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13 Zoom Presentation Tips to Ace Your Next Online Meeting

Written by: Mahnoor Sheikh

Now that more people are working from home, online presentations using tools like Zoom have started to become the norm.

But giving a Zoom presentation is very different from presenting in person. The lack of physical presence and body language can make it difficult to engage and inspire your audience.

If you’re still getting used to presenting on Zoom, this article has some great tips to help you succeed and make an impact in your next meeting.

Preparing Your Zoom Presentation

Getting ready for your Zoom presentation is just as important as giving the actual presentation. There are tons of potential issues you can face, like a faulty microphone or your dog walking in right in the middle of an important slide.

By preparing well, you ensure your presentation is as smooth and error-free as possible. After all, you only get one chance to make a great first impression and get a great ROI .

Here are some tips to help you get ready to deliver a powerful Zoom presentation.

1 Design a Great Online Presentation

The first thing you need to do is make sure your presentation is designed to look its best on your audiences’ tiny computer screens.

Follow these three rules to create an effective Zoom presentation.

Keep it simple.

The best online presentations are simple and straightforward.

You don’t want your audience to be squinting at their screens trying to navigate through a tangled web of text, colors, graphs and other content.

You need them to look at a slide and get the point at a single glance.

Use a plain background for your slides, preferably white, and focus each slide on only one point or idea. Don’t stuff too many bullet points or text into your slides.

Also, make sure you center your text in case the edges of the slides are cut off for some of the participants.

Lastly, use a large and bold font that doesn’t require participants to strain their eyes, even if they’re viewing your slides on their phone.

Use relevant visuals.

Visuals make information much easier to digest and retain than plain text. And let’s face it—they keep things entertaining.

Here are some types of visuals you can use to make your Zoom presentation more engaging:

• Charts and graphs. Visualizing data can bring the most boring numbers and statistics to life. If you’re using research findings to show a trend or back up your point, consider presenting them in the form of a bar graph or pie chart. Not only will it add some color to your slides, it will make it easier for your audience to interpret the data.
• Maps.  If you're presenting geographic data, you can easily visualize it in the form of maps. In Visme, you can add interactive maps for a single country or the world.
• Icons and illustrations.  Adding creative graphics like icons and illustrations can break up walls of text, make your information look more visual and interesting, and help explain your point better.
• Videos. Adding videos into your slides is a great way to make your presentation more engaging. Videos can help you explain a point more clearly, show a product in action or give some background information on your subject. You can embed YouTube or Vimeo videos into your slides or upload them directly.
• Stock photos. If used intelligently, stock photos can add value to your slides by helping you set the tone, tell a story or visualize an idea. You can also use relevant stock photos in the background with text overlay to add some color to your slides.
• GIFs and Memes. Make your online presentations fun and engaging by adding relevant memes and GIFs into slides that would otherwise look quite dry. Be careful not to overdo it, and only use humor if appropriate. You don’t want to risk looking unprofessional.

Here's a presentation template from Visme with just the right balance of visuals and text to help you get started. Simply customize it to use for your next Zoom presentation.

Using visuals in your online presentation is great, but this doesn’t mean you should stuff all your slides with images. Make sure the visuals you’re using add value to your content and emphasize your point instead of taking attention away from it.

Make it interactive.

It can be tough to keep your audience engaged when you’re not interacting with them face-to-face.

So, why not do the next best thing? Make your slides interactive!

If you’re creating your presentation in Visme, you can access a bunch of interactivity tools to spice up your slides:

• Animation. Add beautiful slide transitions, or animate objects separately. A good tip is to animate bullet points to appear one at a time to draw focus to each one. You can also choose from pre-animated illustrations, icons and characters to make your Zoom presentation more engaging.
• Links. In Visme, you can link any text or graphic element to a web page, or a slide or object inside your presentation. Get creative with this tool to add interactive quizzes, slides and more to your Zoom presentation. For example, you can link two text boxes together so when you click on the question, the answer appears.
• Hover effects. If you’re linking one object in your slide to another, you can enable it to show up on either click or hover. If you’re creating a quiz, for example, you can link two text boxes together so when you hover on the question, the answer appears.

A healthy dose of interactivity can make your audience feel more involved with your Zoom presentation.

2 Tidy Up Your Background

If you want your audience to take you seriously, clean up any clutter behind you.

A messy background can make you look unprofessional and distract people from focusing on your presentation. Ideally, your background should be a plain wall.

If you can’t manage to find a clean, empty background, consider using a virtual Zoom background. There are tons of different styles out there, so make sure to pick one that looks realistic and professional.

3 Draw Attention to Your Face

An online presentation can quickly start to feel distant and impersonal, like watching a pre-recorded video.

To remind your audience that they’re interacting with a real human, you need to draw focus to your face and expressions as you present.

Make sure you’re presenting in a well-lit room, where the source of light is in front of you. If the light source is directly behind you, you might end up looking like a dark blob.

4 Check Your Equipment

Make sure you check all your technical equipment to see if everything is working properly. This will help minimize issues like awkward camera angles or a malfunctioning microphone.

Here are a few things you should take care of before your presentation:

• Check internet connection. No one wants to listen to a presenter with laggy audio and video. Use a reliable, high-speed internet connection to ensure a smooth Zoom presentation.
• Test audio and video. Check if your camera and microphone are working properly by joining a Zoom test meeting . You can also test out your equipment from inside the Zoom app by clicking on Settings → Audio or Settings → Video .
• Ensure your laptop is plugged in. Imagine if your laptop dies out in the middle of your presentation just because you didn’t plug it in properly. Don’t let that happen.
• Adjust your camera level. Make sure your audience is looking at your face instead of the top of your head. Decide whether you want to sit or stand during your presentation, and adjust the webcam so it’s at eye level.

Keep in mind that technical issues can arise unexpectedly, even if you do everything right. Doing tech prep beforehand, though, keeps the chances at a minimum.

5 Minimize Potential Interruptions

Whether you’re giving your Zoom presentation at home or in a nearby cafe, there are tons of potential interruptions that can disrupt your flow and make you look unprofessional.

During your prep, your goal should be to minimize these interruptions as much as possible.

Find a quiet area to begin with, and lock the door so no one comes in unexpectedly. It’s a good idea to inform your family members or roommates that you’re going to be busy prior to the presentation.

Another tip is to close all other open applications and windows on your computer. Notifications and sounds can interrupt your meeting and distract you. You can also use the “Do Not Disturb” mode on MacOS or “Focus Assist” on Windows 10 to mute notifications.

6 Stick Your Notes in the Right Place

Just like when you’re presenting in person, you’d likely want to keep notes or pointers nearby in case you forget something important.

During a Zoom presentation, though, you need to be careful about where you place your notes. It can look very unprofessional and awkward if your eyes keep moving away from the camera when everyone is staring at your face.

Avoid keeping a notepad next to you or pasting them on the side of your monitor. A better alternative is to stick a post-it right below or next to your webcam. So, even if you take a peek, you will still be looking somewhat directly at your audience.

If you’re using Visme to create your Zoom presentation, you can simply use the presenter notes feature and skip all the hassle of keeping physical notes.

While you’re presenting, your presenter notes will open up in another window, so you can look at them while presenting without even letting your audience know.

7 Ditch the Pajamas

We get it. Nobody wants to get dressed when they’re at home.

But really, if you’re giving a professional presentation, it’s a good idea to ditch your PJs and wear something presentable .

Even if everyone knows you’re at home, you don’t want to look sloppy while sharing important information. This can prevent your audience from taking you seriously.

Plus, dressing up can help you feel more confident and motivated. Wear something that not only looks smart, but also makes you feel good about yourself.

8 Rehearse Before the Presentation

Never walk into a presentation unprepared. This is especially important for Zoom presentations, as it can be even more difficult to wing it when you’re not interacting in person.

Plus, rehearsing is a good idea if you want to overcome the fear of being on camera. Do a demo Zoom meeting with a friend or family member, or just practice alone before the presentation.

Delivering Your Zoom Presentation

Now that you’re all prepped up to give your Zoom presentation, here are some tips to help you make the most of your time while you’re presenting.

9 Start With a Bang

Did you know that people take as little as five seconds to judge how charismatic a speaker is?

Figuring out how to start your presentation is one of the most important parts of your Zoom presentation. It can either get your audience to sit up in their seats or prepare to doze off.

Here's an infographic on some tried-and-true ways to start a presentation that keeps your audience hooked . Keep reading for an explanation of all seven points below.

• Reveal a shocking statistic. A relevant and powerful statistic can set the tone for your presentation and show your audience the importance of your message.
• Tell a relevant joke. Humor is a great way to break the ice and keep your audience engaged. A boring presentation can quickly cause the listener to zone out.
• Ask a question. Get your audience involved by asking them a question relevant to your presentation topic. The more you interact with them, the more likely they’ll be to listen to what you’re saying.
• Quote an influential person. A powerful quote can often motivate or inspire your audience to sit up and listen to what you have to say.
• Tell a short story. Stories are personal and can evoke emotions. Telling a relatable story that also gets the audience curious to know more is a great way to start your presentation.
• Use an interesting prop. Using a prop can break the monotony of your presentation. Using motion and a visual object can also help attract your audience’s gaze.
• Show a captivating visual. Pictures speak louder than words, which is why using a powerful image that tells a story or shows the importance of your topic is an effective way to start your presentation.

Along with starting impressively, you should also try to end your presentation in a way that it drives your audience to take action or think about your message. A good idea is to end with a powerful statement or a thought-provoking question.

10 Make Eye Contact With the Audience

While you’re speaking, it’s just as important to make eye contact with your audience as it is during a face-to-face presentation.

The problem with Zoom presentations, though, is that you often end up looking at your own video or at the video of your audience.

To make eye contact online, however, you need to look directly at your camera. To make things easier, you can place the video boxes of your audience at the top of your screen, directly under your webcam.

11 Regularly Pause to Engage

Online presentations can get monotonous really quickly, and it’s common for people to zone out in the middle of it.

If you want to ensure your message hits home, take regular breaks throughout your Zoom presentation and engage your audience in conversation.

You could pause to ask them questions, or simply ask what they think about a certain topic. You could also try switching up the pace of your presentation, show a short video clip or tell an interesting or humorous story that helps bring wandering minds back.

12 Use the Chat Feature to Your Benefit

Zoom’s chat feature is a great way to get your audience involved without disrupting the flow of your presentation.

You can use Zoom chat to your advantage in several different ways:

• Questions. Ask your audience questions and let them answer through chat, or get them to ask you questions in the chat.
• Feedback. Let your audience know beforehand that they can leave their feedback and comments related to your presentation or topic in the chat. For example, if someone comments that they can’t hear you properly you can try fixing your mic or raising your voice.

Get creative with your use of the chat feature to keep your audience engaged. Ask them to send a hand emoji if they can relate to something, or ask what they want to see first in your presentation.

13 Record Your Presentation

The best way to improve your Zoom presentation skills is to learn from your past mistakes. Thankfully, Zoom lets you record your presentations so you can revisit them later and analyze your performance.

Are you using too many hand gestures? Are you walking around too much? Are you speaking at a reasonable pace? Understanding how you did can help you do even better in the future.

You can also send your Zoom presentation recordings to a friend or family member so they can review it for you. It always helps to get the opinion of someone you trust.

How to Share Your Visme Presentation on Zoom

Thinking of creating your Zoom presentation in Visme? Great choice!

The best part is that you can easily share your Visme slides with your audience without needing to download the presentation on your computer.

Of course, you can still download your presentation in PowerPoint or PDF format if you need to.

Follow the steps below to share your Visme presentation on Zoom without downloading anything.

Step 1: Publish your presentation.

When you’re finished designing your presentation in Visme, navigate over to the top right corner of your screen, and click on “Share”.

Next, click on “Publish for Web” on your left, type in a title and description for your presentation, and click on “Publish and get my link”.

Step 2: Click on the Present button.

Once you’ve published your presentation, you can go back and click on the “Present” button at the top right of your screen. This will open up the Presenter view.

If you want to access your presenter notes, click on the video camera icon at the bottom right corner of your screen, and your notes will appear in a new window.

Step 3: Share your screen on Zoom.

From your Zoom meeting window, click on “Share Screen” and select the window with the Presenter view of your presentation.

That’s it! You’ll now be able to look at the presenter notes on your screen while your audience views the slide open in your Presenter view window.

Alternatively, you can also download your presentation as a PowerPoint or PDF file, and share your screen in Zoom to present your slides.

Ready to Give a Memorable Zoom Presentation?

If you’re still getting used to the idea of presenting on Zoom, this article will help you prepare well and deliver an impactful presentation that people won’t be able to forget any time soon.

Remember, while Zoom presentations are different from presenting in person, you still need to be just as confident, dress to impress and make eye contact.

The only difference is that you need to put more effort into engaging your audience and keep them from dozing off in front of their computers.

Design a beautiful Zoom presentation and present online using Visme’s presentation maker. Sign up now for free and take it for a test drive!

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About the Author

Mahnoor Sheikh is the content marketing manager at Visme. She has years of experience in content strategy and execution, SEO copywriting and graphic design. She is also the founder of MASH Content and is passionate about tea, kittens and traveling with her husband. Get in touch with her on LinkedIn .

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15 Tips for Engaging Zoom Presentations + Examples

Your next Zoom presentation is a week away. And your mind is racing.

What presentation software should you use?

What if the other attendees can hear your neighbor’s loud music?

Will they find your presentation boring?

Relax and take a deep breath.

You don’t have to figure out the answers to these questions by yourself. This guide will cover everything you need to know about planning and delivering engaging Zoom presentations without stress and anxiety!

After reading this article, you’ll be brimming with confidence and competence on your next Zoom presentation.

Table of contents :

The science behind your Zoom presentation anxiety

• Downloadable Zoom presentation checklist

Part 1: Tips on how to plan and prepare for your Zoom presentation

Part 2: tips during your zoom presentation.

• How to share your Piktochart slide deck on Zoom
• Present with ease on Zoom using Piktochart presentations

Before we get into all the other Zoom presentation tips, perhaps the most important is to deal with your Zoom presentation anxiety. And you’re not alone – anxiety over Zoom presentations is more common than you think . 

A  2021 paper  on why students have difficulties learning during synchronous presentations over Zoom found that 80 percent of the students polled experienced anxiety and trouble focusing during their virtual classes. But what causes this worry? In a peer-reviewed article, Professor Jeremy Bailenson, founding director of the  Stanford Virtual Human Interaction Lab , highlighted the  results of their research  and cited four primary reasons behind Zoom fatigue, stress, and anxiety:

• Your brain interprets excessive amounts of close-up eye contact during video chats as an “intense situation.”
• Like looking at the mirror, you become more critical of yourself as you see yourself on camera.
• Limited movements while you’re chained in your chair and table.
• Video chats require a higher cognitive load than face-to-face presentations. 

“You’ve got to make sure that your head is framed within the center of the video. If you want to show someone that you agree with them, you have to do an exaggerated nod or put your thumbs up. That adds cognitive load as you’re using mental calories in order to communicate,” shares Bailenson.

Finally, you have to consider tech troubles and presentation software fiascos, as well as dealing with the pressure of public speaking.

15 Zoom presentation tips and tricks to help you own the room like a pro

Now that you understand why Zoom presentations give you sweaty palms, let’s go through 15 actionable steps to prepare for the slides.

We created a checklist of the Zoom presentation tips so you can cross off each task.

Prefer video learning instead? Watch the video below.

The success of your Zoom presentation is the result of thoughtful planning and preparation.

Get ready for your online class, product webinar, or job interview on Zoom with the following pre-presentation tips:

1. Decide on the scope of your Zoom presentation

Before presenting on Zoom, ask yourself — what one particular idea or insight would you want your audience to learn from you?

“Defining the scope is the most critical step. What are the boundaries, what are the deliverables, what is the topic that you are covering?”, recommends Linda Parry Murphy , CEO of Product Launchers, Inc.

Trying to cover every subject will only make you more nervous.

Remember the Stanford study earlier about too much cognitive load as one of the reasons behind Zoom presentation anxiety?

Limiting the scope of your presentation can significantly reduce your cognitive load while keeping your audience focused on the key points.

2. Plan for the structure of your online presentation

It’s important to master the sequence and structure of your presentation as part of your preparation. Creating a framework guides the meeting participants so they understand what the data means, why it’s important, and what the implications are in this situation.

A solid structure in place also makes it easier to go back to what you’re saying. As a result, you will feel more confident because you can keep track of your talking points with a quick glance at your outline if you lose your train of thought.

Matt Abrahams, a lecturer in Organizational Behavior and author of Speaking Up Without Freaking Out , recommends the following examples of presentation structures that you can use:

• Past-Present-Future – review a process or share a timeline
• Comparison-Contrast – show the benefits of a certain idea, insight, product, or service
• Cause-Effect – explain the rationale behind a decision
• Problem-Solution-Benefit – motivate or convince your audience
• What?-So What?-Now What? – convince people to do a specific action after your presentation

Another simple presentation structure you can work on is to start with an introduction, the meat of your presentation where you can highlight 3 points, and wrap up with the summary and call-to-action.

3. Prepare your presentation visuals

Plenty of research and evidence shows that including images is more effective in getting your message across than written text or oral communications alone.

For instance, a captivating visual is  four times more effective  in conveying information than words alone. People remember 80 percent of what they see and do, compared to 20 percent through reading and 10 percent through hearing, respectively.

If your goal is to convince your audience during your Zoom presentation, you’ll also be delighted to know that using visuals can help you become more persuasive.

A Wharton School of Business research found that around a third of the audiences they polled felt that presenters who used visuals were more persuasive.

So remember that well-chosen images, even stock photos, can do wonders to augment your slides.

When making visuals for your presentation, use these questions as your guide:

• Is there an icon, illustration, or image that could represent your point in a more meaningful way?
• What types of diagrams , such as a timeline, flowchart, pie chart, arrows, or graphs, will help get your point across to your audience?
• Who are my target audiences? When choosing visuals for my presentation, are there certain cultural taboos or inappropriate humor that I should be aware of?

One more thing – consider using bullet points if you find slides with walls of text. They’ll be easier to digest without taking the focus away from you.

4. Eliminate clutter in your surroundings

Staying in one place with no room to maneuver probably doesn’t spark joy for anyone. KonMari your environment by eliminating clutter on your desk and in the space around you. This means extra keyboards, unused notebooks, pens, food boxes, and books can go.

Eliminating clutter gives your brain the impression that there’s more room for you to move around during your Zoom event.

If the space you’re presenting in makes it difficult to clear off clutter, you could find a plain wall to present against. And if that’s not an option, you can use a clean virtual Zoom background . Keeping your surroundings out of sight means it’s out of mind for you and your audience; one less thing to worry about while presenting.

5. Do a tech prep

Presenting in Zoom while you’re at home or traveling is a technological wonder in itself. But technology can be frustrating at times too.

Spending some time optimizing your Zoom settings by clicking in the toolbar while you’re in a Zoom meeting. Under video settings, you’ll find a few options that can help with the visuals, such as focus assist.

Before your presentation, double-check the following:

• Make sure that your laptop, computer, lighting, headset, webcam, microphone, and internet connection are working. Have backup equipment if possible.
• Familiarize yourself with the Zoom app and other relevant software you’re going to use during the presentation.
• Close unnecessary browsers, applications, or software before the presentation. Turn off your laptop or desktop notifications. The goal is to optimize and speed up the device to have a smooth presentation.
• Prepare a PDF version of your presentation slides and have an extra copy of your presenter notes in case of technical mishaps with your slides. It also makes sense to have a short link to your presentation that you can share with the audience.
• Position your notes in the right spot so you know where to find them while presenting.
• Check Zoom settings and do a quick audio and video check.

6. Rehearse your presentation

After taking care of your surroundings and equipment, the next step is to prepare yourself.

Practicing your Zoom presentation in advance can help boost your confidence. Here are some tips to help you rehearse well for your presentation:

• Screen record yourself. Afterward, check your recorded video for technical issues, your body language, and whether or not your voice is audible or not.
• Practice with a family member or friend who can give feedback on any distracting nonverbal communication habits like too many hand gestures.
• Rehearse in the same room where you’ll be presenting. Use the same lighting, computer setup, and everything.
• Practice speaking to the camera, not your computer screen.

If you’re not used to face-to-face presentations, you could record your presentation and watch it back. I know, I know – it can feel so uncomfortable watching yourself. But a quick analysis will reveal if you use too many hand gestures, that can be distracting, and also if you need to reposition your camera so it shows your upper body while presenting.

The time has come for presentation day! You already know the ins and outs of your presentation, and you’ve practiced your Zoom presentation skills to a T. A couple of checks you can do before you start are:

• Make sure you’re in a quiet area to minimize any potential interruptions.
• Do a test call with a friend to check the internet connection and if you’ll stay connected.

Take note of the following tips and hacks to make your Zoom presentation engaging and anxiety-free during your webinar or talk:

7. Dress the part

Wear clothes that are appropriate for your presentation and audience. It also helps to be more mindful of your accessories and hairstyle. The outfits and accessories you wear during your Zoom meeting will speak volumes about you as a person.

