Harvey Diamond

The Art of Captivating Your Audience in a Virtual Setting

The world has gone virtual, and so have presentations and meetings. Although the shift to digital formats has made things convenient and easily accessible, it has come with its own unique set of challenges. To ensure your virtual meetings and presentations are as engaging and effective as possible, it is important to master the art of captivating your audience. Here are a few tips to help you succeed:

Make Eye Contact

Although it might seem like the complete opposite of what you should be doing in the virtual setting, making eye contact is still important. A study by M. Rohrer from the University of Minnesota found that virtual eye contact has been found to significantly increase perceived trust, politeness, and confidence between people in communication. To make eye contact virtually, look directly into your camera and imagine you are looking at a person in the room.

Use Visual Aids

Using visuals such as videos and images will help draw and keep attention in the virtual setting. In addition, visuals help make concepts and ideas easier to understand and remember. For an added boost, bring in a professional designer to help ensure your visuals and slides are polished and aesthetically-pleasing.

Incorporate Movement

To keep your audience engaged and interested, be sure to incorporate movement into your presentation. If you are doing a slideshow, use transitions and animations to move through your slides. Try incorporating simple tasks like a poll or a breakout session to help keep your audience involved.

Engage With Your Audience

Making frequent pauses allows your audience to ask questions, or engage in conversation or discussion. This helps to ensure that everyone feels heard and respected throughout the presentation.

Pay attention to Your Language

Be sure to keep your body language, delivery, and language conversational and relaxed. Ask rhetorical questions to keep your audience engaged, and make sure to use plain language and simple words rather than industry jargon.

Overall, the secret to captivating your audience in a virtual setting is finding the balance between keeping things professional and engaging. By making sure eye contact is made, visuals are used, and language is simple, you can create an effective presentation and drive the message home.

Sources:

• Rohrer, M. (2020). “The Effects of Virtual Eye Contact in Private and Group Communication”. University of Minnesota.

• Fox, R. (2020). “How to Make Your Virtual Presentations Engaging”. NYFA Current.

• Zuraiz, S. (n.d). “7 Tips to Engage your Virtual Audience”. Gnowbe