Our life has changed dramatically since the beginning of 2020. All that we could do together: playing, learning, and talking, now needs to happen from the comfort of our homes. It is not something we are used to. It is not only our work or our conversations with friends that had to go online, but also our Toastmasters nights.
So many teams have suffered the transition from live to online. People think that public speaking can only be live, in front of 10-100 people, with more interaction and a big stage. Some do not see the benefits of online meetings. They do not realise the need for them, and they misinterpret the definitions of public speaking.
But… what is public speaking then? Most would say that it is a LIVE presentation in front of HUNDREDS of people. The Merriam Webster Dictionary says that the definition of public speaking is “the act or process of making speeches in public”. While according to Wikipedia, public speaking is “the process or act of performing a speech to a live audience”.
If you look at these definitions closely, none of them say that you need to stand in front of the audience on a stage to be a public speaker; none of them say that the live event has to be at one location. When we interpret the definition from a different perspective, a live event could be online, and the audience can easily connect through a Zoom or a Skype call and be live online.
Plus, there are some benefits of learning about online presentation skills; we just need to switch our perspective, open our eyes and accept the new. Our world is turning to online platforms. 20-50 years ago, we could not have imagined that we would video chat with each other from different parts of the world. There was no Facebook, Instagram, or any social media per se. Our world is rapidly changing and no matter if we accept it or not, it is happening. So why not to be part of the change? Why not to be the icebreakers and the masters of the new? This is what you get when you hop online. This is what you get when you join the online or hybrid Toastmasters events. The shift is already happening and soon this will be the norm. So why waste time? Why not do it now?
When you are open to possibilities, you will soon realise that it is not only your small local club that you can join now. The whole world has opened for you and the only thing you need to do is knock. Knock on the doors of other clubs. As you are a member of Toastmasters, you can go anywhere in the world and join any club event or any Toastmasters night. Now, you can do this without stepping outside of your living room. You can build connections; you can network and meet other Toasties from other parts of your own country or even from the other side of the world. You can practice your foreign language skills if you want to, or you can just listen in and see how other clubs work, get some inspiration.
In addition, as it has been mentioned before, the world is functioning online. Since the beginning of this year, the number of webinars, podcasts, YouTube channels and TikTok members has increased exponentially. Everyone is taking classes online, purchases different courses and learns from home. By practicing online presentation skills, online public speaking, you have a chance to do so, too. You will gain confidence to spread your knowledge amongst your peers and with the whole world.
Additionally, most people still work from home. There might be some offices open but big chains have realised the benefits of home office. People still do the work without a need for a heated office to go to every single day. Most companies made budget cuts by closing offices for certain days and by holding online meetings. I believe, soon we will all work like this. By learning some online presentation skills now, you will become a better leader, employee or entrepreneur for the future. You can practice for your work meetings and gain some online negotiation skills.
As Les Brown says, the 3 things to become successful are: (1) you need to change your mindset, (2) practice Only Quality People, (3) develop your communication skills, because once you open your mouth, you tell the world who you are. You get all this when you are a member of Toastmasters, no matter if you are in an in-person meeting or in an online one.
However, before you get too excited and just jump right into the online world, let’s go through some simple tips that will make your presentation even better and will help you shine online. There are a few things to pay attention to when one presents on Zoom or Skype; it is a lot different than standing in front of people. So, what are these?
1. Lighting
When you are standing on a stage, you do not need to care about the lighting, it is all done for you. You might have stage light, room light or natural light in the room. There is no need to worry about it. On the other hand, when presenting online, lighting is a crucial point of a great presentation.
It is better to face a window where you get some natural light from or if the presentation is at night, have a light source in front of you that will lighten your face. It is important that the light comes from the front and not from behind you. A light source from behind will make your face darker and harder to see your face expressions. And when the light comes from directly above your head, you will have a lightbulb of light above you that could be very distracting throughout the presentation. Hence, lighting is an important feature if you would like to look professional.
2. Audio
You might have heard about the words pitch, tone and speed; all in all, you are all Toastmasters. However, we talk about a few more things in the online world. That is clarity and understandability. When you hold an online presentation, it is important to try out the audio before starting. Make sure everyone can hear you clearly and can understand you. You might need to use headphones or different microphones to reduce the static noise and present your best. You don’t want to be too far away from the camera either, that will make your audio to be quiet and feel more distant. It is also important to have a great Wi-Fi connection, so that there are no technical glitches in your presentation.
3. Camera position
When you are presenting online, you are talking to a tiny camera. This could be very disturbing for many. As a Toastmaster, you are used to creating eye contact with all the participants. Now, that is changed. It is hard to see everyone on the screen in front of you, you cannot scan through the audience and you do not have a stage to walk on.