For example, if you’re presenting to your coworkers, wear work clothes. If you’re pitching to a group of angel investors, wearing a tie can help convey that you’re serious and trustworthy. However, this may not be a good idea if you’re presenting to a group that is more open to change and tends to be more relaxed when it comes to conventional standards.

Another benefit of dressing the part is what you wear actually impacts how you think. Wearing formal clothes can improve abstract thinking and give you a broader sense of perspective, which is influential in helping you make better decisions.

8. Ditch the chair

Standing up when presenting in Zoom rather than sitting down helps you become more confident because you’re not hunched down on your chair.

Standing straight with your shoulders back also enables you to breathe easily, making your voice sound more powerful and confident. Finally, it allows you to move more and make explanatory gestures which is a charisma boost.

The more confident you appear in your presentation, the more confident you’re likely to feel.

“When your mind starts to feel more confident and powerful — it starts to see those challenging situations not as threats but as opportunities,” shares Harvard psychologist professor Amy Cuddy.

If you can’t stand up during your presentation, try to sit straight in your chair and back up your camera a little to show your upper body and not just your face.

9. Have a memorable introduction

National best-selling author and founder at Science of People Vanessa Van Edwards specifically recommends opening your presentation with IISSAAQQ to make it more memorable. IISSAAQQ stands for: 

• I cebreaker
• I llustration
• S hort story
• S tatistic or surprising fact
• A nalogy or metaphor

Bonus points if you can weave in humor with some background information with a relevant fact. Research found that more popular talks used humor 12.92 times, whereas less popular talks used humor only 3.92 times on average.

You don’t have to force a joke – humor could just be a play on words or surprising the audience with a funny image or meme that contrasts with a statement. Nothing breaks the ice better than laughter.

10. Look your audience in the eye (or rather your webcam)

Looking your audience in the eye is easier during face-to presentations than Zoom presentations. It can be a little tricky during online meetings because we tend to look at people’s faces on the computer screen. Maintain eye contact by looking into your webcam.

“A good idea is to lower the monitor camera a little so that you don’t have to tilt your head back to gaze up at it. If you can’t help looking at someone’s face on the screen instead of their camera, it helps to move the Zoom window to the part of the screen nearest to the camera so at least you’re looking at approximately the right place when you’re looking at their face,” shares Carol Kinsey Goman , Ph.D., executive coach and international keynote speaker.

You could treat the camera as if you were doing a face-to-face presentation. This way, it’ll be a bit simpler to hold eye contact with your audience when you’re not looking at your notes.

11. Think happy thoughts

Find ways to boost your mood before your presentation. Aside from helping you feel good (which in turn can boost your confidence), you’re also likely to smile often with happy thoughts. 

When you smile at your audience, they will also likely “mirror” your action and think happy thoughts. 

“Mirroring is relevant to our tendency to be empathetic. When I see you smiling, my mirror neurons for smiling fire up, and I get your state of mind right away. I feel it as you feel it. We need that mirroring in order to create a full empathic response to other people,” describes Marco Iacoboni , author of  Mirroring People  and UCLA professor. 

When you’re having a good time and sharing enthusiasm with your audience, they’ll reciprocate through their nonverbal communication. This means fewer folded arms and blank stares and more nodding along and smiles.

12. Delegate the chatbox

Have someone else take care of Zoom chat or manage the waiting room to keep you from being distracted. This person could be the meeting host, a colleague, or someone you trust who has your back during your presentation.

13. Engage your audience

A boring presentation is when there’s no interaction, and you’re being spoken at (hello, university lectures). You’ll be able to tell from everyone’s body language in the meeting room.

Make your presentation a two-way street. Here are some ways to encourage interaction and participation amongst your audience during your Zoom meetings:

• Ask questions. For example, if you’re presenting a team productivity software in Zoom, ask your audience about their top productivity problems at work. You can also use this time as an opportunity to transition to your next presentation slide.
• If you have a small audience, remember each person’s name and address them using their first names.
• Use visuals like illustrations, infographics, or a short video clip in your slide show. Tool recommendation : Use Piktochart Video to transform a long video into short clips.
• Use interactive quizzes while presenting online to change the pace and keep your audience engaged.

14. Talk like a human and avoid too much jargon

Alright, what does talking like a human mean in Zoom presentations?

For a start, avoid talking too much jargon and corporate speak. It makes you more relatable, keep your audience’s attention longer because your points will be easier to understand, and also helps you stand out from other presenters.

Just because you’re presenting in virtual meetings doesn’t mean you’re not talking to people. The only difference is you’re sharing your presentation in front of your camera instead of in front of the lecture room.

Next, improve your visual storytelling skills . Your presentation will be more memorable if you briefly share a story and pair it with visuals. Sign up for our free visual storytelling course . Check out the teaser video below.

15. Slow down

When you’re anxious and not too confident about your Zoom presentation, you’ll tend to speak fast, which in turn will make you more nervous. It’s a vicious cycle.

When presenting in Zoom, be mindful of your pace. Slowing down will not only take the edge off your nerves but also make you appear more confident.

Don’t be scared of pauses or gaps between your statements. Sometimes, you might need a sip of water to hydrate your throat. Other times, you could use the pauses as extra emphasis to drive key points.

Slowing down and changing up your talking pace will help you deliver an impactful presentation because you’ll have more control and be better able to drive the point home.

5 presentation examples and templates

To make presenting your Zoom presentation easy, here are some presentation templates and examples for inspiration.

Quarterly finance update

Have a big meeting coming up where you need to share sales performance and revenue figures? We’ve got you covered with this template.

It’s equipped with graphs where you can easily drop your revenue figures in and share performance with customizable graphs. There are also template slides for customer feedback and if your team is planning to introduce new processes.

Marketing strategy plan template

This marketing strategy slide deck is perfect if you’re onboarding a new client and want to walk them through your research, analysis, and proposed actions.

Group project

Presenting your collaborative project in a Zoom meeting to your classmates? Take the worry off so you can focus on sharing the results by using this science group project template .

Despite the name, you can use it for any kind of school or university project because the structure works for any type of research presentation. The template has slides for:

• Group introduction
• Your hypothesis/basis for the project
• Your theory
• How you tested the theory
• Key takeaways

Buyer persona template

The customer buying journey is always evolving, and you might need to present a case study to leadership or your team on recent findings. Our template makes it simple to share your customer’s story, as the template has slides for:

• The customer profile
• Motivations/goals
• Personal insights
• Responsibilities

Team update in the all-hands meeting

It’s common for managers, or project leads to update the company with their results in company meetings. In these cases, you might just need a single slide to share your progress.

This work breakdown structure template does the job, giving you space to share what your team’s objectives were, what the key results were, who was involved, and what the shipping date was for these goals.

How to share your Piktochart slide deck on Zoom 

Step 1 : On the Piktochart editor, click Share to get the link to your presentation. 

By default, your presentation is not publicly visible.

Step 2 : Copy and paste the link into your browser bar. Then, click the Show Presentation button. This will launch in fullscreen presentation mode, and now you’re ready to shine. 

Step 3: Click Share Screen on your Zoom account and choose the browser with the Piktochart link.

For a visual demonstration, watch the short tutorial below with detailed instructions.

Ready to deliver your presentation? 

That’s it for our Zoom presentation tips; now over to you.

You have a brilliant idea or insight to present, and you need to share them with your audience in your next Zoom presentation. It’s high time you nail it with the virtual presentation tips we outlined in this guide. 

Take Piktochart for a test drive  today and create your next presentation slide minus the stress using our free presentation maker .

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8 tips on how to present over Zoom like a pro

Today, Zoom is a central part of the remote workplace. It and other video conference platforms are widely used for meetings, job interviews, webinars, and presentations.

In-person presentations can be stressful enough, and having to conduct them virtually can seem even more daunting. 

But it doesn't have to be that way. Our eight pro tips for presenting over Zoom may help you feel more prepared, comfortable, and confident. Read on to find out more. 

1. Plan out your Zoom background/location ahead of time.

You can use a location in your home or a virtual Zoom background. If you select a place in your house, make sure it is uncluttered and clean. A plain wall or shelves with neatly arranged books provide a professional setting. 

Consider lighting. Soft lighting placed in front of you illuminates you evenly; sitting in front of a window can cause glare and shadows.

Make sure your background doesn't distract from you and your presentation. You don't want your audience focusing on a family photo or the dishes in the sink.

2. Test your equipment before your presentation.

Your equipment can make or break your Zoom presentation. 

To avoid surprises, check your internet connection, plug in your laptop, and ensure that your camera angle is correct and that the microphone works. 

You can confirm your internet connection, audio, and visual with a Zoom test meeting . Using a hard-wired connection rather than wifi is the safer option. And closing any applications you won't need during the presentation can conserve bandwidth. 

Taking precautions can avoid or minimize frozen screens, views of the top of your head, dead batteries, and sound problems.

3. Put notes in the right place on your screen(s).

Zdnet recommends, the best webcams for remote-working video calls.

The pandemic lockdown will leave a legacy of increased remote working, so it's a good time to upgrade your webcam. Here are ten leading contenders.

You need your notes where you can see them, but you don't want to keep looking down or off to the side during your presentation. 

To combat this, you can use dual monitors . Position your presentation on one of them, visible to all, and your presenter's notes — plus the webcam you're using — on the other, visible only to you. 

Or you can present your slide show in a window and put a private view of your notes in another window on the same screen. Zoom provides step-by-step instructions for single and dual screens.

4. Practice Zoom presenting as if it were the real thing.

Zoom allows you to practice in the precise environment where you will be presenting. Set up your background, lighting, and screens as you will on presentation day. You can schedule a webinar practice session on Zoom and run through your presentation exactly as you will on the day. You can invite a friend to join you and offer feedback.

Practicing can make the difference between a smooth presentation or an awkward one. Rehearse as often as you can, and visit our page of public speaking tips . 

SEE: What tech jobs don't require public speaking?

5. Minimize clutter on your slides.

Slides are a key part of a virtual presentation and can help you and the audience stay on track. 

Slides should be easy to read and navigate. Avoid brightly colored backgrounds, complicated fonts, and too many graphics. 

Each slide should communicate one concept or idea. Avoid a long list of bullet points on a single slide.

While a slide with few words in readable, bolded font works fine, visuals like charts, maps, and illustrations or photos can be more effective and keep your audience engaged. 

6. Use easy-to-understand visuals.

Visuals liven up your Zoom presentation in ways words don't. Instead of a long list of numbers explaining company statistics, try a graph or pie chart. Visuals aid understanding and keep your audience interested. 

Explaining technical procedures with videos or illustrations rather than wordy descriptions alone enables you to show and tell. They also accommodate different learning styles within your audience.

Microsoft posts tutorials for incorporating visual elements into PowerPoint slides and inserting videos from the web or your computer .

7. Explain your agenda before you begin presenting.

Most people like to know what to expect when logging onto a meeting. Opening your presentation with a slide outlining your agenda sets the timeline for your meeting and reassures your audience. If you plan to allow audience interaction, make sure to highlight when and how in your agenda. 

You can list the points you're going to cover in your presentation on your slide(s) and/or use graphics. You can pose a question on a slide, then show how you plan to answer it. Starting off with a funny (but work-appropriate) photograph or illustration can put you and your audience at ease.

8. If appropriate, encourage your audience to interact.

Unless you have a good reason not to, encourage your audience to interact during or after your presentation. 

Some presenters ask participants to use Zoom's chat function for questions and pause the presentation periodically to answer them or wait until the end. Presenters can mute and unmute the audience and allow time for comments and questions that way. Zoom also allows for engagement through participant polls during the presentation

The size of your audience may dictate how you want to handle audience interaction.

Not allowing participant interaction risks losing your audience to their phones and other distractions.

In conclusion

The hardest part of presenting on Zoom may be the technology for some and the public speaking for others. We hope our tips help.

Online public speaking courses can help with anxiety and discomfort. Developing emotional intelligence skills can also benefit your Zoom presentations. 

Home Blog Business How to Ace Your Zoom Presentation: Tips for Successful Virtual Presenting

How to Ace Your Zoom Presentation: Tips for Successful Virtual Presenting

It’s your turn to speak during a Zoom social event in your company when your cat decides to make an impromptu appearance, climbing onto your keyboard and causing a flurry of emojis to flood the screen. Thankfully, everyone loved your feline co-worker and joked about the hilarious scene.

But what if it happens in a more meaningful setting, like a virtual sales pitch you’ve been looking forward to for weeks? You wouldn’t want to risk losing a client – and your job – just because a pet rains on your parade.

In this article, we will provide you with essential tips and tricks on how to ace your Zoom presentation like a pro. From preparing your visual aids and keeping your audience engaged to handling technical glitches with finesse, we’ve got you covered.

Table of Contents

Preparing Your Zoom Presentation

Tips for delivering a successful zoom presentation.

• How to Share PowerPoint on Zoom

Handling Technical Issues During a Zoom Presentation

Follow up after a zoom presentation.

Like in-person presentations, a successful Zoom presentation requires careful preparation to ensure you can send your audience the right message. Here are some tips to help you prepare presentations for Zoom.

Use Relevant Visuals

There are many ways you can present information besides plain boring texts. Sixty-five percent of humans are visual learners , so your audience might retain the information you share better if you present them in charts, graphs, images, or other visualizations.

You may use several types of visuals throughout your Zoom presentation, but make sure they are easy to understand in a virtual setting and are relevant to your subject.

For instance, if you present a new product, you may record a video demonstration highlighting its features. Using Zoom’s built-in video player, you can then embed the video into PowerPoint or play it during your presentation.

Use a Simple Presentation Template

A simple presentation template can help you create a cohesive and professional-looking presentation on Zoom. Choose a template that complements your content and aligns with your branding, but avoid overly complex designs that may distract your audience.

You may use a roadmap PowerPoint template or include an agenda slide to set the timeline of your presentation and provide an overview of the topics you will cover. Aside from it keeps the presentation flowing smoothly, it helps your audience orient their thoughts on what will happen in the meeting.

Make It Interactive

Just because you are the presenter doesn’t mean you have to do all the talking – you can let your audience speak too! One of the key aspects of delivering a successful Zoom presentation is to make it interactive and engage your audience.

Think of some icebreakers that will keep your audience involved. It can be a simple open-ended question or a poll to stimulate discussion. You can also use breakout rooms to facilitate small group interactions or collaborative activities.

Interactive presentations help to break the monotony of one-way communication and make your Zoom presentation more dynamic and engaging. Having no activities encouraging interaction makes losing your audience’s interest during virtual meetings easier.

Practice the Presentation and Timing

Aside from the content of your presentation, you also have to worry about the technicalities of presenting on Zoom, so having a dry run before the real thing is important to ensure a smooth delivery.

Practice your presentation multiple times before the event to ensure you are comfortable with the content, pacing, and timing. This will familiarize you with the Zoom platform and its features, such as screen sharing, chat, and breakout rooms.

You have a killer Zoom PowerPoint. Now it’s time to focus on delivering it effectively. Here are some Zoom presentation tips:

Use a Neutral Background

Your background in a Zoom presentation can impact how your audience perceives your professionalism and credibility. Choose a neutral background that is free from distractions and clutter.

If you have an office space at home, that will work even better. Pick from Zoom’s virtual backgrounds, preferably plain and clean. Make your background boring so your audience’s attention is drawn to you. Stay away from bed!

Dress Appropriately

Even though you may be presenting from the comfort of your home, it’s important to dress professionally for your Zoom presentation. It’s not bad to wear your usual duds when attending a casual game night with your team. But if it’s a formal setup, like a business proposal, you must suit up to invite success.

Dressing up smartly may improve your mood and confidence. In a 2014 study , two groups of male subjects were asked to put on business suits and sweatpants before engaging in a negotiation task. Those who dressed up obtained more profitable negotiations than the other group.

As a rule of thumb, avoid wearing loud colors or busy patterns that may distract your audience.

Keep an Eye Contact

Maintaining eye contact is essential in any presentation, whether in person or on Zoom. Making eye contact helps you connect with your audience and convey your message more effectively.

The common advice you’ll get to achieve this on Zoom is to look directly into the camera to create the impression of eye contact with your audience. We agree with these, but as the speaker, you also have to read the facial expressions of your audience and see how they react to what you are saying.

If you are using a desktop or laptop, the simplest solution to achieving these two is to reduce Zoom to a smaller window and place it directly below your webcam. This way, you can glance at their faces occasionally while keeping the illusion of eye contact.

Keep Your Notes Minimal

If you are an expert in the topic you are presenting, it would be best to ditch your notes during Zoom events. Constantly looking down at your notes can be distracting for your audience.

But if the need calls for it, make sure to keep your notes minimal and stick them in the right place. You can use a second screen or a tablet, or position your notes close to the camera to refer to them without breaking eye contact. This way, you can stay focused on engaging with your audience and delivering your presentation smoothly.

How to Share PowerPoint on Zoom (Step by Step)

How to present on Zoom? Once you understand what Zoom presentations are and the tips for Zoom presentations, it is time to give the presentation using Zoom. Let’s see this step by step:

Step 1. Open the PowerPoint file you want to present.

Step 2. Join the Zoom meeting and click on the Share Screen icon in the meeting control panel at the bottom of your screen.

[Optional] You can customize who can share their screen in the Zoom meeting. Click on the small arrow in the corner of the Share Screen icon and select Advanced Sharing Options.

Select Hosts Only or All Participants.

Step 3. Select the window you want to share – in this case, the one that contains the PowerPoint slide – and click on Share.

If you are playing audio or video within your presentation, make sure to tick Share sound and Optimize for video clip.

Step 4. Click on the Slide Show tab in the PowerPoint window and begin the presentation by selecting Play from Start or Play from Current Slide.

Step 5. To stop screen sharing of PowerPoint, hover over the meeting controls at the top of your screen and select Stop Share.

It’s not uncommon for technicalities to derail a live Zoom presentation – video, Wi-Fi, or audio may fail. But there are things you can do to prevent them, or at least minimize their impact on your presentation when they happen.

First, test your equipment before your presentation and make sure everything is in place. You can join a meeting test on Zoom to check your internet connection, camera, audio, and microphone.

You may also send a PDF copy of your presentation to the attendees before the meeting if sharing your screen won’t work. This will allow you to carry on as you or your technical team figures out the problem.

If the technical issues persist, you should have a good Plan B and be prepared to continue on a different platform like Google Meet. Send the alternative link with the meeting invitation and give clear action steps when technical difficulties happen.

Following up after a Zoom presentation is a crucial step in maintaining momentum and maximizing the impact of your presentation. For example, if you are selling a product, you can use a follow-up email to make the final push of your sales pitch.

Start your email by expressing appreciation for their participation and summarizing the key points of your presentation. Include any additional resources, such as presentation slides or a video presentation recording, to reinforce your message. Offer yourself as a resource for further questions or discussions, and encourage feedback or comments from your audience.

Here’s an example of a well-executed follow-up email for a Zoom workshop event:

Conducting a virtual presentation sounds overwhelming as you must consider technical aspects in addition to delivering your message and keeping it engaging.

Remember, there’s no such thing as overpreparing when you have bosses or potential clients to impress. Follow the tips in this article to nail your next Zoom presentation!

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Business Presentations, Video Filed under Business

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How to Give a Presentation on Zoom? [A Step-by-Step Guide!]

By: Author Shrot Katewa

If you’ve never used Zoom, giving a presentation on it might seem a bit challenging. But, that’s a challenge we will have to learn to overcome as the world moves digital more and more day by day. The key question really is how to give a presentation on Zoom!

To give a presentation on Zoom, first, start by joining a meeting. Now open the presentation file on your computer and share the slides on Zoom using its “Share Screen” feature. You should test your camera, mic, speaker, and internet connection before you start with your presentation.

As easy as it may seem, some of you may need further detailed instructions. So, in this article, I will provide a step-by-step guide on things that you need to do in order to deliver a presentation on Zoom successfully! Plus, I will also share some tips that can help you ace your presentation on Zoom!

So, without any further delay, let’s get started!

Understanding the Zoom Application Interface

Before we understand the steps to give a presentation using Zoom, it is perhaps a good idea to acquaint yourself with the Zoom user interface first. If you are well-versed with it, then perhaps you may want to skip this section and click here instead.

Logging into Zoom

Although you can login to your account using zoom website too, but it is best to download and use the zoom app .

Once you have download the app, you will be prompted to login to your account. If you don’t have an existing account, you can either sign up or even login using your social account such as Google or Facebook. It’s actually quite simple.

If you feel that you don’t want to sign up or even use the social accounts for your meeting, you can choose to use “Sign In with SSO” option. SSO stands for single sign on and this allows you to sign in even when you don’t have an account with Zoom just once.

Zoom Home Screen

Once you’ve logged in, you will be taken to the home screen on Zoom.

There are a bunch of different things that you ca do with the home screen on Zoom. If you have been invited for a meeting, you will need to click on “ Join “. However, you will also need the meeting ID and the password for the meeting. If you don’t have the details, you will perhaps need to contact the person hosting the meeting.

