Involve and Evolve- A world of virtual meet-ups.
My dear readers, I can assume that after a day full of excitement you would want something to nourish your soul.
When you involve people in your work, in your presentation, you evolve as a good leader. I decided to write about how one can involve others and evolve themselves in this arena of virtual meets, presentations over zoom, and many other virtual platforms.
You know why some people always get an edge over you when it comes to getting a great project, a mind-blowing appraisal, or a promotion, and if not all of this, handsome visibility.
These colleagues have certain traits and skills to combine those in such a fashion that things work well for them.
I assume you are a hard worker and a subject matter expert in your organization in your area of work. But that is not all that you need. You must be aware that this is a prerequisite for many jobs laid out, which is why you are hired for that job.
What you need to stand out from the crowd is the soft skills required to showcase your hard skills. I have heard from so many of my colleagues and friends that it was easier to showcase our soft skills in a real room full of people than in an e-room full of people.
Friends, but this is going to be our future and we must deal with it in the best way or else we are going to pay big time.
To get your thought process energized, I am listing down the key features that one should display while in an e-meeting, e-presentation, etc.
· Start by greeting everyone as I have mentioned in my previous posts.
· Now since this is a virtual discussion, your complete body language is not visible to the audience. Make sure your camera is set at the perfect angle to show your head to the collarbone.
· Bring a broad smile to your face once you start your speech/ presentation/ at least a smile even in a cross argument for that matter.
· See that you do not bring your hands in front of your face. This shows a lack of confidence and that you are trying to hide something.
· Do not rub your hands against each other while presenting.
· Since your audience is virtual, keep your eyes on the camera. This maintains your eye contact with your audience.
· Keep your laptop updated with new versions or stop notifications during the time of your presentation. This should not become the reason for distraction or any unexpected delay during the presentation. You know tracking time is much more prompt and inbuilt response in virtual settings. Don’t let it become the reason for a minus point.
· In case you are doing an important presentation, do your homework before the main day.
· Record your video with the camera angle set perfectly. See your reel to identify the pain points in your speech, tone, and pitch of your speech. Make sure your hand movements are proper.
· Take another shot after identifying the correction and set yourself right before the final presentation. This is just like how we practice our presentation beforehand and do mic testing when in real space.
· Use the pointer tool available in the MS PowerPoint while you move from one data/ description to another.
· Keeping your audience engaged is your responsibility. In the middle of the presentation, ask out a question to your audience related to your presentation. Or simply ask if they are on track with you, or shall you consider reviving.
· Try to follow the DMAIC process in your project presentation here as well and show your results and improvements through interactive charts, graphs, and images. Read about the DMAIC process on “How to deliver a presentation effectively?”
· Show some intangible benefits that you reaped out of the project.
· Keep a picture or two of your teammates working remotely to set the notes high. Your HR colleagues will appreciate this a lot.
· Do show gratitude towards the colleagues who have worked with you to make this a success story for the organization.
Friends, if you try to incorporate these intangible pointers in your presentation, I am sure you will be able to pull off your virtual/ e-presentation very effectively. This will enhance your visibility far better as the world is becoming smaller and highly digital.
Try out these pointers and I would love to hear back from you about your next presentation experience.
Stay tuned to my blog for more content and share if you find it useful.
Stay Home, Stay Safe!!
Tamanna Maheshwari