When you place your camera, it is important that you have your phone or laptop at eye level. This means that you are neither looking up nor looking down to the camera. You might need to use a chair, a few books or even a shelf to elevate your device and be able to look directly into the camera.
You also want to make sure that your upper body is showing, but you do not need to stand in the distance so that your whole body can be seen. Online presentation is about hand gestures and face expressions. There is less movement involved, you do not need a stage to conquer. Moving too much can have an opposite effect on an online audience than you would like. Moving sideways, having big gestures, and moving closer and farther away can not only distract the audience, but can even make them dizzy. If you chose to sit down for your presentation, make sure you are not choosing a rotating chair to present in, especially if you are known for circling around and moving a lot due to nervousness. Have a stiff chair that you cannot move and be still. But this topic will be covered in more detail in section 5.
One more point here to make is that you want to place your camera under the light so that you are facing the light when presenting. This could either be by placing it in the window during the daytime or under the side lamp that you will be facing. Sometimes when I need to hold online meetings at night, I sit down in front of my big computer, place my laptop or phone in front of that and use the light of the big computer screen to lighten my face.
And finally, I would like to share a story with you that is related to camera positioning:
Imagine a young woman working from home and holding a presentation to her bosses. In the middle of the presentation, her father walks into the room and starts to search for something on the bookshelf. There is no need to say that the old man is in his underwear and when he suddenly starts his happy dance, indicating he has found what he was searching for, it is not a book he takes off the shelf but a small liquor bottle. He casually opens that bottle and starts drinking. So far, the woman has not realised what is going on, she is occupied by the presentation, however all the participants are trying to look elsewhere. When the woman and the old man realises what is happening, the old man walks up to the camera and says one word… “Tequila!”. He shows a bottle to the camera like he would be in a TV commercial then he walks out of the room.
Learning from this story, when presenting from home, you need to make sure that there is no disturbance in the background. You might not want to have family pictures hanging there or flatmates walking in. Choose a location where the background is as clear as it could be and lock the door, so there would be no one unexpected showing up behind you.
4. Eye contact
Eye contact is crucial in public speaking, but how can you keep your attention on the camera? Well, when I started out with my own YouTube videos, I was struggling with this too. It is such a weird experience to look at a device instead of looking into someone’s eyes. So, there was a trick that I started to use. I printed out some mini pictures of my friends and family members and I taped it next to the camera. It helped me to have someone to talk to, imagine myself sharing my stories with them. Soon I started to get used to looking into a camera and did not need these pictures anymore.
Or, when you are holding a Zoom conference and the video is on for a few participants, you could choose to tell your presentation directly to that one person. Look into their eyes, and imagine they are the only ones there listening, you are sharing your knowledge with them. This will help you create a connection even from a distance.
5. Sitting or standing?
Common question in online presentation is if one should be standing or sitting. Well, all I can tell you here is that “It is up to you”. If you feel more confident presenting standing, that is fine. My advice here is not to stand too far away from the camera, be sure that the audience can see your face and hands but that is all; the upper body is enough. Also, it is important to realise that you are not standing to move around, you need to stand still and look directly into the camera. If, for you, the sitting is more comfortable or will help you stay in one position, then do that. There really is no right or wrong here. The only thing you need to pay attention is your camera position mentioned in section 3.
6. When you have a presentation
When you have prepared a presentation, you need to make sure in advance that the host of the event has given you permission to share your screen and test this before the whole event would start. Holding presentations is a little bit easier, you do not need to rehearse that much as you have reminders on the slides. You need to prepare great PowerPoint slides and a script. (But make sure that your slides are not full of writing, that could be very distracting; your listeners will read those slides instead of listening to your explanation. Have mostly pictures and only a few words to remind you)
How to prepare for an online meeting?
We all know that the 3 advice one public speaker can give to another is Practice, Practice, Practice. And you are most probably used to writing a script and practicing it out loud, maybe even in front of the mirror. But when one wants to present online, the best practice is to record your speech with your phone or camera. The best way to do this is by using the front camera, because, most likely, when you will present, you will see yourself on the big screen (unless you share your screen for a PowerPoint presentation). Seeing oneself can throw people off while presenting, so it takes time to get used to it. By looking at the recording you can also see how your gestures, your tone, eye contact and lighting works during your presentation and you can easily make some adjustments.
You could also watch some free online webinars or YouTube videos to get some ideas on how the pros are doing this. How much of their bodies are present on the camera and what is in the background.
There are many ways to improve yourself with Toastmasters and now a whole new world opened for you. It is time to jump in and enjoy.
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