You can also host the meeting yourself by using the “ New Meeting ” button. You can set a new meeting and invite others to join using this option.

Likewise, you can also schedule a meeting in the future using the “ Schedule ” option.

Furthermore, for changing the account related information, just click on your profile picture in the top-right corner of your window.

Lastly, there are several other detailed settings that you can tweak for your Zoom application. Almost all the other settings can be found in the “ Settings ” section by clicking on the “ Gear Icon “.

Zoom Virtual Meeting Window Interface

Once you are a participant in a virtual meeting, either by joining an existing meeting or by starting a new meeting, you will be greeted with an image similar to the one mentioned above.

On this screen, you will be presented with several different options. Some of the key functions that you will need to be aware of are as follows –

• Mute – Turning on the Mute or Unmute
• Video – Toggling between your Video
• Participants – Checking the names of the Participants
• Share Screen – to deliver a presentation (more on this later)
• Record – To record a meeting session
• End – Knowing how to end a meeting and exiting a call.

All the above functions will be visible on a small bar at the bottom of the window. If you are not able to see this option bar at the bottom, just hover over at the bottom part of your screen and all the options will appear .

Although there are other features that are also available for a zoom user or a participant, however, the aforementioned features should be good enough to deliver a presentation. These 6 features are at the very least something that you should be aware of.

How to Give a Presentation on Zoom (Step-by-Step)

Zoom has become a common tool for giving virtual presentations today. It is a widely used tool at conferences, meetings, and other events! If you are giving a presentation on Zoom for the first time, then perhaps you should be aware of a few things –

Here is a quick step-by-step guide on how you can give a presentation on Zoom:

Step 1: Install Zoom

Download and install the Zoom application to your desktop. To download the application, visit https://zoom.us/download and download the Zoom Client to your computer.

Step 2: Login to your Zoom Account

After installing the application, open it and log into your Zoom account. If you don’t have one, you can sign up for free using your email account.

Zoom also has options to sign in using SSO (Single Sign-On) or with your Facebook or Google account.

Step 3: Test Audio and Video Settings

Before you start or join a meeting, you will need to configure and test your audio and video settings.

To do that click on the gear icon on the Zoom application’s home screen. This will open the settings menu.

Now click on the “Audio” tab and select the microphone you are going to use. Try our different audio settings. After the microphone, select the speaker for audio output. If you can’t hear anything, try out another speaker source.

After configuring audio, click on the “Video” tab. From there, select the camera that is connected to your desktop. Tweak different video settings and find out what works best for you.

Step 4: Join or Schedule a Meeting

Now start a meeting by clicking on “New meeting”. You can also schedule a meeting on Zoom. To do that, click on “Schedule” and set up when you want to start the meeting. After completing the set-up, Zoom will give you a URL. Share it with the team members to join the meeting.

Or you can join a meeting by clicking “Join” on the Zoom client’s home screen. You can use a meeting ID or URL to join a meeting in Zoom.

Step 5: Open the Presentation

Once you have everything setup, you then need to prepare to show your presentation with your audience. To do that, open the presentation slides on your computer.

Step 6: Share Your Presentation

The last step in giving your presentation is to make sure that you share your presentation with your audience. To do that, click on “Share Screen” from the Zoom clients meeting window , select the screen where your presentation slides are open, and click “Share”. Now start presenting your slides to the audience.

Step 7: Stop Sharing to end the Presentation

One thing to know is how to end the presentation. To stop screen sharing, simply click on “Stop Share” located at the top of the screen . This option will only appear when you start sharing your screen.

How to Share a PowerPoint with Presenter View on Zoom?

To share your PowerPoint presentation slides with presenter view on Zoom, follow the steps given below:

Step 1: Open the Zoom App and Login

The first step really is to open the zoom app and login to your account.

Step 2: Join or Setup a Virtual Meeting on Zoom

Next, join the meeting. Remember, you need the meeting ID and password to join a meeting. Make sure you have requested for the details beforehand.

Step 3: Open Your PowerPoint Presentation

First step is really to open your presentation file that you want to present on the PowerPoint application.

Step 4: Put the Presentation in Presenter View

Now select the “Slide Show” tab from the top of the screen and click on either “From Beginning” or “From Current Slide” depending on your preference. This will open the slides in the “Presenter” view.

Step 5: Switch to the Zoom Application

Now, go to the Zoom application, start or join a meeting. While you are in the “Presenter” view on PowerPoint, press “ Alt+Tab ” to switch between applications in Microsoft Windows-powered computers. For iMac, use “Command+Tab” to move through open apps.

Step 6: Share Screen on Zoom’s Meeting Window

Once you are in Zoom’s meeting window, click on “Share Screen”, select the window where your PowerPoint slides are open in the presenter’s view, and click “Share”.

And that’s all you have to do in order to share PowerPoint with the presenter’s view in your Zoom meetings.

How to Share PowerPoint on Zoom Without Showing Notes?

There are two methods that you can use to share PowerPoint slides on Zoom without sharing your presenter notes. For the first method, you will need to have two monitors connected to your computer.

As for the second one, you can still share your PowerPoint slides on Zoom without sharing your notes (and you won’t need two monitors either). I’ve briefly explained both methods below.

Method 1 – Dual Monitor Method

In this method, you will be presenting your PowerPoint file on one monitor while looking at your presenter’s notes on the other one. Here’s how you can do that:

Step 1: First of all, open your slides on PowerPoint.

Step 2: Now join or start a Zoom meeting.

Step 3: Now click on “Share Screen” and select “Screen 1”. Then click “Share”. Here, “Screen 1” is your primary monitor.

Note: If you are not sure which one is your primary monitor, select where the PowerPoint file opened in.

Step 4: Now go to the PowerPoint application, click on the “Slide Show” tab, and from there click on “Monitor” and select “Primary Monitor”.

Step 5: Open the presentation file in the presenter’s view by clicking on the “Slide Show” tab and selecting “From Beginning” or “From Current Slide”.

If you have done everything correctly, participants will only be able to see the presentation slides while you have your presenter’s notes open on the second monitor.

In case you shared the wrong monitor on Zoom, click on “Screen Share” on Zoom’s meeting window, select “Screen 2” and click on share. This should fix your problem.

When you are sharing a screen on Zoom, you will notice a green border around that screen. This indicates which monitor you are currently sharing.

Method 2 – Sharing Portion of Your Screen

Follow the steps below if you have only a single monitor connected to your computer.

Step 1: Join or start a meeting on Zoom.

Step 2: Click on “Share Screen” and from the pop-up window select “Advanced”. From there select “Portion of Screen” and click on “Share”. This will give you a green border on your screen that you can adjust. Only the things that are inside this border will be shared on Zoom.

Step 3: Now open the presentation file in PowerPoint, and go to the presenter’s view by selecting “Slide Show> From Current Slide or From Beginning”.

Step 4: Adjust the size of the green border so that it only shows the presentation slides in the presenter’s view.

And that’s all you have to do. By doing so, your audience will only see the slides that you are presenting, but not your notes.

How to Show Yourself During a Zoom Presentation?

Ensuring that you are visible from time to time during a presentation can make it slightly more engaging and much more interactive. Here is how you can do that-

Step 1: First, start or join a Zoom meeting.

Step 2: Click on “ Share Screen ” and select the “ Advanced ” option. From there, select “ PowerPoint as Virtual Background ” and select the file you want for your presentation. Then click on “ Share ”.

Step 3: Make sure your video is switched on so that you are also visible to your audience. You can do that by clicking on “ Start Video ” on the Zoom Virtual Meeting Interface.

It will take some time for your slides to appear on the Zoom client. When it is done, participants will be able to see your face in front of the slides in Zoom. Make sure that your camera is connected to your computer and configured correctly.

This feature works best if you have a green screen behind you . If you have one, go to Zoom’s settings menu, select the “Background and Filter” tab and check “I have a green screen”. If you want to stop showing yourself during a zoom presentation, click on “Stop Video” on the meeting window and that will do the job.

Furthermore, you may sometimes want to show just yourself to the audience and not show the presentation at all. For that, all you need to do is simply click on “Start Video” in the Zoom Virtual Meeting Interface.

How to Record a Presentation on Zoom?

If you want to record your presentation on Zoom, you can do it easily. After joining or starting a meeting on Zoom, click on the “Record” icon located at the bottom of the meeting window. Once the recording starts, you can pause the recording or stop it whenever you like.

After the end of the meeting, the recorded video will be automatically converted into “.mp4” format and stored on your computer.

Tips for Giving an Awesome Presentation on Zoom

Giving a presentation in front of an audience is always a challenging task. Especially if it is online, many things can go wrong during your presentation. This is why I’m sharing some tips that can help you deliver an awesome presentation on Zoom. These are as follows –

1. Make a Professional Looking Presentation

There are several ways to make your presentation look really professional and high quality. One obvious method is to outsource your presentation to a specialised design agency! But, that can become really expensive depending on your budget.

Another (non-obvious) option is to use a PowerPoint Presentation Template! There are several high-quality and professional templates that you can get quite easily! In fact, using these Presentation Designs is quite inexpensive! You can download as many presentation templates as you want for as little as $16.5/month!

My favorite one is Agio PowerPoint Presentation template. It is perfectly suited to give a professional look to your presentation and yet it is quite quick and easy to use. Check out some of the images below –

Agio PowerPoint Presentation Template

Furthermore, make the presentation as simple and straightforward as possible. Do not confuse your audience with a network of colorful texts, graphs, or other contents.

Only use data and graphs that are relevant to your presentation. Also, the clever use of transition animations can make the slide appear much more engaging.

2. Check Your Equipment Beforehand

Whenever you are giving your presentation online, many things can go wrong. For example, your camera or mic may not function properly. Such interruptions will only make you a laughing stock in front of the participants.

Check your mic, camera, and speakers to find out whether they are working properly or not. Also, check your internet connection and your laptop’s battery level. If everything is ok, then you are good to go on with your presentation.

More Related Topics

• Change the Style of Your Bullet Points and Stand-out from the Crowd!
• 7 EASY Tips to Always Make your Presentations Attractive! (Even if You are a Beginner)
• How to Reduce the Size of Your PowerPoint File? The Perfect Method!
• Auto Create Your PowerPoint Slides using Design Ideas Feature!
• Main Features of PowerPoint! [I bet You DIDN’T Know These]

Credit to Cookie_Studio for the featured image of this article

• Alternatives

7 Zoom Presentation Tips to Bring Your Virtual Events to Life (Best Guide in 2024)

Anh Vu • 29 July, 2024 • 9 min read

Here are 7 Zoom Presentation Tips to help you hold better Zoom events and fight off that fatigue – let’s make your next Zoom presentation the best yet!

Presenting can be extremely difficult, but virtual presentations (via Zoom or any other video meeting platform) offer their challenges.

After a couple of years of remote working, many team leaders and senior business managers are noticing Zoom fatigue amongst staff, so it’s time to reignite our presentations and ensure we’re creating engaging and memorable meetings.

Table of Contents

• Take the Mic
• Check your Tech
• Ask the Audience
• Keep it Short and Sweet
• Tell a Story
• Don't Hide Behind Your Slides
• Take a Break to Answer Questions

Tips for Better Engagement

Let's find out how to make an interactive Zoom presentation with more Zoom presentation tips!

• Pictionary on Zoom
• Zoom Word Cloud
• Complete Guide to Interactive Presentation
• Bad presentation at work
• Easy Topic for Presentation

Start in seconds.

Get free templates for your next interactive presentation. Sign up for free and take what you want from the template library!

Zoom Presentation Tips for the Intro

Tip #1 - take the mic.

One of the most simple and effective ways to capture your virtual audience is to take control of the conversation and ease anxieties. This doesn’t mean dictating all conversation, it’s more about creating a comfortable environment where your audience can feel focused and contribute to the discussion. 

We’ve all been in awkward pre-meeting “waiting rooms” while holding on for the last couple of people to join. As the person running the session, you can remove people's meeting anxieties and instantly get them on your side.

As the presenter and (probably) host of the Zoom meeting, others will consider you a confident leader. Make sure you welcome people in as they join your Zoom presentation, use a meeting icebreaker , and show them your personality and that they are welcome to engage with your presentation. You will have their attention from the very start.

Remember, you are presenting for a reason. You are the expert on your topic, and they are looking to you to communicate that information – You’re the pro, and you’ve got this!

Tip #2 - Check your Tech

Mic check 1, 2...

Of course, sometimes, tech fails us, and we can’t always do anything about it. But you can help reduce the chances of that happening by checking in on your presentation software, camera and mic before the Zoom presentation starts and people join.

Also, check any videos or links you’re using to give yourself the best chance of delivering a wonderfully seamless presentation with preparation.

One of the best parts of a Zoom presentation is that nine times out of 10, there isn’t anyone else in the room. This has a massive benefit for anyone presenting - you can prepare. This does not mean writing a script and reading it word for word. Still, it allows you to have extra notes with any data and information you need, and it can be right on the screen for only your eyes to see – so you can browse your messages for answers to a question without looking away.

💡 Extra presentation tip for Zoom : If you’re sending out Zoom invites ahead of time, make sure that the links and passwords you’re sending out all work so that everyone can join the meeting quickly and without added stress.

Zoom Presentation Tips for Punchy Presentations

Tip #3 - ask the audience.

You can be the most charismatic and engaging person in the world, but if your presentation lacks that spark, it can leave your audience feeling disconnected. Luckily, an easy solution to this problem is to make your presentations interactive.

So, let's discover how to make a Zoom presentation interactive. Tools like AhaSlides provide opportunities to include creative and engaging elements in your presentations to keep your audience switched on and involved. Whether you’re a teacher looking to engage a class or an expert in your business, it’s proven that interactive elements like polls, quizzes and Q&As keep an audience engaged when they can respond to each on their smartphones.

Here are a few slides you can use in an interactive Zoom presentation to pull that audience focus...

• Make a live quiz - Regularly ask audience questions they can individually answer via a smartphone. This will help you understand their topic knowledge in a fun, competitive way!
• Ask for feedback - It’s vital that we’re constantly improving, so you might want to gather some feedback at the end of your presentation. You can use interactive sliding scales to measure how likely people are to recommend your services or even gather opinions on specific topics. If you were pitching a planned return to the office for your business, you might ask, “How many days would you like to spend in the office?” and set a scale from 0 to 5 to gauge the consensus.
• Ask open-ended questions and pose scenarios - This allows your audience to engage and show off their knowledge. For a teacher, this could be as simple as ‘What is the best word you know that means happy?’, but for a marketing presentation in a business, for example, it could be a great way of asking ‘Which platforms would you like to see us use more in Q3?”
• Ask for brainstorming .  To start a brainstorming session, you can learn  how to make a word cloud . The most frequent words in the cloud will highlight common interests within your group. Then, people might start discussing the most prominent words, their meanings, and why they were chosen, which can also be valuable information for the presenter.
• Play games - Games in a virtual event may seem radical, but it could be the best tip for your Zoom presentation. Some simple trivia games, spinner wheel games and a bunch of other Zoom games can do wonders for team building, learning new concepts and testing existing ones.

These engaging elements make a huge difference to your audience's focus and attention. Not only will they feel more involved in your interactive presentation on Zoom, but it will also give you added confidence that they are absorbing your speech and enjoying it, too.

Make Interactive Zoom Presentations for Free!

Embed polls, brainstorm sessions, quizzes and more into your presentation. Grab a template or import your own from PowerPoint!

Tip #4 - Keep it Short and Sweet

Where you can, you want to try to keep your Zoom presentation digestible. While most meetings or presentations are scheduled for an hour, it’s generally agreed that most viewers can only maintain focus for around 10 minutes . This makes it important to keep meetings brief, and where you can’t keep them short, ensuring your audience is engaged is vital.

You can maximise your audience's focus by not overcomplicating your slides. Text-heavy slides will have your listeners reading rather than listening to you, and they will burn out and lose stress much more quickly. If you need to give a lot of information, break it down into a few slides or use an illustrative graphic or interactive drop to talk people through it instead.

Tip #5 - Tell a Story

More interactive Zoom presentation ideas? We must confess that storytelling is so powerful. Suppose you can build stories or examples into your presentation that illustrate your message. In that case, your Zoom presentation will be much more memorable, and your audience will feel more emotionally invested in the stories that you tell.

Case studies, direct quotes or real-life examples will be much more engaging to your audience and can help them relate to or understand the information you’re providing on a deeper level.

This isn't just a Zoom presentation tip but also a great way to start your presentation. Read more about it here !

Tip #6 - Don’t Hide Behind Your Slides

Although it’s much more difficult to present your body language via Zoom than in person, there are still things you can do to help ensure that your Zoom presentation gets your message across effectively.

Camera on! It’s tempting to hide behind your slides, but having your camera on will make a huge difference. Not only will your audience be able to see you, but it will communicate confidence and encourage others to leave their cameras on and hold the meeting in the open atmosphere of a live setting.

Although many workers remain remote, there is still a desire for that face-to-face connection we once had when working in offices and travelling for meetings and presentations. Sometimes, just seeing a friendly face will put someone at ease, creating a positive sentiment that they associate with you and your presentation.

As well as leaving your camera on, some people find that standing up to present is still effective - even on Zoom! If you have a large enough space and can find a way to make it work, standing up gives you added confidence, and it’s a great option if you're presenting virtually for a conference.

Tip #7 - Take a Break to Answer Questions

If you know you’ll be presenting for a long time, there's a lot to say about making space for a few breaks. Over Zoom, it’s not as easy to send everyone off for a quick coffee break because of how lengthy it can be to get everyone back and focused, so instead, you could end each section with a quick Q&A session.

Doing this has two advantages:

• To keep everyone up to speed by elaborating on points you may have gone over a bit too quickly.
• To give everyone a break from listening and looking.

On some live Q&A software , you can accept Q&A questions from your audience throughout your Zoom presentation and then answer them whenever.

These tiny breaks in the presentation can bring back your audience's focus as they anticipate that they need to interact.

No time like the present

So, that's the zoom presentation tips and tricks! With these tips, you should feel ready to take on the (presentation) world. We know that presentations aren’t always accessible, but hopefully, these virtual Zoom presentation tips go some way to relieving the anxieties. Try to use these tips in your next Zoom presentation. If you stay calm, stay enthusiastic and keep your audience engaged with your shiny, new interactive presentation, it will be your best Zoom presentation yet!

Tips to Engage with Polls & Trivia

More from AhaSlides

• Presentation Design

Zoom Presentation Tips for an Effective and Professional Online Meeting

Camille del Rosario

So many of us have transitioned to a work-from-home setup. We’ve pretty much gotten used to the reality of “going to the office” remotely — but still, it’s hard to shake off the culture shock of giving presentations and holding meetings online.

Zoom is one of the most widely chosen platforms for video conferences because of its simple user interface — you just “enter” a “room” full of people and take part in the conversation. Sounds easy enough, right?

But in the past year or so, we’ve seen a lot of Zoom fails — mostly relatable, but sometimes unforgettably embarrassing.

From people forgetting to unmute themselves before speaking to children or puppies showing up in the middle of an important meeting … the possibilities are, unfortunately, endless.

But while Zoom fails can be a great way to lighten up a conversation, it’s not ideal when they happen during your presentation. Here are a few Zoom presentation tips to help you create an effective and professional online meeting.

How to Prepare for Your Zoom Presentation

We can all agree that virtual presentations are a challenging new landscape. But with the right preparation and techniques, you’ll be well on your way to holding a successful Zoom presentation that drives your point home and leaves a lasting impression on your listeners.

The best way to avoid mistakes — and epic fails — is by simply anticipating them. Design, preparation, and even your desk set up all play an important role.

Design a Stunning Presentation

Before you start trying to navigate the Zoom platform and send invites to your audience, first things first: you need to create your presentation . And if you think that this is an easy task that just requires slapping some text on a plain white PowerPoint background, think again.

How your presentation slides look can make or break your entire talk track and spell the difference between your audience listening to you or getting distracted with something else. You can check out some of the hottest presentation design trends for inspiration. Meanwhile, here are some tips on designing a stunning presentation:

Keep it Simple and Straightforward

Because your talk is virtual, you need to fight harder to keep your audience focused on you and not their Slack feed.

In a virtual setting, the best practice is to keep your slides simple and minimalist. Avoid too many elements that can make your audience dizzy. Remember that they’ll be viewing your slides from their computer screens, so you don’t want to use colors and text that can strain the eyes.

Use large text so your viewers don’t have to squint to read your slides. And minimize the amount of text — never require your audience to read too much, because they should be watching and listening to you more.

Choose Your Visuals Carefully

Keeping it simple doesn’t mean you can’t add visuals to your presentation. Visual cues such as illustrations, graphs, charts, and images play an important role in keeping your audience engaged and allowing them to understand your message better through image association.

