarizing what was said.

Take a moment to reflect on what this means for the company.

And then move onto the next section, stating clearly what you're about to discuss.

6. Engage your audience

It can be hard to maintain eye contact over a virtual presentation, so you need to find other ways to keep people focused and engaged.

One of the best ways to do this is to ask questions, invite comments, or conduct polls to keep your audience actively involved in the conversation. On some occasions, you might not be able to hear or answer the responses. But by simply asking people to consider the information they're receiving, even rhetorically, this can help them to mentally focus on the message.

Over a remote presentation it can be hard to make sense of your audience's facial expressions. They might be paying full attention, or they might be looking at another tab on their computer, or checking a notification on their phone.

By occasionally summarising what you're talking about, cracking a joke or even addressing your audience directly, you can quickly bring the focus back and help them focus on the meeting.

7. Tell, don't read

It’s very tempting to read directly from your slides during a presentation. Instead, use them as visual aids to support your narration. The focus should be on speaking naturally and conversationally as if you're having a discussion with your audience.

Cue cards are definitely a good idea though, and can be a great way to keep you on track when you are presenting. They can also ensure you don't skip any key details, and can also serve to prompt you for important statistics or points that might not be on your slides.

8. Practice ahead

Havard Business Review recommends practice as a great way to overcome presentation anxiety.  The more you practice, the more familiar you get with your material, and the less likely you are to panic. Practice can also help you to ensure smooth delivery and confidence.

Be sure to tailor your practice for either video conferencing or in-person presentations, depending on what you've got coming up. 

How to do a presentation remotely? 

Remote presentations aren’t new and they aren’t terribly different from presentations where you have to be physically present. You still need well-designed slides, a grasp of your talking points, and the skills to keep your audience engaged.

With remote presentations, you also need to make sure you hold your audience's attention through the screen. And this is where the right tool to broadcast virtual presentations becomes important. You don't want to have to suffer the challenges of glitchy software or hard to manage interfaces.

And this is where digital signage software can make a great companion when it comes to presenting remotely.

Digital signage software can be used to broadcast content to multiple screens in multiple locations globally, and this makes it an excellent tool for businesses looking to do a variety of things including:

• Engage their employees
• Keep deskless workers in the loop
• Present key data and information

You might also have seen digital signage in use in different locations, such as in hotels, retail environments and transport hubs. The benefits of using digital signage for these public facing locations can be to:

• Inform and upsell walk-in customers
• Help customers with wayfinding
• Keep college campuses connected

Because digital signage software is adept at linking multiple screens in different locations, you have fewer IT checks to complete before launching your remote presentation. Any team member from anywhere in the world can create presentations and share them with everyone else without the mandatory “Can you see my screen?” checks that have become a part of every meeting.

An AI note taker can also be a helpful tool during remote presentations, ensuring that key points and insights are automatically captured, allowing you to focus more on engaging with your audience rather than worrying about taking detailed notes.

Using ScreenCloud to communicate with your remote audience

Designed for efficient workplace communication, ScreenCloud is more than just presentation software. Integrate popular workplace productivity tools such as Slack, Zoom, and Google Workspace into your digital signage displays, wherever your offices are based.

For example, if you have a main office in New York, your West Coast office in San Jose, and a European hub in Amsterdam, you can connect and communicate between all of them easily using digital signage.

Whether you're sharing business updates, saying 'well done' to your sales team, or presenting remotely for specific meetings, ScreenCloud is made to enable more efficient communications. And it goes beyond simply connecting two screens...

Create a network of digital displays, present to specific locations, and connect your remote or global workforce easily.

Find out more and sign up for your free trial today. Or, schedule a demo to find out more.