Five Traits Of Outstanding Online Presentations

The trouble with the future is that it usually arrives before we are ready for it. ~ Arnold Glasgow

The number of poor online presentations is rapidly growing. The number of poor virtual presenters is expanding even faster.

Poorly designed webinars, boring online conferences, ineffective hybrid events and emotionless virtual meetings litter our digital landscape like plastic bags on roadsides. They are multiplying faster than zombies feasting on high density populations.

Cyber opportunities knock on our virtual doors daily. Every day each one of us receives a myriad of invitations to attend some type of online event. Vendors offer free presentations. Trade associations offer paid experiences. Consultants lure us with discounted digital packages. The choices are overwhelming.

So which digital events are worth our time? What makes for a successful webinar or hybrid experience?

Five Traits Of Successful Digital Presentations

Here are five traits of successful digital presentations with hat tips to Timothy J. Koegel, author of The Exceptional Presenter.

1. It must be relevant or it will be ignored.

What must be relevant? Everything! Everything must be useful to the listener. It must connect to their personal and professional life.

This includes:

• Content
• Message
• Participant’s role in presentation
• Purpose
• Technology used for delivery

2. It must be engaging or it will be forgotten.

Every aspect of the presentation from the introductions to the conclusion should engage your audience. It has to be more interesting than anything that will distract them.

The same old same old doesn’t work here. You can’t move your face-to-face presentation to digital without making changes. And don’t expect the same results.

Start with interesting stuff immediately. Grab the attention of your listeners with a dynamic story. Add analogies, humor, music, sound effects, visuals and video. And by all means, make it fun.

Find ways to involve your audience early and often. Ask them to text in responses to questions.

Solo presenters are out. Co-pilots are in. Have your co-pilot follow the live chat. Take cues from morning TV magazine or radio shows and involve your co-pilot in discussion.

3. It must keep moving or it will be abandoned.

Drag is a four letter word. Do not waste time in your presentation. Keep it moving.

• Eliminate the irrelevant.
• Manage your time wisely.
• Craft smooth transitions.
• Practice the tech tools.

4. As a presenter, it is your message and your delivery that will ultimately move the audience.

Technology provides a host of tools, bells and whistles to augment your digital presentation. In the end, it is your communication, your stories, your emotions and your technique that will persuade the listeners to action.

5. A successful digital meeting is a series of exceptional presenters, fused together with seamless transitions.

Exceptional presenters understand that they are presenting to invisible and silent audiences. They showcase their passion and energy.

Remember, presenting to a face-to-face audience is difficult. Presenting to a remote audience is difficult squared!

This post original appeared on SocialFish Blog.

What engages you in digital presentations? What have you seen done successfully?