There are many types of visuals that you can incorporate into your slides. Among these include:

• Charts & Graphs. Information in charts and graphs is much easier to understand than plain enumeration. Help your audience understand numbers and statistics better through data visualization.
• Maps. Just mentioning or writing down a location is forgettable and uninteresting. Using a map can make relevant locations more memorable.
• Videos. Videos should be used sparingly, because remember, your presentation itself is already a complete audiovisual presentation. Use short clips that will help explain a point, provide instructions, or give background information about your topic. When adding a video to your deck, use only one video per slide.
• Icons & Illustrations. Often, you can reduce your word count by replacing them with easy-to-associate icons instead. Plus, they look great!
• Stock Photos. You can emphasize your information with stock photos or use full-screen images as backgrounds. Make sure all stock photos are high-quality and relevant to your topic.
• GIFs & Memes. If you want to add a lighthearted and fun nature to your presentation, you can consider adding relevant GIFs and memes. Cool motion graphics can catch the attention of your audience. But don’t overdo the memes — stay professional and keep to the point.

Be careful not to flood your slides with too many visuals to avoid distracting your audience. Also, add only visuals that are relevant to the topic or that provide value. If the visuals are unnecessary, it’s best not to include them at all.

Q: How can I add interest to a boring presentation?

A: You can make your presentation more engaging for your audience by following the best design practices and implementing them in your deck. Use visuals that are striking, embrace data visualization, and use less text.

It will also help to practice your delivery and speak in a friendly and captivating manner. Your speaking speed, intonations, and tone of voice all matter when it comes to keeping your audience engaged. Also, make your presentation more interactive and involve your audience in the conversation.

Q: How can I make a Zoom presentation more interactive?

It’s much harder to make your presentation more interactive when you’re alone in a room and talking to people on your computer — but it’s not impossible. And it all starts with your presentation slide design .

Some interactive elements that you can add include:

• Animation. You can incorporate animations into your deck in the form of slide transitions or animating each bullet point to appear one after the other. The latter also helps keep the focus on each important item.
• Links. Slides can be more dynamic with links. You can set up specific slides to lead to other elements, another slide, to an external web page, etc.
• Hover effects. Hover effects can give dramatic suspense before you reveal certain key points or answers to interactive quizzes. By programming hover effects, boxes in your slides can disappear to reveal text or images when you move your mouse above it.

Do Your Homework

Zoom is popular because it’s not too demanding on your internet connection and — most importantly — it’s pretty easy to use. But that’s not to say that you don’t need to take some time familiarizing yourself with them.

Zoom has various features that you have to be familiar with finding, enabling, or disabling to suit your presentation and preferences. It’s understandable for beginners to be overwhelmed — but don’t be. All you have to do is a bit of research.

Learning how to properly use and maximize Zoom beforehand can go a long way in turning a meeting from a yawn-inducing, error-filled meeting to a professional and effective presentation. Here are some keyboard shortcuts you may need to use:

• Muting your audio: ALT + A for Windows/ PC; CMD + CTRL + A for Mac
• Pausing your video: ALT + V for Windows/ PC; CMD + CTRL + V for Mac

Plan Thoroughly

Adequate planning is key to a successful Zoom presentation. You need to consider various matters beforehand, such as your schedule, your team’s schedule, where you’ll be holding the presentation, the materials that you need to prepare, if any.

Make a checklist of every non-negotiable thing that you need come presentation day and tick off items one by one as early as possible. Planning can help you ensure that you won’t encounter any problems, and if they do, you’ll be able to solve them easily and quickly.

Set Up Your Desk and Background

Your presentation is likely to be recorded — in fact, it better be, so that absent (or absent-minded) teammates have the chance to watch it again later. But remember, everything that is captured by your camera is noticeable. Any faux pas can be replayed! Your background can make or break your ability to keep your audience focused on you and the topic you’re discussing. So build it wisely.

Set up a desk in an area with a clean background that doesn’t have too many elements or potential distractions. Positioning yourself in front of a clean, solid wall is a good option.

But you can also allow your backdrop to add interest or facilitate your story. For example, a shelf of relevant awards can support your authority and professional acumen.

On the other hand, a nature-oriented background — like a window overlooking your garden or the trees in your background — can create a calmer impression that won’t intimidate your audience. (With a setup like this, though, just avoid placing yourself against the light!)

If you can’t find a spot with a good enough background for your presentation, Zoom has a selection of backdrops that can be integrated into your video. However, the downside here is that they don’t always detect your features well, which risks a low-quality appearance.

Check Your Presentation Equipment

The last thing you want is for your equipment to malfunction during your presentation. This is not only awkward — it’s also disruptive and unproductive. Check your equipment at least a day before your scheduled presentation. On the big day, enter the Zoom meeting room early and test out your equipment again.

Here’s a list of the things you need to check on:

• Internet connection. A lagging video or audio can be frustrating for you and your audience. A tried-and-tested strong connection is good on its own, but having a backup connection is a great bonus.
• Laptop performance and battery life. Empty your recycle bin and do a quick performance check. If you’re on a laptop, you also need to make sure your battery life can last until the end of your presentation. Better yet, keep it plugged in and charging.
• Camera placement. Enter your Zoom presentation room before everyone else arrives to find the proper camera placement. It should be at eye level so your audience will see your face — not any higher or lower.
• Working audio and video. Audio and video problems are more common than ideal in Zoom presentations. You can test these by starting a Zoom test meeting or opening the Zoom app and going to the audio and video settings.

Use a Quality Microphone

The built-in microphone on your laptop or PC can work for regular day-to-day meetings or team huddles. But for important presentations, you might want to look for better-quality options.

Built-in mics tend to make your voice sound muffled and distant, which can be a challenge when delivering important points. A high-quality external microphone that can deliver the best sound and allow your audience to hear you better and more clearly — so consider investing in one.

There are mics that can be plugged into your laptop’s USB port and set as the audio source. Getting noise-canceling headphones may also be a good idea for interactive presentations so you don’t have trouble hearing your audience’s questions or clarifications.

Take Precautions for Potential Interruptions

As much as possible, don’t hold your presentation in a public place, such as a cafe or restaurant. You want to minimize distractions and potential interruptions.

Go to a quiet area, lock the door, and instruct your housemates not to disturb you for the next hour or two. Be aware of any scheduled maintenance or renovation activities in or around your building.

Aside from physical interruptions, your laptop or computer notifications can also disrupt your meeting. Turn off or mute all notifications. In macOS, you can set your laptop to “Do Not Disturb.” On a Windows PC, toggle on “Focus Assist.”

Put Your Notes in the Right Place

For online presentations, it might not be a good idea to have hand-written or printed notes to serve as your guide. This can cause you to lose eye contact with your audience when you look way from your screen too often. Here are some ideas for note placement:

• Written, printed out, or in a separate window outside Zoom. Use real sticky notes or your system text editor for your cheat sheet. Place the notes on your screen without obstructing Zoom’s UI so that you can keep your chin up and face your listeners while glancing at your guide.
• On a second monitor. Use a second monitor to present your slide decks to your audience, while being able to glance at it every time you need to.
• In-app features. You also may want to consider using the Presenter View feature on PowerPoint and Google Slides, which privately displays your next slide without you having to click on it. This is visible only to you and not your audience, allowing for a smooth transition between topics.

Or better yet, show off your command for the subject matter by skipping the external notes! Create your presentation slides in a way that helps you remember your points for discussion.

Wear a Professional Outfit

If you think you can get away with wearing formal attire on your upper body and not changing out of your pajama bottoms, think again. We’ve seen too many epic Zoom fails where people absentmindedly stand up during the meeting and reveal that they’re not completely dressed!

Wear appropriate and professional clothing, like a well-pressed shirt and some actual pants. Not only does this help you appear more credible and professional, but it also gives you the confidence to deliver your presentation, whether or not your teammates see the whole outfit.

Q: How do I look more professional in my Zoom presentation?

A: The night before your Zoom presentation, scour your closet for your best business attire and lay it out. A collared polo and slacks work best, but smart casual outfits can also work, depending on the theme of your presentation (and your workplace culture).

We know it can be tedious to go the extra mile dressing up when you’re just at home. But think of this Zoom meeting as if it was being conducted in person. Dress to impress — your audience will appreciate it.

Q: What is the best color to wear in a Zoom meeting?

A: Computer screens can show colors differently, which is why it’s important to pay attention to the color you wear to your presentation. As a general rule, choose a shade that contrasts well with your background — a light shirt for a dark background, or a dark shirt for a light background.

You also want to avoid loud patterns and prints as this can make your video look cluttered and distracting. But bold, deep, or bright colors can be an impactful and positive statement — for example, a striking red, a glamorous fuchsia, or a brilliant turquoise.

Rehearse Your Presentation to Get Ready

Rehearsing your speech is different from memorizing it entirely. You don’t want to sound like a robot. The most interactive and memorable presentations are natural, authentic, and open to audience participation.

Presentation rehearsal is more about internalization than memorization. Deliver your presentation in front of a mirror, or perhaps to a friend or family member, to get a better sense of how your speech will flow.

You (or your practice audience) might be able to catch important oversights in your presentation — things you need to mention, issues you need to address, or technical information you need to elaborate on further.

Focus on practicing your tone of voice, the pace of delivery, and body language. Research thoroughly about your subject matter — try to be more knowledgeable than your audience so that you can answer relevant questions. On the day of your presentation, you’ll be able to say with confidence, “I can do this! I’ve done it before.”

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Deliver on the Day Of: How to Present Your Zoom Presentation

Of course, preparation is just the first step of the presentation process. There are still a few things you need to do on the day of your presentation. Below is a list of the best practices you should remember and apply when delivering a speech via Zoom.

“Spotlight” Your Video

By default, Zoom displays the video window of whoever is speaking. While this is beneficial in team huddles to put a spotlight on the speaker, it’s not ideal for presentations.

In this case, you are the key speaker, so you need to set your meeting room to display only your screen throughout the entire presentation.

You can do this by spotlighting your screen — a built-in Zoom feature. Once you’re in your meeting, go to your video window, click the three-dot menu icon and select “Spotlight Video.”

“Make Eye Contact” by Looking Into the Camera

It can be more difficult to maintain eye contact in an online presentation because, well, you technically can’t do that.

Everyone you’re talking to shows up on a little thumbnail in different parts of the screen. Naturally, our eyes gravitate towards the eyes of the person we’re talking to, just like in real life.

But the dynamic is a little different in a Zoom meeting. When you look at your audience’s individual boxes in a Zoom meeting room, you actually appear to be looking down on the screen. And that’s not a good thing if you want to keep your listeners engaged.

A little bit of adjustment is required here: Train yourself to look straight at your built-in or external camera while speaking. Even if you can’t see the faces of your audience, they know that you’re “looking” at them and maintaining eye contact.

Start With an Ice Breaker

You’re about to give a helpful, valuable, informative presentation. But before you start, you want to set the tone of your presentation first. And the best mood to start with is, of course, a positive one.

Your first few words are the most important parts of your entire talk. It will take less than five seconds for your audience to decide whether you’re charismatic, powerful, interesting, and overall worth listening to. So you want to get that good energy going as early as possible.

Lighten up the energy in the meeting room with a little icebreaker. Here are some ideas you can get inspiration from:

• Tell a joke.
• Reveal a shocking fact or statistic.
• Ask a question.
• Use interesting props.
• Show a captivating visual.
• Start with a quote.
• Tell a short story.

Engage Your Audience Frequently

You’re not in an empty conference room — you’re in an online meeting, and as the speaker, you’re competing with the different real-life distractions that each of your audience members may have, wherever they are.

So now and then, your audience may need a little extra help getting their focus back during your presentation. Take a short break every five to 10 minutes and use the opportunity to check in with their audience. How are they doing? Do they have any questions? Start a conversation that will prompt them to think or provide their own input.

Q: How do I engage with my audience in a Zoom presentation?

A: To engage your audience during your presentation, you can ask them questions, tell a story, or encourage them to share their thoughts about the previous topic. You can also design your deck in a way that captures attention every one or two slides by breaking them apart with engaging videos or animations .

Don’t Forget to Record Your Presentation

Everyone in the Zoom meeting will be able to gauge how well you did — except you. It’s a good idea to record your presentation so that you can rewatch it and spot points for improvement. You can also send the recording over to the attendees in case they need it as a resource.

Remember to save the chat log in case there are members who prefer to ask their questions using the built-in chatbox. The chat history usually gets deleted after the meeting, but it may contain valuable information that you can refer back to in the future.

To automatically save the chatbox, go to your Zoom settings and access the “In Meeting (Basic)” tab. Hover to the Chat section and toggle on the setting for automatically saving in-meeting chats.

Ready to Ace Your Next Zoom Presentation?

Holding a presentation on Zoom is a new and often challenging experience. But with these tips in your arsenal, we have no doubt you’ll ace your presentation and provide real, actionable value to your audience!

For more information about perfecting your next online presentation, check out this article about presentation do’s and dont’s .

And if all this seems like a lot of work … well, we kind of agree. On top of everything you have to do as a presenter, you also need to come up with beautiful, on-brand slides. Worry not — Design Pickle is here to help. With Design Pickle’s Presentation Design services, you can impress your colleagues (and yourself!) with engaging, well-designed presentation designs.

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How to Present on Zoom: Google Slides and Powerpoint Presentation Guide & Tips

Presenting in front of your peers and superiors has to be one of the most daunting tasks ever. You’re never quite sure about the feedback you’d be getting, which only adds to the tension. However, in this pandemic season, the task of presenting has somehow gotten even more challenging. There are a lot of technical hurdles to overcome, which can seriously take the winds out of someone’s sail — especially if they are not very experienced on the matter.

Zoom, of course, has been the most popular video conferencing application over the last few months and offers a plethora of tools to put our minds at ease. Today, we’ll take you through all of them and even give you a couple of pointers to improve your presentation in Zoom.

Related: Awesome Halloween Zoom Backgrounds To Download

What is Zoom Screen Share and why is it important?

Screen Share is one of the most used and most important features of Zoom. It allows you to demonstrate your thoughts, give your peers a glimpse of your ideas. You can either share an application window, your entire desktop, or even a whiteboard — the possibilities are limitless here.

You can also start a screen sharing session without jumping through hoops of creating a separate meeting. Simply click/tap on the ‘Share Screen’ button in the Zoom client — both PC and mobile — and you’re good to go.

Related: How to use Zoom Filters

Remember you’ll need a sharing key or meeting key for this to work. If you don’t have access to either, you must share your screen while you’re in a meeting.

To share your screen during a meeting, first, log in with the appropriate credentials and start a meeting. Then, hit the ‘Share Screen’ — ‘Share’ while on mobile — button right in the middle of the meeting options panel and what you want to share with the class.

We’ve covered the topic of screen sharing on Zoom quite extensively in a separate article. So, be sure to check that out .

Related:   What Does Pin Video on Zoom Mean? Do They Know If You Pin a Video?

How to present a Powerpoint PPT in Zoom?

Microsoft Office suite is, without a doubt, the most widely-used presentation applications on the planet. It’s been on our computers for ages and it’s likely to stay put for a considerable amount of time.

With that said, Zoom doesn’t straight up give you the option to load the Microsoft Office component in the application. Still, there’s a pretty straightforward method of presenting in front of the class.

Related: 50+ Best Zoom Games

You can achieve the desired results with the help of Zoom’s Screen Sharing feature — yes, the bit we covered in the previous section. It simply allows you to pick a window of your choice and share it with the class.

What’s even more awesome is that the participants could even pitch in and share their thoughts if they see fit. Alternatively, you can also share your entire desktop screen, which is the best way to get more screen real estate.

With the basics out of the way, let’s see how you can present a slide on Zoom.

Related:   Zoom Error Code 3113 Fix

1. Create a separate slideshow window

If you have a traditional single-screen setup, this is the only guide you need to concern yourself with. The methodology is split into two bits — one: PowerPoint and two: Zoom.

First, open up Microsoft PowerPoint and pick the slide you want to share. Now, click on the ‘Slide show’ tab and hit ‘Set Up Slide Show.’

Then, select ‘Browsed by an individual (window)’ under ‘Show type.’ Hit ‘Ok’ to confirm.

Finally, switch to slide show mode by clicking on the ‘Slide Show’ tab and selecting either ‘From Beginning’ or ‘From Next Slide.’

This would open a slide show window, separately. If you do not want to show the slideshow in a separate window, all you have to do is skip the previous step — ‘Browsed by an individual (window)’

2. Present PPT on Zoom

Now, go back to your Zoom meeting and click on the ‘Share Screen’ option.

Now that the PPT has been launched in a separate window, you can easily select that window on the next screen and commence the slideshow. Click on ‘Share’ to begin.

Here’s how it’d look:

How to present using Google Slides on Zoom?

If Microsoft PowerPoint is a little too heavy for you, you could always opt for Google’s adequately powerful alternative called Slides. It allows you to create interesting yet simple presentations and share as you see fit. Of course, it also needs Zoom’s Screen Share feature to work as intended, which, at this point, should feel pretty natural to you.

Related: How to Mute on Zoom

1. Use Presenter View

Now, if you want a more immersive experience and also keep track of the notes you might have, we recommend using the ‘Presenter View.’ With the View enabled, Google Slides would create a separate window for all your notes, which only you’d be able to see. The main presentation window, on the other hand, would remain clutter-free and free from distractions.

To use the ‘Presenter View,’ first, you simply need to go to your presentation page, click on the little downward arrow right next to the ‘Present’ button at the top-right.

Now, hit ‘Presenter View.’

As soon as you click that button, you’ll get a separate space for all your notes, while another clean window would appear for slideshows.

2. Use Zoom to present

Now that the windows have been separated, you can easily use Zoom to present the slideshow window. While in a meeting, click on the ‘Share Screen’ button and select the browser window with Google Slides on top.

Finally, hit ‘Share’ to start the screen-sharing session.

Some tips for a successful presentation

As we’ve discussed, presenting is one of the most daunting tasks in the world for most, even virtually. The techy jargon often only adds to the tension, making many people dread the sessions, even when they are completely prepared. Below are some basic handy tips for your next presentation.

Related: How to annotate on Zoom

1. Master your craft

Knowing the material is always the best way to prepare for a hectic presentation. If you know what you’re presenting and have complete faith in the report, you’re ought to do exceptionally well. However, when it comes to Zoom presentations, knowing just the material isn’t enough. You also need to make sure all your components are in order and you’re presenting with confidence.

Try a couple of dry runs, see if your presentation is working just as it’s supposed to. Practice the pitch if you have to. Checking all of these boxes would improve your chances of success, remarkably.

2. Dress for the occasion

When you’re not forced to present in a swanky conference room, it’s not difficult to lose track of the dressing etiquette. However, you must remember the scale of your presentation and try your best to look the part. Wearing a perfectly ironed shirt and fitted trousers would not only impress your peers and superiors, but it’ll also instill a sense of confidence in you.

Related: How to see everyone on Zoom

3. Create a quiet environment

Zoom is quite capable of filtering some noise out of video chats. However, it doesn’t have the quality to cancel out everything you throw at it. So, before you start a video conferencing session and go about your presentation, make sure you’re in a relatively quiet environment. There can be a bit of noise, here and there, but make sure your subtle points aren’t drowned by some rogue barks from the street below.

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A mediocre engineer hoping to do something extraordinary with his pen (well, keyboard). Loves Pink Floyd, lives football, and is always up for a cup of Americano.

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11 Essential Tips for Presenting on Zoom

January 24, 2022 - Dom Barnard

A boss unwittingly disguised as a potato during Zoom meetings, cries of “you’re on mute!” and guest appearances by kids and pets, are among the hilarious anecdotes attached to this hugely popular app.

However, it becomes serious when you need to make a good impression in a virtual meeting, job interview or presentation.

Zoom became a massively popular communications tool for business, education and social meetings during the Pandemic. In 2020, there were  485 million Zoom downloads , which is 30 times more than the year before!

Of course, some of the top Zoom presentations tips apply equally well to in-person or online delivery. Such as establishing your end goals, preparing a flowing framework and strong content, then practising your speech more than once. However, there are particular advantages and disadvantages to Zoom, to get the right results for presenting online.

These Zoom presentation tips will help grow your competence, confidence and success.

1. Put some trousers on!

One of the great things about Zoom presentations is there is a degree of informality and comfort.

You can dress just your top half smartly, have a hot beverage just off-screen, and do your best public speaking in familiar surroundings.

One of the worst things about Zoom presentations is …there is a degree of informality and comfort!

You can find yourself easily distracted, lacking in focus and slower in your responses.

The best way to present well on Zoom – when the stakes are high – is to create a wholly business-like environment and attitude. Use a space in your home or field location that’s as bland and clinical as possible, with no potential noise disturbance. Dress smartly from head to toe to create the best mindset.

Site your technology in front of you and imagine it’s a lectern and a set of multi-media tools in a meeting room or lecture theatre.

2. Use the superpower of data

While you’re using technology to communicate or collaborate, it’s common sense to optimise ways to enhance your presentations.

As part of your extensive preparation for important Zoom meetings, consider what documents, images and graphics to share, to add credibility and professionalism to your pitch. Or, simply to hold the attention of a Zoom audience from start to finish.

Familiarise yourself with the Share Screen option on Zoom, and the best ways of displaying videos during a Zoom call, including advanced share methods for online presentations.

There are good Zoom share screen tips here, including how to add a video to presentations on Zoom.

