Why Zoom Presentation Skills Are Important

Video conferencing has been an important part of daily business routines for years, but it became absolutely indispensable since the pandemic sent entire organizations to work from home.

As a result of this, Zoom is no longer just a convenient tool that helps people from different parts of the world communicate face-to-face and have meetings without being in the same room. Due to social distancing, this virtual platform makes it possible for companies to carry on with their regular business activities even though all their employees are confined to their homes.

Let’s not forget that all physical conferences and trade shows had to be canceled due to the pandemic, which means that all these events switched to online.

As it seems that this new normal isn’t going away anytime soon, you’ll have to brush up on your Zoom skills. Here’s why it’s so important and how to do that.

Connect With Your Audience

Video calls and meetings are much better at conveying the essence of your message than voice calls. One important thing that online communication channels such as email, IMs, or voice calls lack is body language.

When people exchange emails or written messages, it’s impossible to figure out what they actually think and how they feel. You can’t see whether someone is frowning, rolling their eyes, or feeling uncomfortable, and that can be a huge obstacle to a meaningful conversation.

Some stats say that 80% or even 90% of all communication is non-verbal, meaning that the context is expressed through body language. No specific research corroborates this claim, but it can’t be denied that this kind of communication plays an important role in grasping the meaning of what others say.

Prosodic features, such as the tone of voice, pitch, tempo, intonation, or stress, are vital if you want your listeners to understand what exactly you want to tell them.

If you prepare in advance and polish your Zoom presentation skills, it will be much easier for you to establish the right pace. In other words, slow down and pause after you say something in order to give other speakers time to reply or ask you an additional question.

Besides that, when somebody else is speaking, let them know that you’re listening by occasionally nodding, smiling, and using appropriate facial expressions. This way, other speakers will know that you’re still here and that your camera didn’t freeze.

All this will allow you to better connect with your audience and establish rapport with them.

Make a Positive Impression

Despite advanced tech, online meetings and conferences can make some people feel awkward since they’re not in the same room with their colleagues or customers.

As a result, they tend to seem confused, mumble their words, fail to make eye contact, thus ruining their chances of making a great first impression — even more so if the meeting in question is a job interview or a sales presentation.

That’s why you should practice your presentation beforehand and make sure that your posture is open, that you’re looking directly at the camera, as well as that you communicate your message clearly.

Every presentation is an attempt to sell something — your product, idea, or even yourself as a professional. Think about that when you’re getting ready for your online meeting. It’s a good idea to practice your presentation with a colleague and record yourself to see if there are some elements that you should work on.

On Your Feet can help you plan and deliver your presentation smoothly and make a great impression.

Be Professional

One of the perks of working from home is a very relaxed dress code. Yes, that means wearing your PJs all day.

However, when you have a Zoom presentation or a meeting, it’s essential to look presentable. Of course, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you should suit up, but putting on a nice, clean shirt and fixing your hair is a must.

Also, although others can see you only from the waist up shouldn’t be an excuse for lounging on your bed or sofa. As a matter of fact, in order to be taken seriously, it’s best to place your laptop in a quiet, well-lit area and create a proper work environment. If you’re strapped for space, and you don’t want others to see your cluttered apartment, use Zoom’s virtual background feature.

You’ve probably seen a couple of viral videos in which people are interrupted during online meetings by their cute kids or pets, but you shouldn’t make a habit out of this. Let the members of your household know that you’re busy and ask them not to disturb you during the presentation.

Also, even if you’re on mute, don’t use it as an opportunity to check your phone or browse the internet as it will distract you from what others are saying.

Manage Your Time Efficiently

With good presentation skills, you’ll be able to capture the attention of your audience and keep them engaged throughout the meeting or event.

Learning how to be as succinct as possible and save both your and their time is essential for this. Make a plan for your presentation and establish a time limit for every segment. This will allow you to practice in advance and see whether you can say everything you want to.

However, being clear and concise doesn’t mean that you should leave some important information out only in order to stay within your time limit. Otherwise, you’ll leave your audience confused and asking you for additional clarification. It’s better to stretch out your presentation and get your message across and use your time more effectively.

What you should get rid of are unimportant and mundane details that aren’t the focal point of your presentation. Instead of talking about them, prepare and share handouts that contain everything your audience can find useful and read later.

Getting your audience to pay attention to your presentation is challenging enough in itself. The fact that Zoom presentations take place in a virtual environment makes it even more difficult to make your presentation more interactive and compel your audience to participate. Working on your Zoom presentation skills can help you achieve all this and give a successful presentation.