We’ve all attended virtual meetings these past several months and it looks like we will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. In every meeting, whether it’s virtual or face-to-face, the challenge for the speaker is to keep the attendees engaged. The challenge for the attendees is to stay engaged. Fostering engagement begins before the meeting even starts. Begin by connecting your content to your audience. What do they ...

A quick glance into the flight deck of any commercial airplane and one can be overwhelmed by the number of different dials, lights, instruments and equipment. The more sophisticated the aircraft, the more training necessary for successful outcomes for each flight. The same is true for managing a large virtual audience. The presenter (the pilot) must be interesting, organized, and informative while addressing technology issues; trying to stay on time; ...

It’s difficult enough holding your audience’s attention in virtual meetings/presentations because of all the potential distractions each attendee faces. Nowadays, they are in their home or home office surrounded by all their “stuff.” In addition, they may have to contend with children demanding their time, pets wanting attention, ringing telephones, running dishwashers, deliveries at the door, or a multitude of other distractions. With all the potential chaos each attendee may ...

There have been a number of instances where a serious interview was being conducted on a national network and the interview was disrupted by a child running into the room seeking attention, or a cat walking across the keyboard in search of a scratch, or the speaker had business attire only from the waist up. These incidents have been shown over and over on mainstream or social media. With so ...

We reached out to our audience this month and asked them, “What virtual meeting tips have you found particularly helpful over the last few months if you’ve switched to a remote work environment as a result of COVID?” We received an overwhelming response and we are excited to share so everyone can learn from one another’s personal experiences. As you can imagine, there was quite a bit of overlap with ...

Using visuals on conference calls or web-meetings may cause confusion with your audience. Frequently, presenters jump ahead, causing audience frustration and uncomfortable stoppages. Exercise patience and use delays and pauses to your advantage. Whether reviewing a document during a conference call, or using a PowerPoint presentation in a web meeting, the challenge is to keep people on the same page. One great way to do that is to plan your ...

Effective virtual meetings are well organized. Because it’s hard to stay focused and engaged, the importance of a well planned virtual meeting is even more important than for an in-person, or co-located, meeting.Here are 3 tips on how to plan a well organized virtual meeting… As the leader, you must identify the purpose of the meeting and what outcomes are expected. The best way to do this is with a ...

My pet theory is that public speaking is an athletic performance. It relies on skills that are just as physical as those used in sports. Posture: Stand with your feet hip-width apart and distribute your weight equally between them. Don’t pace. Don’t shift your weight from foot to foot. Most people find it difficult to avoid shifting around or making little nervous gestures. But any extraneous movement will distract the ...