Zoom presentations with visual content are  43% more persuasive . Also, 90% of the information we process comes from visual input. So your Zoom presentation materials could be what gets you that job, funding or agreement.

3. Non-verbal communications tips for Zoom

Don’t assume that online presentations release you from many of the body language pitfalls and best practices. The opposite is true, as you need to focus on non-verbal cues even more.

If you deliver your Zoom presentation in a rigid, static and clinical way, you are missing out on some of the best ways to be successful in communications.

People respond to people. Effective communication requires warmth, authenticity and establishing a strong personal connection with your audience. Being robotic when presenting online won’t help you to succeed.

If this is an intense online meeting, then showing empathy can also increase the engagement and openness you achieve.

How do you communicate non-verbally on Zoom?

Without going over the top, be purposeful and slightly exaggerated in your body language. Sit straight and lean subtly towards the screen. Never away from it and certainly no slumping, crossed arms or chin/elbow leaning!

Smile, nod and keep strong eye contact, including showing your attention passing from person to person across a split-screen. Use hand gestures and show subtle movement in your upper body to add emphasis to key points.

4. Verbal communications skills

Zoom presentations also make it too easy to slip into a monotone voice or race through a presentation. You may even find the process of talking to technology – not live people – causes you to ramble, or get lost in your ad-libs or Q&A responses.

Make sure you articulate clearly, add emphasis when needed, and generally modify your tone regularly but logically.

Don’t be afraid to leave small pauses to drive a point home, or to take a deep breath while you construct your next point. If you look directly at the screen and hold eye contact, this ‘white space’ is perfectly acceptable.

5. Is everyone listening?

One of the most important presentation skills, in general, is reading the room. Is your potential boss or buyer looking bored? Are the panel of decision-makers getting confused? In contentious presentations, being able to spot your biggest dissenter from their non-verbal communication can help you shift your focus to winning them over.

It’s challenging to gain that sort of body language intel from online meetings. So, the best Zoom presentations compensate for that.

It can be as simple as adding more direct questions to your content and literally pausing regularly to ask your audience about queries or concerns. Make your questions open-ended, not a yes or no response.

“Let’s take a minute. What else do you need to know about that part of my presentation?”

Also, keep Zoom presentations succinct, flowing and animated. Your audience will drift away subconsciously if your delivery is pedestrian or you talk for too long without involving them.

Remember, attention spans are even shorter on technology!

Practice your video presentation and get feedback on your performance with  VirtualSpeech .

6. Opening Zoom presentations with pizazz

No, this doesn’t refer to grabbing your audience’s attention with a juggling trick or wearing your most colourful or glamourous finery.

How you start a Zoom presentation sets the tone. If you instantly engage their interest with a compelling opening, the attention and engagement last.

This should primarily be 100% clarity on the purpose of your presentation and the desired outcome. As well as establishing your credibility and methods to achieve the end goal.

Vague introductions and slowly revealing your key points drains your time and your audience’s attention.

What makes a good opening for Zoom presentations?

7. Icebreakers

You can’t shake their hand, but you can issue a quick, warm greeting and a short, relevant fact about yourself that helps them to warm to you.

8. Storytelling techniques

These work for a myriad of business communication tasks. Give a short (that word again) anecdote or illustration, to give context to your Zoom presentation. That could be about you, your product or the outcome you are requesting, for example.

9. Meaningful quotes in presentations

“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” – George Bernard Shaw.

Good quotes can work!

10. High impact fact

Another great opening for Zoom presentations is a little known fact or ‘behind the scenes’ secret that grabs attention. Did you know,  one-third of adults still sleep with a ‘comforter’  like a soft toy or blanket? (Not relevant to many presentations but it’s a memorable statistic that caught OUR attention.)

Wake your audience up with something they want to remember – and share with others – and they will be alert and ready to listen.

11. End Zoom presentations correctly

One last piece of advice on Zoom presentations. Don’t get so relieved when you get to the end, that you forget your call to action.

All communication should include an invitation of some kind, in clear language. What would you like your audience to do, now your Zoom time is over? Tell them that and thank them for your attention, with one last warm smile.

The Ultimate Guide to Giving Virtual Presentations on Zoom

Part 2: creating the structure, flow, and slide designs for your virtual presentation.

PART I Introduction 1 – Cool Zoom Features 2 – Virtual Presentation Do’s 3 – Virtual Presentation Don’ts PART II 4 – Presentation Purpose 5 – Structure & Flow 6 – Slide Design PART III 7 – Connect with the audience 8 – Audience Participation 9 – Sharing Content PART IV 10 – Video & Audio Recordings 11 – Post-production 12 – Your Phone as a Webcam PART V 13 – When Things Go Wrong 14 – How to Ground Yourself PART VI 15 – Advanced Techniques 16 – Zoom Webinars vs Meetings 17 – 23 Essential Settings

A key trait of successful speakers is understanding their personal brand. They know what they represent, how they want to be perceived, and what success looks for them. It’s common for this knowledge to accrue with experience, but you don’t have to wait for your 10,000 hours in order to get to that point.

You’ll achieve success sooner if you follow the steps below.

• Define who you are as a speaker Are you a motivational speaker, an entertainer, a teacher, or a combination of all of them? Deciding on this highest level of goals will help you keep your talks on track, and remind you why you do what you do. For me, my goal is always to entertain, educate, and inspire—in that order. The vast majority of my energy comes from the energy of the audience, in the form of laughter.
• Know what you’re good at and what you’re not Not everyone is funny, and not everyone can speak for an hour without any slides while making people weep with joy. You need to be honest with yourself in order to optimize your presentation design. Bombing when you try to tell a joke is painful for everyone, and it will deflate your energy on stage. So if your key skill is data visualization? Wow people with that and leave the jokes to the comedians.
• Establish what you want the audience to experience Do you want them to laugh, or scribble copious notes, or enjoy a community experience interacting with their neighbours when you engage them in audience participation?
• What does success look like? When you know what you want the audience to experience, you can use it as your metric for success. If you want them to share photos of your slides on social media, you can measure that. If you want them to download your slide deck PDF from your landing page, you can measure that. Want them to laugh 15 times during your talk? You can measure that. Standing ovation? Well, we all want that. If you don’t have your success criteria defined you can’t gauge if you’re succeeding as a speaker. Optimization of your talks comes from observation. If that 11th joke fell flat, remove it or figure out why and change it.

But instead, I went to the supermarket with a friend (who was wielding my phone as a camera), and took a series of seven shots like this:

The result is content that nobody else in the world has. This is critical if you’re speaking about a topic that many others speak about (the psychology of shopping behaviour for example). You already have your own original take on the topic, but if you use the same photos/charts/data points as everyone else, your message is watered down by the sameness of the visuals—even if what you are saying is completely new.

• Develop a “Diverse Content” mindset Your audience will (hopefully) contain a broad and diverse cross-section of people. People respond best when your content is reflective of them. By developing a mindset of diversity, you can source different examples, use quotes from more varied sources, and recommend tools, businesses, and the advice of those who reflect more than just your own image. Not only is it the right thing to do, I guarantee it will make you stand out as a speaker people trust.

Presentations are unequal parts art, structure, story, design, interaction, flow, balance, emotion, and technical production. Sounds simple. It’s not. But it’s made much easier if you’ve defined the purpose of your talk (as described in the previous chapter).

Try these tips to get a head start:

• Reduce your big idea to a small one Can you recall a time when a colleague, stranger, or family member asked what you do, or what your latest talk is about? And you meandered for 2 minutes trying to explain it, only to leave them with a puzzled look on their face. Don’t worry, we all do it. How do you get past this problem? The best way I know—and this works equally well for an elevator pitch for a new startup—is to do a reduction exercise. It works like this: you write down a long series of bullet points that describes, in detail, everything you want to communicate in your talk. Dive deep into the minutiae and unpack it all. Once you’ve done it, start again, but this time, instead of 94 bullet points, you have to do it in 47, then 24, then 12, then 6, then 3, and finally 1. By the time you’ve completed this exercise you’ll have such a strong sense of your talk’s value proposition that you’ll be able to rattle it off without thinking. Not only will this help you describe it to someone, but you’ll be able to write better titles for your talk, and you’ll have a deeper understanding of all aspects of your content. It’s also a great dumping ground for all of your wildest ideas.
• First, when you really know a section, it gives you confidence when you get to that point when presenting because you know it! and your execution and delivery will be much tighter.
• Second, when you know a segment well, you can learn how to shorten or extend it depending on how much time you have. Sometimes you’re so short on time (you went slow or the previous speaker ran over their time) you have to cut pieces, and if you know them intimately you can whip off a quick summary of the whole point and tell the audience to check your slides afterwards. Conversely, if you have a lot of extra time all of a sudden, you can slow down and dig deeper into the topic than you thought you could.
• Third, it allows you to ad-lib. This is one of the highlights of every talk, and something that comes with experience. It’s always a really fun moment because you just let loose and find new points and angles to your message–which is often where the true brilliance in your talk will emerge.
• Fourth, aren’t you enjoying a break from standard bullet points in this section?
• Fifth, over time you will start to build what I call a “Greatest Hits Deck” (GHD) where you store your very best work. It’s much easier when you have your bits chunked to grab 15 slides and copy them into your GHD. GHD’s are really useful when you get invited to give a talk to an audience you know isn’t familiar with your work. And instead of giving a new talk that you might not have time to prepare, or a recent talk that didn’t go down well, you can whip out the GHD and be an absolute crowd favourite. Whenever I get to rock my GHD I’m over the moon and look forward to the event even more.
• Establish an opening hook The start of your talk is the only time you will have 100% of the audience’s attention. They are sitting in anticipation of what’s to come which makes it a really important moment to get right. Starting with “blah blah blah, hello, blah, blah, a little about me, blah blah” will send people straight to checking Facebook. See if you can find a dramatic or bold statement, or tease the outcome of your story without giving it away. Experiment saying things out loud and see what feels like it’s going to build excitement. The magic comes when you open with that statement—without saying anything, ANYTHING—before it.
• Visit your talk resources landing page to get your slides and all the other goodies you mentioned.
• Connect with you on whatever social platform you prefer, to ask any follow-up questions. This is a fantastic way to create a 1-1 engagement with someone.
• Promote your latest “thing” whatever that may be. You earned it. And if you did a good job of not being a salesy speaker, the audience won’t be against you doing it. If you pepper your talk full of sales however, they won’t like that.

The topic of slide design requires multiple intensive courses to cover all you need to know (I’ll be releasing those in due course), but you’re probably sick of scrolling in this guide so I’ll keep it short and sweet. By short I mean huge, and by sweet I mean sweet.

In this chapter I’ll cover:

• Slide design basics
• Finding content for your presentation
• Using media in your slides
• Animations and transitions
• How to show data in your slides
• Using paid presentation templates to accelerate your work
• A few cool design tricks
• Making your slides Tweetable and shareable
• Using master slides (Keynote has respectfully changed this term to be “Slide Layouts”, PowerPoint still uses “Slide Master”)

Told you it would be short.

Part 1 – Slide Design Basics

#1 use the 16:9 aspect ratio (not 4:3).

The old-school aspect ratio for slides was 4:3. This was established based on the shape of those projector pulldown screens common in classrooms. However, it’s more common—and significantly more modern and cinematic looking—to use a 16:9 aspect ratio. This is how most on-stage screen look, and it closely mirrors how laptop screens and computer monitors are designed.

#2 Don’t open your presentation software until you’ve outlined your talk

This is precisely why this chapter comes after defining your presentation’s purpose. By starting your work inside PowerPoint, staring at a blank slide, you’re going to work more slowly and will end up with spaghetti slides that don’t have a coherent structure.

A skeleton outline breaks down the sections and subsections of your talk into a simple list. This view makes it easy to re-order the sections to create the right story arc.

Once you have your outline, it’s time to open the software and work on your slide layouts to create the structural chapter/section slides. But don’t add your content until you’ve established a theme (if you want one) and your typography selection.

#3 How to choose a theme for your presentation

Themes can be good and bad. Having an overarching concept to follow can make things easier for you, but if you choose one based on a currently popular meme, you can end up looking like everyone else who also had this bright idea. Star Wars and Game of Thrones themes for example, are insanely overused.

If you know the makeup of your audience, and know they’ll be familiar with the theme it can work in your favour, but if it’s an atypical audience for you and they don’t recognize your inside jokes, GIFs, and topical references you risk falling flat.

It can, however, be a good tactic if it fits with your goal as a speaker (to be known for your themes).

Personally, I like to create my own theme from the talk concept. Sometimes based on a known theme but then expanded into my original style.

As an example, I did a talk called “The Conversion Equation” which was very mathematical in nature. I started by creating an opening slide, taking my own photo based on the movie A Beautiful Mind and then built out my own designs following that.

Yes, I used a known theme as the opening slide, but I used the original content mindset from the previous chapter to make the bulk of the content my own.

I used a chalkboard to channel Matt Damon in Good Will Hunting for other parts of the design. Slides like these can take a lot of time to create but they are well worth it because they will be memorable.

I’ll be doing design breakdown videos in the future, that show how I did this.

At the end of the day, you do you.

#4 Choosing and finding a typeface (font) that matches your presentation theme

When working with a theme, it will only work if the typeface you choose merges seamlessly with the concept. Fortunately, there are thousands of free fonts available to help you create the right aesthetic and avoid the standard selection of typefaces that’s bundled into your presentation software.

In the following example (the chalkboard background) I hunted through free font sites for a chalkboard style. You can see the search results from the font site DaFont.com.

To demonstrate the importance of choosing an appropriate font, consider the example below where I used Arial, one of the many bog standard default fonts. It looks pretty terrible, and the theme is diminished as a result.

#5 How and when to use agenda Slides

For some types of presentation you’ll be giving on Zoom, such as an internal corporate presentation, it can be really helpful to lay out in advance what will be covered. While this isn’t something I do personally—I like to keep it all a mystery—it can help set expectations.

The only thing I ask of you if you have an agenda slide, is to use the Progressive Reveal technique so that you’re not kicking off your talk with a giant wall of text.

Which brings me to my next point.

#6 Learn the progressive reveal technique to make your bullet points amazing

The Progressive Reveal technique is the best way to present a lot of information on your slides while keeping the attention and focus of your audience while you do it. It’s most commonly associated with bullet points but can also be used for:

• Famous quotes
• Slides that tell a story

You can read about the Progressive Reveal technique in detail here .

Or you can watch the Progressive Reveal video below.

Video powered & sponsored by Wistia

#7 Using section slides to keep your audience aware of your progress

Section slides help break down your talk visually for the audience. A consistent design provides a visual cue that you’ve reached a new chapter. It’s also helpful for you to find your way around a large slide deck. A nice bold solid colour is often a good way to go.

In the example below, see how the orange section slides stand out.

#8 Using recap slides to end each section with a takeaway

A slide at the end of each section that recaps the major takeaway(s) from that section can help the audience retain the information more easily before you move to the next section. Don’t do this for a really short talk as it’ll be overkill.

Without question, the top question (but you said without question?) of all virtual presentations is “Will you be sharing the recording/slides afterwards?” You can mitigate this question by including a reminder slide at the end of one or two sections. It helps attendees relax knowing that they can focus on enjoying the presentation without fear of forgetting any important details.

#9 When and why you should use appendix slides

Use cases for an appendix are likely limited to academia or research presentations, but they can be used to collect references, resources, and any of the finer print that you can’t communicate on your slides. By including an appendix loaded with useful information, attribution, and references, you are upping the value of the PDF you make from your slides.

Part 2 – Finding Content For Your Virtual Presentation

The core of your content is undoubtedly your big idea, but it still needs to be enriched by examples to bolster your premise, or expand on certain points. This includes photos, videos, quotes, data points etc.

Unless you’ve discovered a new dinosaur in your basement, chances are that there is probably someone, somewhere, doing a similar thing. You need to work a bit harder when finding and creating examples to make sure your talk is as unique as possible.

Here are a few tips for finding fresh content:

#10 Don’t use the first thing you come across in search results

This is what most people do, and it’s guaranteed to result in generic, overused content that doesn’t stand out as useful, original, or thoughtfully curated.

#11 Remember the original content mindset and create your own content

Create as much of your content yourself by taking photos, recording videos, running experiments and doing your own research. Unless you’re an academic or positioning yourself as sharing statistically/scientifically significant data, you can create a unique perspective with simple social media polls, or by interviewing a handful of people.

#12 Ask permission before you use anyone else’s work

If you find artwork, photography or other visual assets online that would be perfect for enhancing your slides, you must ask for permission to use it. Using other’s work without permission is theft, and not acceptable. The good news is that most people—when asked—will gladly let you use their content in your presentation.

To illustrate, I created a talk called Frankenpage and needed a good image of Frankenstein. The very best that I found was a fantastic piece of digitally rendered artwork, and fortunately the artist’s website was listed, so I reached out to ask for permission.

He said yes, which was wonderful.

Something that I find to be universally true, is that people really appreciate you asking for permission as there are a lot of bad people who rip things off.

#13 Localize your content for the country or city you are speaking to

Watching a rockstar walk out on an Edinburgh, Scotland stage in front of an audience of 50,000, and greet the crowd with “Hello England!!!!” is an immediate buzz kill. I’m talking about you, Dave Mustaine of Megadeth.

Conversely, if you’re giving a Zoom presentation to an audience in London, Paris, Tokyo, or Weed, California, if you can rock up with a ton of localized content, you’ll immediately be a hit. The audience will thank you for showing up thinking about them, and the content will be more easily relateable.

A really clever technique for finding localized content is to use a VPN.

A VPN effectively transports your Internet connection to another location where you’re more likely to get local results when using a search engine.

Read how to Use a VPN to Find Localized Content for Your Next Presentation for a deep dive into how to do this.

For even more bonus points, translate some of your slides if you are presenting to a foreign-language audience. Just make sure you double-check the translation.

Before delivering a talk to my biggest live audience (6,000), I translated 250 slides into Portuguese. The (intended) title of the talk was “The Internet is Broken and Marketers are to Blame”. Unfortunately Google translate wasn’t accurate enough leaving me with an opening slide which in Portuguese read “Someone Turned off the Internet, and it’s the Vegetable Marketer’s Fault.”

Part 3 – Using Media in Your Presentation Slides

#14 how big should an image be on your slides.

You know what I hate about most slides that have photos on them? This…

And no, I don’t hate parrots. Parrots are awesome. What I hate is all the wasted space around the photo. To be fair, this is almost always the fault of the presentation software (this example is from a Keynote template), but it results in tens of thousands of slide decks full of ineffectual imagery.

Then what to do, Oli? What to do? It’s reaaaaally easy. Use the whole slide.

It’s much more dramatic and when you see it on a big laptop, monitor—or even better IRL on a giant stage—it sets the screen alive. Impact is important in slide design.

If you took the photo yourself you should have a nice high-res version so you’re all set, but if you’re sourcing photos/GIFs from the search machines, you can use a simple technique to get images as big as possible.

Use the size tool in Google image search.

Similarly, if you’re taking a screenshot to use in your presentation—a great way to create original content btw—take a big one like I did there ^^.

I could have done it like the one below, but that would’ve left me with a lame screenshot.

#15 How to use video in your slides

It’s doubly important to use fullscreen videos in your slides. Think about how you watch TV, sacrificing 60% of the screen would make it unwatchable. A fullscreen video removes any distractions.

In terms of the audio in your videos (or just an audio clip), I’ve said it several times in this guide but it bares repeating. Make sure the volume levels on all of your A/V slides are the same, and as close as possible to the level of your mic. More on that in Chapter 10 – Video and Audio Recordings .

#16 Using animated GIFs in your slides

A presentation decision that afflicts most beginner speakers is the way they use the wonderful/hateful Graphics Interchange Format or GIF for short. I’ll leave you to debate among yourselves whether or not to call it GIF or JIF. Okay, I’ll step in actually. JIF is technically the correct to pronounce it, but it sounds really weird when you say it like that. Sorry, not sorry.

Mistakes presenters make with GIFs:

• Low res GIFs This is most often because GIFs get generated by—you guessed it—GIF generator software and they’re tiny, averaging around 500px on the long side.
• Overused meme GIFs EVERYONE is using them because they’re ridiculously popular. Don’t add to the problem.
• Not scrolling in the search results Because they’re ridiculously popular, you need to exercise your finger just a little more than the average person to find one that’s perhaps a little different.
• Leaving it on the screen too long (this is far too common) If your GIF didn’t make the audience laugh, having it on repeat in the background as you start your next point is even less funny. It’s almost worse if they did find it funny, because while you’re starting to talk about your next point they are paying absolutely no attention to you as they chuckle away like children.

#17 How to make your own high-resolution GIFs

You can use PowerPoint and Keynote to make your own higher-res GIFs, simply by choosing the “File>Export>Animated GIF” in PowerPoint or “File>Export To>Animated GIF” option in Keynote. Boom.

The parrot GIF below took me all of 60 seconds to make, it’s original content, uniquely mine, and it’s totally awesome. Because parrots are awesome. Am I creating a parrot theme? Not intentionally.

