What changes when you present remotely
On a video call, you lose much of what in-person speakers rely on. You often cannot see the whole audience, small reactions disappear and your voice and face reach people through a camera and microphone of varying quality. Attention is also harder to hold, because viewers are a click away from other windows.
The fundamentals of a good talk still apply, but you have to compensate for what the format removes. That means paying more attention to setup, pacing and interaction than you might in a room.
Set up your camera
Your camera is your audience’s eyes. A few adjustments make a noticeable difference.
- Height. Place the camera at about eye level. Stacking a laptop on books is a common, inexpensive fix. A camera that looks up at you from below is rarely flattering.
- Distance and framing. Show your head and shoulders, with a little space above your head. Sitting very close can feel intense; sitting too far makes you hard to read.
- Look at the lens. Looking at the camera, not at the faces or slides on your screen, gives the impression of eye contact. It feels odd at first. A small sticker or note near the lens can remind you, and you can glance at the screen briefly, as you would glance around a room.
- Background. A tidy, neutral background keeps attention on you. If you use a virtual background or blur, test it, since they can glitch around hair and hands. Be careful about personal items in view.
- Lighting. Face a window or a lamp rather than sitting with a bright light behind you, which turns you into a silhouette. Simple lighting fixes, such as natural lighting from the side or front, usually matter more than an expensive camera.
- Appearance. Plain, solid colors usually look better on camera than tight patterns, which can shimmer. The considerations behind camera attire apply to calls.
Get the audio right
For most viewers, poor audio is more irritating than poor video. People will tolerate a grainy image but quickly tire of echoes, distortion or low volume.
- Use a headset or external microphone if you can. Built-in laptop microphones pick up room noise and typing.
- Reduce noise. Close windows, silence notifications and ask household members for quiet if possible.
- Check levels. Record a short clip and listen to it, or use the platform’s test feature.
- Speak a bit more slowly and clearly than usual. Connections introduce delays and small dropouts, so good vocal delivery, with pauses between ideas, helps listeners keep up.
Prepare your screen and slides
- Close what you do not need. Shut email, chat apps and unrelated browser tabs, and turn off notifications. This avoids embarrassing pop-ups and also lowers the chance of sharing something private.
- Share the window, not the whole screen, if the platform allows it.
- Simplify your slides. Remote viewers may be on small screens, so large text and uncluttered visuals matter even more. The principles of slide design hold.
- Know where your controls are. Rehearse starting and stopping the share, advancing slides and viewing notes on the platform you will use.
- Send materials in advance if appropriate, so viewers can follow even if their connection is poor.
Engage an audience you cannot see
Engagement takes deliberate effort online.
- Open with a quick interaction. Ask people to type a one-word answer in the chat, or respond with a raised hand or reaction. This sets the expectation that they take part.
- Break up your talk. Attention commonly drifts faster on a screen than in a room. Changing something every few minutes, such as a question, a visual or a short story, helps. For longer sessions, include a short break.
- Use names. If it is a small group, addressing people by name makes the session feel personal.
- Pause for responses. Online delays make silences feel longer. Count slowly to five before assuming nobody has anything to say.
- Signpost clearly. Remind people where you are in the talk and what comes next, since they may have looked away.
Handling questions remotely
Decide at the start how people should ask: by chat, by raising a hand or by speaking up. If possible, have a colleague watch the chat so you can concentrate on your delivery. Read each question aloud before answering so everyone, including anyone watching a recording, hears it. The general advice on handling questions from an audience holds, with a bit more emphasis on repeating them.
Plan for technical problems
Technology fails at inconvenient moments. A few precautions reduce the impact.
- Join early and test your setup with a colleague or on the platform’s test option.
- Have a wired connection if you can, or sit close to your router.
- Keep a second device such as a phone logged in as a backup, with the sound off to avoid feedback.
- Keep your slides accessible in a form that someone else could present if you drop off, such as a copy shared with a co-host.
- Know your fallback. If your video fails, switch to audio only and continue. If audio fails, use the chat to say so and rejoin.
- Stay calm. A brief “Give me a moment while I fix this” is perfectly acceptable. Audiences are usually patient with short, honest hiccups.
Recording and privacy
If the session will be recorded, tell attendees at the start, and follow your organization’s rules or the platform’s requirements about consent. Be careful what you say and show, because a recording may be shared more widely than planned. Also think before revealing personal details in your background, name display or shared screen. Recordings can later serve as a type of personal brand video, so it is worth presenting them thoughtfully.