The Tricky Business Of Virtual Calls

“Confidence is preparation. Everything else is beyond your control” – Richard Kline

If you thought it was hard to hold the attention of an audience sitting in front of you glancing at their smart phones, try getting their attention when you can’t see them, hear them, or tell for sure if they’re still there. How do you compete with highly stressed audiences who feel compelled to multi-task, especially on virtual conference calls?

The implications for all of us are daunting. Those who resist boosting their virtual communication skills are going to find themselves and their careers going the way of rotary telephones and fax machines. Your personal brand will depend largely on your skill and savvy in leading, inspiring and influencing virtual teams. It’s become a tricky business!

This is the new world of work – where geographic boundaries have been eliminated. Coincidentally, I’ve just been hired to create a customized virtual classroom to be presented to a worldwide audience. Like many of you, time-zones, cultures and geographic separation all add new levels of complexity to communicating.

In my 4-Part Virtual Presentation Series from my Remarkable Leader blog, I addressed how to structure and deliver a virtual presentation that will leave an indelible mark on your audience. I’m writing this eletter specifically to provide you with a high level overview of key points to consider when you’re preparing to take to the virtual airwaves.

The Four Principles Of Remote Presenting

1. Make Your Message Relevant

Your virtual presentation opening must grab the immediate attention of your listeners. You need to be clear, focused and succinct.

You must craft out a clearly defined value proposition for maintaining their interest. Ask yourself: Who cares? Why would they care? How are they being impacted?

2. Make Your Attendees Important

Participants need to feel that their participation is vital and valued. First, be selective about inviting the right people. Express your appreciation. Explain why you asked them to join in.

Give your commitment that you’ll be brief in exchange for their undivided attention.

Build in appropriate small talk to create rapport-building and memorable experiences across cultures and channels.

Encourage multiple people to have a stake in the outcome by assigning responsibilities for their contribution.

3. Make Your Message Exciting

You must deliver your message with passion, inflection and conviction. Enthusiasm is contagious but if you speak robotically, don’t expect your listeners to stay connected.

Become a master at storytelling which naturally makes you animated. Stories create experiences that motivate and inspire others because you’re blending facts with emotional content. They must resonate with multi-cultures and be relevant to the main theme of your meeting.

4. Make Your Meeting Interactive

Your virtual meeting must be interactive and quick paced. The sooner you involve your audience, the quicker you create a virtual community and inspire others to participate.

Let them know upfront that you’ll be seeking their feedback directly or randomly.

Recruit a cohost who will add a second voice to create a more interesting dynamic.

Invite a special guest to open the meeting.

Create and reward interactions amongst the participants i.e. prepare trivia questions.

Reinforce an environment where people can laugh.


Delivery Techniques

Betty Cooper, an accomplished voice coach, once demonstrate how I perceived the level of my voice inflection was dramatically different from reality. Listening to my audio-taped presentation, I was shocked to hear how flat and boring my voice was. All the good habits of using tone, volume and inflection to punctuate your message need to be exaggerated on a virtual call.

• Get excited
Your virtual audience is completely dependent on you – they’ll never get more excited about your message than you are. Continuity between what you say and how you say it is important.

• Use body-language
You’ll project greater excitement and energy if you walk around as you speak. This energy will ultimately be reflected in your voice. Invest in a wireless headset. This will free up your hands so you can gesture, speak clearer and save your neck muscles.

• Practice projection
Rehearse with someone listening to your presentation using the same technology your audience will be using so you’ll know how loudly to project.

• Be understood
Use pauses frequently to delineate your thoughts and ideas. If your name is difficult to understand, or if you have a strong accent, speak slowly, with punctuated pauses.

• Repeat what’s important
Repetition is a critical part of any presentation and it’s a natural teaching tool. For them to remember it – they have to hear it at least three times.

• Listeners should feel that you’re speaking directly to them
Use the singular “you” in your statements and questions. Instead of saying, “I wonder if anyone out there can answer this question”, say “What are your thoughts about…?”

Avoid questions that begin with: “Does anyone have a question?” Instead, ask: “What are your questions relating to….?” Follow with a pause. This sets the expectation that you’re waiting for a question. Remember that the more specific you are when asking for a question, the more likely you are to receive one.

• Finally, never end a presentation with a Q & A session
As a facilitator, take ownership of the ending of your meeting. Schedule a Q & A prior to your meeting’s conclusion, then finish off with an inspirational finale and a call to action.

• Don’t forget to smile.
It’s the quickest, surest way to connect with your “virtual” audience. Remember, regardless of distance or diversity, everyone smiles in the same language.

• Vary your presentation
For variety, use PowerPoint, video, YouTube clips and even animations to keep listeners’ attention. Remember, it should not take longer than two minutes to explain a graphic.

You now have an opportunity to stand out in a virtual world! Create personalized, engaging participant experiences and the stage will be yours!

Great article and a requirement in the People, Process and Technology dynamic. All too often the skills for the most important P "People" is lost in the new world of virtual work.

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