As I wrote the end of the previous paragraph, it sparked a very meta action, in that I wanted to check if there were actually parrot themed slide templates, cos that would be funny right? It would also mean I could inject some “original content mindset” content right here, right now.

I give you… PARROT PRESENTATION THEMES! Wow.

PowerPoint renders GIF as full HD 1920×1080 (amazing!) while Keynote is slightly smaller at 1080×680 (disappointing but still good). Both of them are significantly bigger than the average you’ll find in search.

Here’s the GGGGGGGGIF in action.

You’ll understand what I mean by leaving it on the screen too long if you’re reading the next section while this continues to annoy you.

Final point on GIFs. Please don’t use a “Winter is Coming” GOT GIF in your slides. Ever.

Part 4 – Using Slide Transitions and Animations in Your Zoom Presentations

#18 don’t use animations or transitions because you think they’re cool.

The goal isn’t to be cool, it’s to be useful. Slides animations should always be additive: your goal for the slide should be achieved to a greater degree with the animation versus without.

Don’t worry though, if you do it right it’ll still be cool.

#19 Don’t use animations and transitions because they’re there

Presentation software is as much the problem as it is the solution. They come loaded with effects that just don’t have a sensible use case. PowerPoint is significantly more guilty in this regard as it seems to favour quantity over quality.

#20 Try them all so you’re educated as to their potential (and potential lameness)

While you shouldn’t use many of them—and some not at all—it’s important that we understand our tools to as high a degree as possible. I encourage you to run through every effect, changing the settings and timing, using them on text, shapes, and images, until you have a solid grasp of what they can do.

When you are faced with a communication challenge, and need to add that certain something to improve your slide, you’ll know where to turn.

Turn to slide animations when you need them, not when you’re bored or as a default design strategy.

#21 Don’t use transitions on every slide

Some (most) transitions are jarring or annoying. You’ll get away with one or two, but if you abuse them you will really turn your audience off. If I’m being honest, there’s one transition I use in Keynote 90% of the time. It’s called Magic Move and I’ll demonstrate it a little further down the list.

#22 Don’t make animations so complex they slow down your computer

This can cause problems with excessive lag when presenting over Zoom.

#23 Be honest with yourself. Is that animation actually  cool?

When you’ve made that super rad motion event of the century, ask yourself if it’s making the presentation better. Then duplicate the slide removing the animation and run through it again. Which do you actually prefer to watch? Simpler is almost always better.

#24 Test all animations and transitions on Zoom – and watch on a second machine

Set up a second laptop and watch them as the audience will see them. Sometimes they just won’t work over Zoom. However, if you are making own screen recording (not the Zoom recording) you will want to leave them in if they are genuinely additive, because your recording will be amazing even if the live stream wasn’t perfect.

#25 Examples of good and bad slide transitions in Keynote

The good, the bad, and the definitely ugly transitions in Keynote. Be warned, bad design inside.

#26 Examples of good and bad slide transitions in PowerPoint

Video coming soon.

#27 How to use transitions for section slides to show the information hierarchy of your talk

A presentation is for the most part a straight-line linear flow. You show one slide after another, until you’re done. You have seven sections or chapters, they come and they go, and it feels like a continuous delivery.

There’s a brilliant technique that breaks the horizontal flow by transitioning vertically whenever you get to a new chapter in your talk. It’s a technique I learned from friend and fellow speaker Mike King from NYC digital marketing agency iPullRank .

The traditional horizontal flow looks like this:

Whereas the vertical flow looks like this:

By using a transition to shift vertically down, it tells us visually that we have finished the last section and moved on to a new section. It’s a good example of an additive use of a transition to aid communication and clarity, versus trying to look fancy.

You can see how it works in the video below.

Watch how to use Grid and Push transitions in Keynote and PowerPoint to improve the perceived structure of long or complex presentations.

Part 5 – Showing Data in Your Slides

Good data visualization is not easy, but do it right and you set yourself up for having very sharable slides . On a basic level you need to consider the following points.

#28 Consider the format and scale of the data you’re sharing

Is it one number? A list of numbers? Do you make it big, or really small? Visuals or words?

Observe the stark difference in the examples below that demonstrate the nuances of slide design. Which of the slides below has more impact?

You might think the one on the right looks lame and boring, but from a design perspective, the stark white background and small typography creates a dramatic focus on the data point, forcing the audience to carefully lean in to read it.

Both approaches are good, but I’d recommend you try making things a little different throughout your talk to create a more varied experience.

#29 Allow the slide to stand alone with context and attribution

If you want your slides to be shared your goal should be to remove doubts and questions. Success is a reaction such as “Wow, such interesting data from Jane Doe!” vs. “Okay, but where’s the attribution? What’s the source? It’s hard to believe this is credible.”

Context is critical.

Most often it’s as simple as adding an asterisk with a source (ideally with a link) to show where the findings come from.

The first example (above) has an attribution link on the bottom-right corner, but the sparse white example doesn’t have one.

In this instance I opted for a different strategy because I felt having more text on the slide would hurt the design impact of the stark design. However, it does still need to be on there, so the way I achieved this was to duplicate the slide, with the second one having the attribution. This allowed me to lead with the design aesthetic I wanted, then after a brief moment I clicked through to the duplicate. A subtle slide design trick.

#30 Example of data visualization: Twitter Polls

Simple animations can be useful when exposing data. In the example below—results from a Twitter poll—the bars on the graph are animated to illustrate the votes actually happening. It’s not fancy, it’s just useful enough to give a brief timeline to the event.

To achieve the effect, I created four rounded rectangle shapes. On the first slide they had a width of 1px, on the second I stretched them to be as wide as they had appeared in the poll results, then I simply used the Magic Move transition to animate between them.

You can see how to achieve this effect in the video below.

#31 How to reveal the data on your slides to tell the right story

The manner in which you show your data is important. In the examples above, with a single data point, you’d show it all at once. But with a more complex slide that has a lot of information on it, the progressive reveal technique is a much smarter way to go.

By revealing the data piece by piece you are able to craft a more well-timed and engaging story s well as keeping your audience focused on whichever data point you are currently discussing.

Watch the video below for a full explanation of how this technique works—demonstrated primarily with bullet points).

Video caption

#32 Leave the audience with a solid takeaway

Just as context is crucial to making sense of your data’s origin, the relevance of the data to your audience is key to them taking something away that’s actually useful. Presenting Tokyo transport usage numbers to a UK transport association audience would feel like you’re not trying hard enough.

Relevance is key. Relevance with an actionable next step is a golden key of glory.

For instance, saying that “70% of B2B software companies plan to invest more in content marketing in 2021” is barely even interesting. But saying “In our research  on ebook landing pages, when we asked for ‘business email address’ on your forms vs. ’email address’ we received 45% more branded company email addresses ([email protected] vs. [email protected]).”

I can take that back to my job and make real change having been informed of that insight.

p.s. that was a real email address experiment I ran for software company Unbounce, of which I’m a co-founder. Happy to share more if you find that interesting.

#33 Using charts for data visualization

Presentation software does a pretty good job of helping you with chart options, but it’s easy to make them look bad if you’re not much of a designer.

Keynote makes it easier to keep your charts looking good but has limited options. PowerPoint has many more options and superior control over the finer details, but the designs can get a bit cheesy if you’re not careful.

You don’t want impressive data only to represent it with the world’s lamest default-style 3D pie chart.

If you want to get a head start on your data visualization or you’re not a good designer, I would strongly suggest buying a template. It’s much easier to edit a design than it is to create one, so don’t be afraid to use a template in this instance.

There are many sites offering slide templates as one-time downloads or more commonly now on a subscription basis. Which leads me to my next point.

Part 6 – Using paid presentation templates to accelerate your work

#34 why you should consider buying a presentation template.

If you really want to accelerate your slide creation, you can purchase one that’s been professionally designed. Envato Elements has a massive collection. One aspect of this platform that I find most valuable is the fabulous data visualization slide designs. In the past they were available to purchase individually, but now it’s a monthly subscription that gives you access to all of them. Other sites like SlideQuest allow you to buy a complete collection at a on-off price—often on sale. An example infographic slide template with lots of data visualization is shown in the screenshot.

Part 7 – Two Quick Slide Design Tricks to Speed Up Your Workflow

Slide design is about a lot more than simple tips and tricks, but there are some that are so wonderfully simple you just need to know about them. Here are two slide design tricks you need to use.

#35 How to make a transparent background from your photos

This one is easy to find in PowerPoint, but quite buried in Keynote (and not at all possible in Google Slides).

In PowerPoint, select your image then choose “Picture Format > Remove Background” and it will highlight the areas it thinks are the background.

If it did a good job you can just accept it and the background is magically gone. However, if it didn’t select the background correctly you can manually add and remove areas to make transparent. Sadly, this is really clunky and not based on selecting areas of colour, instead you are drawing lines around areas.

How to remove the background from a photo in PowerPoint. Note, this is the Mac version of PowerPoint so there may be differences in the PC version which tends to have more features.

Keynote does a much better job of giving you smart controls—once you find the feature. It’s buried in the Image submenu when you’ve got an image selected. Simply click “Instant Alpha”, click on the portion of the image you want to make disappear, click the “Done” button, and poof, it’s gone.

If the colour isn’t as even as in the parrot example, click then drag your mouse to expand the selection and it’ll grow bigger, selecting more of the image. Just stop before it wipes out things you want to keep and you’re done (you may have to repeat it on different sides of the image if the colour doesn’t connect all the way around).

It’s not perfect and doesn’t work on everything, but when it does it’s a thing of beauty. Check out the video to see how powerful it is.

The video below shows how to use Keynote to remove backgrounds in three different types of image with increasing complexity.

How to remove the background from a photo in Keynote.

#36 How to use a crazy neon background colour for your unfinished slides

This is a productivity tip. When you start to have upwards of a hundred slides, it can be hard to keep track of ones you haven’t quite finished yet, or for when you want to add placeholders for some new slides.

To help visualize your TO-DO list, you can use hideous slides layouts with a neon background. The screenshot below shows the “Light Table” view in Keynote, which is really handy for taking a bird’s eye view of your slide deck.

For a quick demo I made a new deck with three slide layouts: blank, section, incomplete.

When the “incomplete” slide layout is used it becomes super obnoxious looking, but VERY effective at highlighting your outstanding work.

Part 8 – Making your slides Tweetable and Sharable

#37 learn the characteristics of a shareable slide.

Slides that get photographed and shared on social media tend to have a few specific content characteristics. The subject matter is usually data, results of original research, a chart outlining a new process, infographics, or something hilarious, to name a few.

But these slides still need a little help to optimize their chances, and the techniques for success sharable slide design can be applied to any interesting slide to make them more successful.

You can read an in-depth slide design tip on the topic here How to Design Massively Shareable and Tweetable Slides .

#38 How to encourage the audience to share your content when giving a virtual presentation

Sometimes you need to prompt people with things you’d like them to do, and there’s a technique you can use to help your slides be shared and exposed to new audiences. The trick is to choose a slide that your audience will have their own answer to, such as a poll, and have it tee’d up in advance.

It’s always a little risky to switch to a browser mid-presentation for an interactive segment (moreso IRL when you’re dealing with bad conference wifi), but your audience will probably appreciate the ability to take part.

I’ll use Twitter to illustrate how it works in a few steps:

• Prepare a Tweet that includes a poll.
• Add the hashtag of the event you are currently speaking at.
• Add a request for people to retweet to increase sample size.
• Add another Tweet to make it a Twitter thread.
• Add a screenshot of the slide in your talk that’s prompting this exercise (it could be results of the same poll that you ran at another time– for instance the last time you gave the talk, or just as part of your pre-talk research.
• Instruct the audience to go to Twitter and search for the hashtag to find your Tweet.
• Ask them to vote and retweet the poll.

This way you will have a group of people sharing your poll data with a new poll for people to answer and a request for others to further retweet. The effects can create a loop of interaction from fresh audiences.

Part 9 – How to Use Master Slides / Slide Layouts to Scale Your Slide Production

#39 what to do with the default template master slides.

All presentation software platforms allow you to create what are called “master slides” (Keynote has respectfully changed this term to be “Slide Layouts”, PowerPoint still uses “Master Slides”). These are global templates that you use to speed up your work and keep your slides consistent. By default the layouts and designs on them are largely useless. The screenshots below shows an example of starting a new slide deck in Keynote from a template and what you get in the master slides.

If you use what the default slides give you, you’ll have a slide deck that looks too similar to others who use the same template. The image below also shows the first default title slide in Keynote and PowerPoint.

The default master slides are so generic you’ll bore yourself to death by using them. Yes, they can help you get started quickly, but if you begin with this approach you’ll only slow yourself down over time—when you learn to develop your own layouts and designs.

#40 The 10 master slides / slide layouts you should create for your own presentation template

The first thing I do in the slide layouts is delete EVERYTHING except for the blank template. Then I use the slide design basics  section from earlier to quickly set them up. Usually in this order:

• Opening slide
• Title slide
• Chapter slide
• Recap slide
• Typographic slide
• Fullscreen photo slide
• Bullet slide—with the Progressive Reveal technique set up
• Q&A slide
• Closing slide

You only need to do this once—with refinements over time—and you can start with it each time you have a new talk to give.

Again, if you start with a paid template you can whip this up in no time and customize it as you figure out your theme and typographic choices.

Intro Introduction to Virtual Presentations on Zoom

Chapter 1 18 Cool Zoom Features You Should Know About

Chapter 2 12 Things You Should Do in Your Zoom Presentation

Chapter 3 8 Things You Shouldn’t Do in Your Zoom Presentation

Chapter 4 Defining Your Presentation’s Purpose

Chapter 5 How to Define Your Talk’s Structure, Story, & Flow

Chapter 6 41 Slide Design Tips for Virtual Presentations

Chapter 7 6 Ways to Make Eye Contact With an Invisible Audience

Chapter 8 How to do Audience Participation in a Virtual Presentation

Chapter 9 How to Share Content during a Zoom Presentation

Chapter 10 How to Create a Stunning Video and Audio Recording

Chapter 11 Using Post-Production to Add Value to Your Zoom Recording

Chapter 12 How to Use Your Phone as a Beautiful Webcam

Chapter 13 What to Do When Things go Wrong in Your Presentation

Chapter 14 How to Ground Yourself and Get Ready to Present

Chapter 15 Advanced & Creative Zoom Presentation Techniques

Chapter 16 The Difference Between Zoom Meetings and Zoom Webinars

Chapter 17 23 Zoom Settings to Enable or Disable for a Smooth Presentation

Zoom tips: 5 ways to make online presentations pop

Do you have an important report or pitch to present? A big job interview on the horizon? Now that we’re living in a world of virtual meetings, you’ll want to present online in a way that exudes confidence and pizazz. Since you can’t own the room, own the Zoom.

Speaking confidently online requires preparation: Your content should be polished, but your delivery should be relaxed. The key to this paradox? Find a way to be as you are, while at your best.

Zoom tips: 5 ways to make presentations personable

Follow these five guidelines to liven up your online presentations:

1. Unchain from your chair

The first rule of good presentations or pitches on Zoom is to stand up. Standing instantly gives you more confidence because it allows you to breathe easily and to use relaxed gestures. It also brings a massive boost to your energy and your voice power.

Using your hands when you speak has been shown to increase vocal variety. It’s a game-changer. Not convinced? Try it: Get a laptop stand and practice your presentation from a range of places around your home. Take Maya Angelou’s advice: “Stand up, know who you are…tower over your circumstances,” however daunting those circumstances may seem.

[ Want more advice on how to communicate effectively? Read also:  Zoom tips: 6 ways to make meetings better . ]

2. Master your message

 The second rule: Avoid death by PowerPoint. Most Zoom presentations put audiences to sleep because presenters simply read from their deck in a flat voice. Don’t be that person. The slides are there when you need a visual to bring the content alive; they shouldn’t take the place of a script.

It’s important to create a plan. Condense your presentation to five elements: an introduction, three points, and a wrap-up. Map it out on paper, then speak it aloud. Feel how it flows. Record it on voice notes on your phone, then listen to pinpoint where you can smooth out any stumbles or up your energy.

Reduce your message down to key words, with one memorable signpost for each section. Then write those key words down and see if you can deliver your presentation using just your signposts as prompts. Add slides only to give visual flair to your information. You take center screen – not your deck. When you command your performance, you send your audience a powerful message: You are an expert.

3. Practice makes perfec t

Once you’ve got your message nailed down, think about how to get your voice and body working in perfect harmony. Think of yourself as a cohesive unit with no rough edges or gritty hindrances to ruin the effect.

Few of us take the time to practice our presentations. Admittedly, it might feel awkward to practice on Zoom, but it can make all the difference in the impact of your presentation. After all, no performer goes on stage without having rehearsed, and no athlete walks onto a field without training.

Zoom is a perfect tool to help you practice because you can book a “meeting” with yourself, record it, and play it back. Once you’ve watched yourself, you’ll know exactly what you need to do.

4. Open up before you go onscreen

When you’re under stress, you see a very narrow field of vision. Screens make this even worse. To release tension before a teleconference, it’s a good practice to open yourself physically – think of throwing the windows open on a fresh new day. Here’s how to do it:

Stand tall and stretch your arms out wide. Take up space. Open your peripheral vision and observe all around you. Open up your voice by imagining that you’re sending it to the back wall, or even outside to the street. Think of a song you love and sing it, letting your voice fill the room. Feel your voice and energy open up.

MORE ON REMOTE WORK

• Remote teams: 5 ways to build culture
• Remote working: 14 tips to improve emails at a critical time

5. Find your extra energy

Extra energy is exactly what gives you charisma on Zoom meetings. For an infusion of energy for your presentation, use what actors call “emotion memory:” Draw on a memory of something you love. It might be a place where you feel relaxed, an event that made you smile, or even a compliment or words of encouragement that boosted your confidence.

If you feel your face freezing into a fixed expression, imagine smiling at a friend. This helps release tension and encourages your audience to relax, too.

These five tips can add a much-needed boost to your next presentation. 

[ Is your team tired of Zoom? Mix it up. Read also:  10 ways to fight Zoom fatigue .  ]

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Zoom Presentation Tips to Make Your Audience Go ‘WOW’

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Whether you’re an experienced specialist with pre-presentation jitters, or a student with a head full of anxiety – or anyone else in between, let me start by telling you: you got this . There ain’t nothing that a well-crafted list of Zoom presentation tips can’t solve!

It’s possible you’ve already scrolled through some tips for presenting on Zoom and still have that fidgety feeling of anxiety. So let’s get the first one out in the open straight away. Nerves are normal – but not neccessary. In fact, that’s maybe the most important thing to remember – so let’s make that our first tip.

1. Embrace the Fear

A lot of people seem to think that nerves are a sign of weakness: “ if I’m nervous before presenting, maybe I don’t know the subject well enough.”

Everybody gets nervous, especially when they have to navigate the technical factors of presenting on Zoom, or lack public speaking experience. Throw in someone asking ‘ can we record this presentation? ‘ and you’re surely bound to get nervous.

Even those with tons of experience feel a little tense every now and then. Maybe the audience is larger than normal, the topic more complex, or the people listening need to make some critical decision based on your presentation.

Feeling fear is normal. Feeling anxious is normal. Feeling tense is normal. These emotions are your body’s way of telling you that you are in a new situation that it doesn’t quite know how to deal with, so it places you on red alert. You become more aware. The tension you feel in your muscles is your body’s primitive instinct kicking in and preparing you for action.

Your body reacts the same way with excitement. In fact, there is very little difference between excitement and fear – which means you can choose to turn fear into excitement. The only difference between the two emotions is what you choose to associate them with. If it’s something you’re scared to do, it becomes a negative feeling. If it’s something you’re delighted to do, it becomes a positive feeling.

By recognizing your instincts, you are able to overcome them. Embrace the fear.

Not only that – but who is your audience to judge you? We’re all human. Taking a few deep breaths is scientifically proven to help calm nerves . Speak slowly – don’t try to rush through. If you make a small blunder, don’t sweat it. Don’t take yourself too seriously. Chances are, when the meeting starts, your audience is wondering what to have for dinner tonight, not analyzing your every move. Which is why it’s important to grab their attention early …

2. Grab Your Audience’s Attention and Don’t Let Go

Want to know how to do a presentation on Zoom that your audience will remember? Get their attention early and don’t let go until it’s time to end the call.

Most people who have to attend a presentation are probably bored before it’s even begun. This is why you need to set your tone from the very beginning, and maintain it throughout. If you take too long to get started, or waste time fumbling with your presentation mode settings,  your audience will lose interest. Fast. As you’re not going to let that happen, you need to start as you mean to go on. First impressions are important – and preperation is key.

Enter with 100% clarity on your presentation’s purpose. What’s the goal? What do you want the audience to do with the information you’re about to give them? How will you convey the key information? When will your audience get to ask questions? 

Establish your credibility early. Why are you the right person to be speaking about this topic? There may be gaps in your knowldge with regards to certain aeras – and that’s OK too. Acknoweldge what you don’t know.

Consider starting with an icebreaker. I’d recommend avoiding dad jokes (unless your audience is full of Dads, of course). A good idea is to start with a warm welcome and a relevant fact about yourself that helps make a connection with the audience.

3. Configure Your Zoom Settings in Advance

Another thing for making your presentation start on the right foot: make sure you’ve got everything configured in advance. This includes:

• Backgrounds
• Screenshare settings
• Recording permissions

If you want to add some professionalism to your presentation, you can blur your background on Zoom and thereby declutter your camera view. On the other hand, if you’d like to get some laughs out of your audience, you could choose a funny Zoom background that’s relevant to the topics of the presentation. Either way, get your background sorted before you begin. 

Same goes for your camera and mic. Since you’ll probably be sharing your screen, make sure you have closed all non-relevant tabs, have all the presentation material to hand – and your speaker notes readily available.

Get ready before the meeting begins by running a test or two before you join. It’ll make you more confident straight off the bat when you know that you won’t need to fiddle with your settings under pressure.

Tip for Recording Presentations on Zoom

Typically, an important Zoom presentation will be recorded. If that is the case, you’ll want to ensure beforehand that you have the neccessary Admin permission. If you want to record the Zoom meeting without host permission , you can do so easily with a free meeting recorder like tl;dv . 

The benefit of tl;dv is that you’ll also be able to edit the Zoom presentation afterwards (cutting out any small talk, or technical blips) and lift take-aways directly from the free transcript . You can also add timestamps to your recorded presentation before you share it with anyone – so viewers can jump directly to the moment in the presentation where you tackle different agenda items.

4. Use Good Visuals

A critical aspect of most presentations is the visual side of them. Will it just be you talking, or will you have a slideshow to share? If so, follow the point above and make sure you know how to present a ppt on Zoom via the Screen Share option before you start presenting.

It’s also a good idea to include relevant:

• Data and Statistics
• Images and Videos
• GIFs and Stickers
• Quizzes and Questionnaires Accessed via QR Codes

Presentation templates can be a game-changer here, streamlining the process and helping you create impactful presentations effortlessly, ensuring your audience stays engaged.

Don’t hide behind the slides though. The last thing people want to see is a non-stop slideshow with your face in a tiny box in the corner. Be sure to only show what’s necessary, and cover the rest yourself.

5. Put Your Notes in the Right Place

If you’re wondering how to present on Zoom without showing notes, you have a few options. One way to make sure you keep eye contact with your audience – or your camera – without forgetting your notes, is to have them on sticky notes stuck to your screen. Even better if you have a dual screen set up, you can have notes on your other monitor and not have to look down every ten seconds.

There are also apps you can get for notes that you can leave open over the top of your Zoom presentation. It’s more engaging and professional when you at least appear to know what you’re talking about without having to look down to read what you wrote.

Legend has it that every time you look down at your notes, the mind of at least one audience member wanders away, never to return…

6. Dress to Impress

We know it can be tempting to go with the good old fashioned shirt and underwear combo, but if you’re presenting, it helps to get in the zone and dress for the occasion. If you’re feeling smart, chances are you’ll be more engaging and more powerful in your speech.

Having said that, if you’re still feeling nervous, you can also just imagine that everyone in your audience is naked – half of them probably are from the waist down anyway. 🤷

7. Practice, Practice, Practice

Everyone’s heard the saying, practice makes perfect, but 21% of people don’t practice their presentations at all. On the other hand, the same survey showed that 22% of the ones that did practice spent more than 5 hours rehearsing! We believe there is probably a healthy midground.

With tl;dv, your practice time just became a whole lot more productive. You can record unlimited Zoom calls , so you can literally do your presentation to yourself and then rewatch it to see how it went.

Looking down at your notes too much? Stick them somewhere you can see. Lighting not as good as you’d hoped? Switch it up. Gone are the days where practicing meant just repeating the presentation to yourself and arbitrarily judging whether it was good or not. Now you have the proof.

The Zoom extension is free to download and you can learn a lot from revisiting your presentations to identify strengths and areas for improvement. You can also timestamp certain areas that you’d like feedback on, so your colleagues can jump straight to the relevant part. Know your introduction is spot on but need to add a little more oomph to end CTA? Just timestamp it, and get someone else’s eyes on it! It’s a great way to collect input and feedback.

8. Non-verbal Communication

Just because you’re presenting online doesn’t mean you can skimp on the body language. One of the little-utilized Zoom presentation tips is to make use of non-verbal communication.

We don’t want to advocate for you to start throwing your arms all over the place in a frenzied rush, but one of the ways to engage your audience and express empathy from behind a screen is by slightly exaggerating your body language . As this is an online presentation, you need to emphasize each movement just a little more so that it can be felt the same way it would in a face-to-face presentation.

It’s also important to be purposeful with your actions. Sit up straight to display confidence. Use hand gestures for emphasis. Avoid slumping, slouching or leaning as these subtle actions tend to disengage the audience.

It sounds obvious, but smiling, nodding and other forms of positive feedback are great ways to warm an audience. It makes them feel welcome and ready to interact.

9. Verbal Communication

Talking to a screen can often be more intimidating than talking to actual people. With less feedback from your audience, you can often go off on tangents and ramble a little more than necessary.

Remember not to talk too fast. Articulate yourself clearly and speak with purpose, emphasizing tone and pitch where necessary. Use well-placed notes to stay on topic.

Silence can be your best friend . If you want to make a hard-hitting statistic really hit home, deliver it and let it sit for a beat. A pause in the right place can do way more than words.

Remember to hold eye contact while you’re speaking too, and complement your voice with some non-verbal gestures outlined above. Filler-words like ‘uhm’ can distract from your message and make you sound less confident. Though totally normal in everyday speech, you can make a presentation even more amazing by avoiding some of the classic ‘uuuhs’ and ‘like’. When you’re tempted to use a filler word, practise being silent instead. As mentioned, a simple pause can be a lot more effective than rambling the entire time!

10. Give a Call to Action

Even if you give the most mind-blowing presentation known to man, it can still fall flat if there is no call to action (CTA). This is one of the most important, yet often overlooked, Zoom presentation tips.

What do you want your audience to do after your presentation? What’s their next move? What was the crucial core of your talk and how does it influence them to act? Always give a clear call to action to your audience so that they know what to do with the new information you’ve presented to them.

Let’s say you’re giving a presentation on why tl;dv is the best online meeting software . End the presentation by telling your audience to install the tool for free , accompanying this CTA with a clear, concise message about why it’s beneficial to do so: it’s a free extension that lets you catch up on meetings in minutes.

11. Master the Agenda

By showing your audience a clear and agenda at the beginning of the presentation, you’ll help them feel prepared. An agenda shows the progression of the presentation, so your audience knows when to expect specific aspects to be covered, and roughly how much time will be spent touching upon each agenda item.

If you have guest speakers, an agenda will let them mentally prepare for the moment it will be their turn to contribute. For longer presentations, you’ll want to factor in a ‘short break’ into the agenda, so everyone knows when they can expect that much-needed toilet break.

12. End With Impact

Just like with storytelling, you want to hook your audience from the start, keep them thoroughly engaged throughout, then end with a BANG! There are many ways you can do this, but one that we love is with a quote.

Choose a quote relevant to your Zoom presentation topic, preferably something that will make your audience stop and think. A good quote can still be ringing in their ears days later.

If you can’t think of a quote from the top of your head, Google is your best friend. Just type in your purpose or topic followed by the word “quotes” and you’ll get hundreds to choose from. Obviously, you might have to sift through some crap before you get to the goodies, but it’ll be worth it.

But what if you can’t summarize your topic focus with a succint quote? Albert Einstein has some words of wisdom for you:

“If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough." Albert Einsten

tl;dr: How to ace your Zoom presentation

• Prepare well in advance
• Serve up an amazing agenda
• Learn from recordings of past presentations
• Turn your fear into excitement
• Use the power of a simple ‘pause’
• Make your slides engaging with visuals
• Don’t panic!

You got this. Now go WOW your audience.

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Dry. Dull. Boring. Exhausting. Painful. Waste of time. Forgettable. Those are the words and phrases that came up when I asked people this question: What word would you use to describe the Zoom Presentations/webinars you attend?

And it’s true, most webinars are likely to be uninspiring … and forgotten shortly after you attend them. They aren’t wildly engaging, and their impact on your success is likely minimal. One thing that impedes their ability to wow is that they aren’t very different from other meetings you attend online. Also, those who create and deliver online presentations neglect the importance of understanding the medium. Online presentations have to do a lot more work to captivate you simply because:

• The screen is a poor substitute for a real person standing in front of you
• The temptation to multitask is heightened
• Participating by yourself reduces the energy and emotional connection
• Other things we watch on these very same screens—from Netflix to YouTube videos—have very high production value

To counteract the challenges that this medium imposes, consider these five enhancements:

1. Sizzle from the start

If your opening is similar to the one from the meeting your audience attended an hour before your presentations, you’ve already lost them. You need to make it clear from the moment you kick off that this is going to be different. Fun. Engaging. Valuable. Interesting. First impressions are so important. Now that everything has moved online, your presentation is being lumped into the five other meetings and events that your audience is participating in each day. You need to dazzle your audience from the very first second of your presentation. Make your start surprising, and your viewers will sit up from their slouch and take note.

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2. Banish the bullet

If the slides you’re presenting have more than 15 words on them (I challenge you to have 12 or fewer), you’re adding an extra helping of the ingredient called boring to your webinar. Bulleted slides are not effective for inspiring people or engaging them in your content. If you have information you want to share that requires the use of lots of words, make it available as a supplemental resource. Nothing says “it’s time to tune out” like a slide with 10 bullets on it. Think tantalizing tweet, not wordy whitepaper. When you do display words, use 32-point font or greater on every slide. This provides two huge benefits: First, it ensures you can’t get too many words on the slide. And second, it makes it easier for participants to see. Your slides are small on the devices of your audience members—especially if they’re using their phone.

3. Fluctuate the format

When you’re delivering a presentation online, you have to deal with one major challenge that’s much less prevalent in live sessions: the temptation to multitask. When you’re physically in a room of people, they’re less likely to answer an email while you’re presenting. But when you’re delivering online, it’s almost an invitation to multitask; after all, the device they’re watching you on has all these other tools to keep them busy: email, Instagram, instant messaging. That’s a lot of competition. To keep people from checking out other things on their device, you need to keep things dynamic. The best way to do this is to vary the way you convey your content. Move between stories, information, data, models, formulas, lists, etc. In fact, change the content format every two to four minutes to keep things dynamic and magnetic.

4. Heighten the humanity

If you’re delivering a presentation from a stage, it’s automatically more visceral and emotionally compelling. When you’re beamed onto someone’s laptop or phone thanks to the power of the internet, your humanity is diluted. The screen they’re watching you on serves as a scrim to suppress your scintillating style. To counteract that, you need to amp up the energy, double the empathy and exaggerate your expressions. Just don’t overdo it. You don’t want to seem like a parody of yourself like this.

5. Maximize the media

You’ve heard that a picture is worth a thousand words, and according to Gartner Research, one minute of video is worth 1.8 million words. When you use rich media, you make your presentation more persuasive and potent. And you make it much more visually interesting too. So as you build your presentation, ask yourself: Where can I replace words with pictures and video? Then go through it again when it’s done and ask the question again. Your audience will thank you for replacing the 26 letters of the alphabet with meaningful, magnetic media.

You need to be more deliberate when you deliver a virtual presentation if you want to have real impact on your audience. When you build and deliver your presentation with these five elements in mind, you’re sure to stand out, make your mark and add a giant deposit to your personal brand bank.

William Arruda  is a founder of  CareerBlast  and co-creator of  BrandBoost  - a video-based personal branding talent development experience.

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Communicate better on ZOOM. Keep eye contact with an on-screen teleprompter.

Avoid the distraction of looking away at your notes with with an on-screen teleprompter.

Online viewers are easily distracted as you look away to refer to your notes. Deliver more persuasive appeals by never looking away from them. Simply upload your script into a teleprompter that projects your script in a browser window over your ZOOM (or WebEx , Google Meet or Microsoft Teams ) presentation. Adjust the speed to presentation style and you can even pause the scrolling script to answer questions from the audience.

This post covers the following topics:

Bigstage teleprompter features, zoom teleprompter tips videos, how to not look like you are reading a teleprompter, how to read speaker notes while presenting powerpoint in virtual meeting, keep your team in formation with the same talking points, common use cases, tips on presenting at a school board meeting, add  action button to video recordings, highlight the phrases you want to emphasize, teleprompters help you present even better, verbal: big stage teleprompter (free app), 1. save your script.

Save your Teleprompter scripts to the Teleprompter app and on your devices so you can reuse them again later. 

2. Pick what to emphasize and when to pause

Highlight and change the color for different words in your speech so that you and anyone else using the script will know where to pause for dramatic effect , and which words or phrases to emphasize.

3. Share your scripts

Share your script with others. Ideal when you want many people to be able to present your talking points such as for community organizing. Simply share your script as a link or QR code  with others and when they open it t hey get a free teleprompter pre-loaded with your script.

4. Co-present

Use the same script from multiple devices . Ideal when you are co-presenting with others and need to transition smoothly from one presenter to another.

5. Help others

Discreetly send answers to tough audience questions and  time check reminders  to other co-presenters directly in their teleprompter. They see the message without having to look away from the screen.

6. Use it on your phone

The teleprompter is now available as a free app for both iPhones and Androids. Great when you have to use it on the go or when you don't have internet access.

7. Speed and font control

You can adjust the speed at which your script scrolls on the screen even more precisely. You can also make more adjustments to the size of the font to make it the best size for you.

8. Choose your language

The teleprompter can handle scripts in any language. You can also choose which language the on-screen settings are in English, Spanish, Chinese or Tagalog.

9. Find your script fast

Easily find the script of you're searching for by typing in a keyword and sorting the scripts by date.

10 . Customize your presentation

Customize the script of an existing talk you've prepared by changing some parts, and re-saving it as a new script.

Watch Our Zoom Teleprompter Tips Video

How teleprompters work.

Run your ZOOM (or WebEx, Google Meet or Microsoft Teams) session as normal and follow these steps: - Launch the BigStage Teleprompter - Enter the text that you'll be presenting - Include line breaks where you will be pausing - Adjust the size of the teleprompter window on the screen - Adjust the font size, color and style. - Set the scroll rate to control how fast the words scroll by - Pause the scrolling to answer questions from the audience

How to not look like you are reading a teleprompter

Positioning the teleprompter on your screen is a very important part of this process. The key to a smooth teleprompter read is to create distance from the speaker and the teleprompter.   This minimizes eye movement and makes it look much more natural.

Position and size the Teleprompter window as close to your webcam as possible. Put your Zoom window towards the bottom of the screen, and your Teleprompter window towards the top and middle of your screen to minimize eye movements.

Common use cases

• - Online fundraisers
• - Virtual town halls
• - Briefings for volunteers
• - Media interviews
• - Political campaigns
• - Religious sermons
• - Legal briefings

Teleprompter for Online Event Organizers

Teleprompter for teachers and online learning, big stage teleprompter.

BigStage is a DemLabs LLC app that lets you customize your ZOOM, YouTube Live, Facebook Love and Twitch presentations for online fundraisers, organizing and training courses. You can add a panel with Action Buttons above your video stream. This panel has buttons which you would like to take such as donate, volunteer, register to vote etc. Each button directs the user to a website that you define. All the presenter has to do it encourage their viewers to click on a button while they continue to watch the presentation. Check out our other tips to improve your Zoom presentations.

The BigStage Teleprompter lets you communicate better with more eye contact. It can be used with online presentation apps like ZOOM , WebEx , Google Meet and Microsoft Teams . Both BigStage Online and the Teleprompter apps are currently free for groups working on voter empowerment, civil rights and social justice.

The BigStage Teleprompter's PowerPoint Utility automatically extracts the speaker notes from your PowerPoint slides and formats them in the teleprompter. The speaker notes are then ready for any user to read while presenting a PowerPoint to a virtual audience.

The BigStage Teleprompter also lets users share, edit, and update scripts in real time. Users can also alert live speakers through the teleprompter with the BigStage Teleprompter's alert button.

Do you use powerpoint to present during your virtual meetings? If so are you in search for a better way to read the speaker notes under each slide? Well the BigStage teleprompter has the solution.

Step 1 (:15 ): So here I have my powerpoint open that i'm going to use as an example and I have the BigStage teleprompter open

Step 2 (0:23): When you get to the BigStage teleprompter you're going to click on this powerpoint utility

Step 3 (0:28): There it'll ask you to drag and drop your presentation which I have right here and once I drag and drop it the BigStage teleprompter will do all the work.

Step 4 (0:36): Once it's finished you press extract notes and as you can see your notes are formatted here for a teleprompter

Step 5 (0:43): So then you copy go back to the first BigStage teleprompter tab clear the notes and paste the copy from the other tab here So as you can see here on one side of my screen I have the BigStage teleprompter open with my speaker notes formatted for the teleprompter and on the other side of my screen I have my powerpoint presentation that will be facing the public.

Keep your team of canvassers and supporters on the same talking points. Or as Beyonce says ' let's get in formation '.

"Use a “drumbeat” approach to communication: a steady stream of large and small actions and stories, over time, that help reinforce a consistent idea or theme. Drumbeats work so well is because we are all incredibly busy and great at filtering out information. That means the odds that any one message will break through are pretty low. Build up enough pieces of communication in different avenues over time, and the chances improve for getting your target audience to say, “Aha! Something is going on there." -  Peterson Rudgers Group

How can a campaign keep its volunteers, canvassers and supporters on the same script in a fast changing environment? How can they get the latest talking points immediately? Present them confidently? Why does it matter?

• Upload your talking points into the BigStage Teleprompter.
• Create different scripts for different issues and audiences.
• Update the talking points at any time.
• Share your talking points freely as a link or with a QR Code.
• Scanning the code launches a free teleprompter with your script on it.
• The teleprompter can be used on a phone or laptop.
• The teleprompter runs its own browser window beside Zoom so it isn't seen by the audience.
• Canvassers can practice the talking points ahead of time on the teleprompter.

Tips on presenting at a School Board meeting

Messaging structure.

Lead with shared values, not problems. - Effective values language includes: children’s freedom to learn, be themselves and pursue their dreams. - Honesty, integrity and learning are also effective anchoring values. - Explicitly name or signal that we share these values across differences in race and class, “no matter what we look like or where we are from.” 

Introduce the problem second. - Use active language to make it clear that certain people created the problem — and, therefore, people have the power to fix it. - Describe the reasons bad actors attempt to distract, fuel fear and divide us across race, gender and origin. 

Close with a positive vision for the future and how working together gets us there. - Provide specific, tangible actions people can take, such as attending school board meetings, voting in elections, and contacting officials. - Reference coming or joining together as part of the action. - Include previous examples of successfully joining together and achieving a goal. 

How do you combine a powerful video with an appeal and a call to action? Add the Action Button to video recordings! The call to action might be practice giving her speech with a teleprompter, register to vote or make a phone call.  That's where the FREE  Action Button  comes in. Find the Action Button in the example below with the following link  ActionButton.live/StandUpAgainstHate .

GIFs make it dynamic

GIFs grab your attention and wildly popular on social media.  Into Action  provides hundreds of free GIFs that align well with messages for social justice and voting rights. Mothers of Hope combined a GIF from Into Action to the Action Button QR Code to let their supporters share the GIF as usual, but adds a link to Mallory's video and a call to action. The combined GIF was  uploaded to GIPHY  for others to find too.  Notice how these GIFs are the most eye-catching part of this blog.

Practice your delivery. How to get the transcript of a YouTube Video.

Politics Girl is a great speaker. Most people aren't as good but we can learn and practice. Start with a script that you relate to, such as her message. You can see the transcript of a YouTube video by clicking on the three dots at the bottom. YouTube even highlights the words being spoken and the time.

Copy and paste the transcript into the free  BigStage Teleprompter  app. Highlight the words you want to emphasize and add spaces where you will pause. Adjust the scroll speed to what's right for you. Practice the delivery and check how long it took you with the timer at the bottom. Edit the script to fit the time you have.

The BigStage Teleprompter runs in a browser so you don't have to instal any software. It runs on phones, tablets and laptops. The premium version ($5/month) lets you save and share your script with other people so they can also deliver the same message. You can even co-present with them at the same time from the same script.

The script can be shared freely with others using a link like this  https://bigstageteleprompter.online/content/EOqhH3zBHm  You can even change the script at any time and all the people you've shared it with, automatically get the new version. Learn more  here .

• Highlight the phrases that you want to emphasize while presenting

Take a look at the ' Thanks ' that Jason Selvig from the  Good Liars  gave to Wayne LaPierre at the NRA Convention for all his 'Thoughts and Prayers' to gun shooting victims. That video has already had closed to 10 million views on Twitter!

Jason is brilliant and delivers his comments perfectly. How can others with less experience in public speaking present better? Make a bigger impact in a public setting? I'm not sure what Jason had on his phone, but there is a free app that you can use to practice your lines and scroll your script so you can present better.  BigStage Teleprompter .

• Paste your script in the  BigStage Teleprompter
• Adjust the font size and scroll speed
• Press SCROLL to start and PAUSE to stop the script
• Use the script on a phone, tablet or laptop
• Save your script and share your script with co-presenters

You can use the BigStage Teleprompter for free, but to save and share your script with others you need a premium account ($5/month). You can  create any number of scripts  with a premium account and share it with as many people as you like. Other people using a script that you create and shared with them do not need a premium account. Here is an  abridged version  of Jason's comments at the NRA convention.

Teleprompters help you present even better

Good presenters keep eye contact with their audience. That's hard to do when you have to keep looking down to refer to your notes. Teleprompters scroll your script so you can read it while looking straight at the camera - on your phone, laptop or with a cameraman. Teleprompters have evolved from big clunky pieces of gear to apps that can run on any device and very affordable. They're also easy to use:

• Edit the script in the teleprompter to highlight key words and phrases to emphasize.
• Adjust the font size and scroll speed so that you can read it comfortably.
• Pause the scrolling to answer a question from the audience.
• Save your script for later use or to adapt for other presentations.

Liz Cheney (R-WY), vice chair of the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol, damned her Republican colleagues at the first hearing on the January 6 insurrection." -  Letters from an American

Teleprompters help make your presentations exceptional. You can focus on your delivery and maintain eye contact with your audience as the script scrolls. Here's an excerpt of her comments in a teleprompter and tips on how to use a teleprompter to present better.

Try this exercise

Try reading the same excerpts while looking at the camera on your laptop. See how hard it is to move your eyes back and forth from the camera to tht last sentence you read.

"Tonight, I say this to my Republican colleagues who are defending the indefensible: There will come a day when Donald Trump is gone, but your dishonor will remain. President Trump corruptly pressured state legislators and election officials to change election results. President’s close advisor Steve Bannon said “All hell is going to break loose tomorrow.”

“On Jan. 6, 2021, the defendants directed, mobilized and led members of the crowd onto the Capitol grounds and into the Capitol, leading to dismantling of metal barricades, destruction of property, breaching of the Capitol building, and assaults on law enforcement.”

“President Trump is wrong. I had no right to overturn the election. The presidency belongs to the American people and the American people alone. And frankly, there is no idea more un-American than the notion that any one person could choose the American president”, said Mike Pence

“And thanks to your bullshit, we are under siege... If Trump’s plan had worked, it would have permanently ended the peaceful transition of power, undermining American democracy and the Constitution.  If the country does not commit to investigating and pursuing accountability for those responsible, the Court fears January 6th will repeat itself,” said Judge Jacob." -  Liz Cheney (R-WY)

Train workers to amplify demands with a common script .

How can the magic of great organizers be bottled to train others to explain their demands better.

Trying to get your message across as fast as possible? With impact? And easy to share? Use an animated story with a GIF or video that people can watch passively even on mute. Put your story that will be shared verbally into a free teleprompter that readers can use when presenting your message to others.

Rule of Law

Ag merrick garland on the rule of law.

Read  AG Garlands remarks or  watch  him delivering the Oath of Allegiance. Highlights:

• I come from a family of immigrants who fled religious persecution early and sought refuge here in the United States.
• If not for America, my grandmother would have died in the Holocaust.
• Under the protection of our laws, she too, was able to live without fear of persecution.
• That protection is what distinguishes America from so many other countries. The Rule of Law – is the foundation of our system of government.
• The Rule of Law means that the law treats each of us alike there is not one rule for friends, another for foes; one rule for the powerful, another for the powerless; a rule for the rich, another for the poor; or different rules, depending upon one’s race or ethnicity or country of origin.
• It demands that we listen to each other, even when we disagree. Reject violence and threats of violence that endanger each other and endanger our democracy.
• We must not allow the fractures between us to fracture our democracy. We are all in this together. We are all Americans.
• My family story is what motivated me to choose a career in public service.
• I wanted to repay my country for taking my family in when they had nowhere else to go.
• I wanted to repay the debt my family owes this country for our very lives.

Words to remember

Garland's advice is important at a time when a partisan Supreme Court strips Americans of their freedoms and MAGA Republicans (formerly claiming to be the party of Law & Order) threaten violence and refuse to accept election results.

How do you make comments easier to share? When they won't all fit in a simple GIF or meme? Create a GIF with a scrolling script. Here is a simple way to do create a GIF like this one in minutes using free apps.

Create your own such GIF in ten minutes Record a screen capture of the Teleprompter as the script was scrolling with the free  EZGIF  app. Paste the GIF in a PowerPoint slide along with a photo. Record another GIF of the PowerPoint slide.

TakeAway:  Use GIFs with a scrolling script to spread messages like the importance of the RULE OF LAW.

Takeaway: don't look away use a teleprompter for persuasive and personable online presentations., deepak demlabs.

Image credit: Library of Congress on Unsplash

DemLabs applies innovative technology and storytelling tools in service of democratic values. It lowers the barrier of funding for worthy candidates and non-profits by applying existing free/affordable solutions.

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How To View Notes In PowerPoint While Presenting On Zoom

In today’s digital age, the ability to effectively present information online is more important than ever. Whether you’re a teacher, business professional, or student, knowing how to use tools like Zoom and PowerPoint can greatly enhance your presentations.

Key Takeaways:

What is zoom and how is it used for presentations.

Zoom is a popular video conferencing platform that allows users to conduct virtual meetings, webinars, and presentations with ease. Presenter View in Zoom provides presenters with the ability to view their PowerPoint slides, notes, and upcoming content while speaking to an audience.

How to Download and Set Up Zoom

To download and set up Zoom, visit the official Zoom website and select the appropriate version for your operating system, be it Windows or Mac. You can also find tutorials on platforms like YouTube for guidance, and explore additional features like Zoom Rooms and API integrations.

How to Share Your Screen on Zoom

Sharing your screen on Zoom during presentations is simple and effective. You can display your PowerPoint slides, and PDF documents, or conduct a live Slide Show directly from your laptop to enhance collaboration and engagement during virtual meetings.

Screen sharing on Zoom not only allows you to showcase visual aids but also opens up avenues for seamless communication and real-time feedback. By enabling participants to view your content simultaneously, it ensures everyone stays on the same page and fosters active engagement.

What are Notes in PowerPoint and Why Are They Useful?

By incorporating notes in PowerPoint , presenters can alleviate the pressure of memorizing every detail and instead focus on engaging with the audience. These notes serve as a safety net if one’s mind goes blank during the presentation, helping maintain a professional and knowledgeable demeanor. Additionally, notes in PowerPoint allow for a more seamless transition between slides, enabling presenters to elaborate on complex topics and provide in-depth explanations without losing the audience’s attention.

How to Add Notes to Your PowerPoint Slides

How to view notes in powerpoint while presenting on zoom.

Viewing notes in PowerPoint while presenting on Zoom can enhance your delivery and keep you on track with your content.

Utilizing the Presenter View feature provides a seamless way to ensure that your presentation flows smoothly, allowing you to maintain eye contact with your audience while referencing your notes. This dual-screen setup enables presenters to view upcoming slides, elapsed time, and speaker notes in a clear layout, facilitating a confident delivery.

Step-by-Step Guide to Viewing Notes in PowerPoint While Presenting on Zoom

To view notes in PowerPoint while presenting on Zoom, follow these steps for a seamless experience.

Step 1: Open Your PowerPoint Presentation

The first step in viewing notes during a Zoom presentation is to open your PowerPoint presentation on your device. Ensure that your slides and notes are accessible for a smooth delivery.

Step 2: Enter Presentation Mode

Once your PowerPoint presentation is open, enter Presentation Mode to begin showcasing your slides. This mode allows for a fullscreen display of your content while enabling access to additional features like viewing notes.

In Presentation Mode, your slides take center stage as distractions are minimized, ensuring that the focus remains on your message and visuals. This feature is particularly useful during live presentations or when sharing your screen with others to maintain a professional and polished appearance.

Step 3: Open the Notes Panel

The ability to view your notes in real-time gives you the flexibility to adjust your pace, emphasize critical details, and maintain audience engagement effectively. It serves as a dynamic tool to keep your presentation organized, polished, and professional.

Step 4: Adjust the Size and Position of the Notes Panel

To modify the size of the Notes Panel in PowerPoint, simply click on the View tab, locate the Notes Master option, and then adjust the size using the Slide Size option within the Ribbon. This allows you to make the Notes Panel larger or smaller based on the amount of text you have for each slide. You can drag the Notes Panel to different locations on your screen by clicking and dragging it to the desired spot, enabling you to customize its placement for optimal viewing comfort during your presentation.

Step 5: Switch Between Slides and Notes

During your presentation, seamlessly switch between displaying slides and viewing your notes using the designated controls.

Tips and Tricks for Using Notes in PowerPoint and Zoom

When customizing your Notes Panel, consider organizing your notes in a structured manner to provide clear cues during your presentation. Utilize bullet points or numbered lists to break down key points effectively. Incorporating visual aids and highlighting important information can help you stay on track while presenting.

How to Customize the Notes Panel

One significant aspect of customizing the Notes Panel is altering the font size to ensure easy readability for your notes and cues during the presentation. You can experiment with various font styles and sizes to find what works best for you.

How to Use Presenter View in PowerPoint for More Control

Utilize this feature in PowerPoint to manage your presentation flow effectively and engage with your audience during Zoom sessions.

Integrating Presenter View with virtual engagement tools like polls and Q&A sessions can significantly enhance audience interaction and participation.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do i view my notes in powerpoint while presenting on zoom.

To view your notes in PowerPoint while presenting on Zoom, you can open the Notes section in PowerPoint and share your screen with the Notes view on Zoom.

Can I view my notes in PowerPoint without sharing my screen on Zoom?

How do i switch between the slides and notes in powerpoint while presenting on zoom, can i make changes to my notes in powerpoint without interrupting my presentation on zoom.

Yes, you can make changes to your notes in PowerPoint without interrupting your presentation on Zoom. Simply switch to the Notes view in PowerPoint and make your changes while continuing to present on Zoom with the Slide Show view.

How do I access the Notes section in PowerPoint while presenting on Zoom?

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How To Present Powerpoint On Zoom

• How-To Guides
• Software Tutorials

Choosing the Right Presentation Format

When it comes to presenting your PowerPoint on Zoom, choosing the right format is crucial to ensure that your audience can view and interact with your slides effectively. Whether you’re conducting a business meeting, delivering a training session, or giving a presentation, consider the following factors when deciding on the best format for your presentation:

• Full Screen: This format allows you to occupy the entire Zoom window with your slides. It’s ideal for presentations that heavily rely on visuals or require your audience to focus solely on the content.
• Presenter View: If you need to access your notes, manage your slides, or view upcoming slides while presenting, the Presenter View format is your best bet. It gives you a separate window with additional tools and features.
• Side-by-Side: This format enables you to display your PowerPoint slides alongside other applications or materials, such as a video conferencing window or a shared document. It’s useful if you need to refer to external resources during your presentation.
• Custom Layout: Zoom allows you to customize the layout of your presentation, allowing you to combine multiple formats or adjust the size and position of your slides and other elements on the screen.

Consider the nature of your presentation, your objectives, and the visual elements you plan to incorporate when selecting the presentation format. Additionally, take into account the size of your audience, the devices they’ll be using, and the level of interactivity you wish to achieve.

Remember, a well-chosen presentation format can enhance your delivery and engage your audience more effectively. Spend some time experimenting with different formats in Zoom’s settings before your presentation to determine the layout that works best for your needs.

Preparing Your PowerPoint Slides

Before presenting your PowerPoint on Zoom, it’s important to ensure that your slides are well-prepared and optimized for the virtual environment. Here are some essential tips to consider:

• Simplify Your Content: Keep your slides concise and focused. Use bullet points, short sentences, and key phrases to convey your message effectively. Avoid overcrowding slides with excessive text or complex images.
• Use High-Quality Visuals: Choose high-resolution images and graphics that align with your topic and enhance understanding. Avoid pixelated or distorted visuals that may hinder audience comprehension.
• Consider Font Size and Typeface: Use a clear and legible font size, typically around 24-32 points, to ensure readability on different screen sizes. Stick to standard fonts like Arial or Calibri to avoid technical issues.
• Contrast Colors: Opt for high contrast between the background and text colors to ensure visibility. Dark text on a light background or vice versa works best. Avoid using color combinations that strain the eyes or make text illegible.
• Include Engaging Multimedia: Incorporate videos, animations, or interactive elements to enhance audience engagement. However, ensure that the multimedia elements are relevant, purposeful, and do not distract from your main points.
• Consistent Design: Maintain a consistent design across your slides for a professional and cohesive look. Use the same font styles, colors, and layout throughout your presentation to create a visually appealing and easily navigable experience for your audience.
• Proofread and Edit: Check for spelling, grammar, and content errors in your slides. Ensure that all text is grammatically correct and appropriate for your target audience. Consider seeking feedback from colleagues or friends to validate the clarity and effectiveness of your slides.

By following these tips, you can create visually appealing and well-structured PowerPoint slides for your Zoom presentations. Investing time and effort in the preparation phase will translate into a more engaging and impactful virtual presentation experience.

Optimizing Your Zoom Settings

Before you start presenting your PowerPoint on Zoom, it’s essential to optimize your Zoom settings to ensure a smooth and hassle-free experience for both you and your audience. Consider the following settings to enhance the quality and functionality of your presentation:

• Audio Settings: Test your microphone and speakers to ensure clear audio. Adjust the microphone sensitivity and speaker volume as needed. Consider using an external microphone for better sound quality.
• Video Settings: Check your camera settings and ensure that you’re well-lit and in focus. Adjust the video resolution based on your internet connection to maintain a stable presentation stream.
• Screen Sharing: Familiarize yourself with the screen sharing options in Zoom. Choose the appropriate settings to optimize the display of your PowerPoint slides. Select the “Optimize for full screen video” option for a smoother playback experience.
• Virtual Background: If desired, experiment with Zoom’s virtual background feature to create a professional and distraction-free backdrop. Choose a background image that aligns with your presentation topic and enhances your visual presence.
• Chat and Q&A: Decide whether you want to enable the chat or Q&A feature during your presentation. This allows your audience to ask questions or provide feedback. Determine how you want to manage and address these interactions during your presentation.
• Recording: If you plan to record your presentation, ensure that you have sufficient storage space and that you’ve enabled the recording function in Zoom. Inform your audience in advance if you intend to record the session.
• Mute and Unmute: Familiarize yourself with the mute and unmute controls in Zoom. During your presentation, be mindful of muting yourself when not speaking to minimize background noise and distractions.
• Practice and Test: Before your actual presentation, conduct a practice session to test your Zoom settings. Ensure that everything is working as expected, including audio, video, screen sharing, and any interactive features you plan to use.

By optimizing your Zoom settings in advance, you can ensure a seamless and professional presentation experience. Paying attention to audio, video, screen sharing, and other essential settings will help you deliver a high-quality presentation that engages your audience effectively.

Sharing Your Screen on Zoom

One of the key features of Zoom is the ability to share your screen, allowing you to display your PowerPoint slides to your audience. Follow these steps to successfully share your screen during a Zoom presentation:

• Start a Zoom Meeting: Open Zoom and start a meeting. You can choose to start a new meeting or join an existing one.
• Open Your PowerPoint Presentation: Open the PowerPoint file that contains your presentation. Make sure it’s ready to be displayed.
• Click the “Share Screen” Button: In the Zoom meeting window, locate the green “Share Screen” button at the bottom of the screen and click on it.
• Select Your PowerPoint Window: A dialog box will appear with a list of available screens and windows to share. Choose the window that has your PowerPoint presentation open.
• Ensure “Share Computer Sound” is Checked: If your PowerPoint presentation includes audio or video, make sure to check the “Share computer sound” checkbox in the dialog box. This will transmit the audio along with your slides.
• Click “Share”: Once you have selected the appropriate window, click on the “Share” button in the bottom right corner of the dialog box.
• Start Presenting: Your PowerPoint presentation will now be visible to your audience in the Zoom meeting. Begin presenting your slides as you normally would.
• Stop Sharing: To stop sharing your screen, locate the “Stop Share” button at the top of your screen or in the Zoom meeting controls and click on it.

Remember to ensure that your PowerPoint slides are visible and legible to your audience. Check the Zoom meeting preview window to verify the quality of your shared screen. Adjust the size and position of your slides if necessary to optimize visibility.

Sharing your screen on Zoom allows your audience to view your PowerPoint presentation in real-time, enhancing their engagement and understanding of your content. Practice this process before your actual presentation to become familiar with the steps and ensure a smooth screen sharing experience.

Using Presenter View

Presenter View is a powerful feature in PowerPoint that allows you to view your speaker notes, manage your slides, and have better control over your presentation while presenting on Zoom. Follow these steps to use Presenter View effectively:

• Enable Presenter View: Before you start your presentation, click on the “Slide Show” tab in PowerPoint and check the “Use Presenter View” box. This will activate Presenter View on your screen.
• Start the Slide Show: Begin your presentation by selecting the “From Beginning” or “From Current Slide” option under the “Slide Show” tab, depending on where you want to start.
• Access Presenter View: Once your presentation starts, you’ll see two different windows. The main window displays the current slide that your audience sees, while the Presenter View window contains your speaker notes, thumbnails of upcoming slides, and slide navigation controls.
• View Speaker Notes: In the Presenter View window, you can see your speaker notes for each slide, allowing you to stay on track with your talking points and key information.
• Preview Upcoming Slides: Take advantage of the thumbnail view in Presenter View to preview the next few slides. This helps you anticipate and smoothly transition to the next topic without losing your flow.
• Annotate Slides: Use the annotation tools available in Presenter View to highlight important points or draw attention to specific areas of your slides. This can enhance your audience’s understanding and engagement during your presentation.
• Manage Slides: In Presenter View, you can easily navigate between slides using the arrow keys or the slide navigation controls. This allows you to jump back and forth between slides or quickly go to a specific slide as needed.
• End the Presentation: Once you’ve completed your presentation, press the Esc key or click on the “End Slide Show” button in the Presenter View window to exit the presentation mode.

Presenter View in PowerPoint and Zoom provides you with the tools and flexibility to deliver a seamless and professional presentation. Take advantage of its features to stay organized, deliver your content effectively, and engage your audience during your Zoom presentation.

Navigating Slide Show Controls

When presenting your PowerPoint on Zoom, it’s important to familiarize yourself with the slide show controls to navigate through your slides smoothly and deliver an engaging presentation. Here are the key controls you can use while in slide show mode:

• Advance to Next Slide: To proceed to the next slide, simply press the right arrow key on your keyboard, click the mouse, or use a presenter remote if available. This allows you to progress through your presentation at your desired pace.
• Go Back to Previous Slide: If you need to revisit a previous slide, press the left arrow key on your keyboard or click the mouse’s left button. This enables you to go back and address questions or clarify information for your audience.
• Jump to a Specific Slide: If you want to navigate to a specific slide in your presentation, press the slide number on your keyboard followed by the Enter key. Alternatively, you can right-click on the slide and choose the desired slide from the context menu.
• Access Slide Thumbnails: In PowerPoint’s slide show mode, you can access a thumbnail view of your slides by pressing the Ctrl key and clicking on any slide. This enables you to quickly navigate to a specific slide without disrupting the flow of your presentation.
• Zoom In and Out: If you need to highlight specific details or make text more readable to your audience, use the Ctrl key and the plus (+) or minus (-) keys to zoom in and out, respectively. This feature is especially useful when showing complex diagrams or small texts.
• End the Slide Show: To exit the slide show mode, press the Esc key on your keyboard or right-click anywhere on the screen and select “End Show” from the context menu. This will bring you back to the normal editing view in PowerPoint.
• Use Presenter View: If you have enabled Presenter View, you can access additional controls and features to manage your presentation more effectively. Refer to the “Using Presenter View” section for more details on how to utilize this feature.

By familiarizing yourself with these slide show controls, you can navigate through your PowerPoint presentation confidently and deliver a more dynamic and interactive experience for your audience on Zoom.

Engaging Your Audience in a Zoom Presentation

Engaging your audience is crucial when presenting on Zoom to maintain their attention and ensure the effectiveness of your message. Here are some strategies to actively involve your audience and make your Zoom presentation interactive:

• Ask Questions: Pose questions to your audience throughout your presentation to encourage participation. You can use the chat feature in Zoom or ask attendees to unmute themselves and speak up.
• Use Polls: Take advantage of Zoom’s polling feature to gather instant feedback or opinions from your audience. Create engaging poll questions related to your presentation topic to encourage active participation.
• Encourage Chat Participation: Remind your audience to use the chat feature to ask questions, share insights, or provide feedback. Monitor the chat regularly and respond to messages to make attendees feel heard and valued.
• Incorporate Interactive Activities: Break up your presentation with interactive activities to keep your audience engaged. This could include case studies, brainstorming sessions, group discussions, or virtual simulations.
• Share Relevant Resources: Provide links to additional resources related to your topic in the chat or through screen sharing. This encourages further exploration and engagement even after the presentation ends.
• Use Visual Aid: Utilize visual aids such as charts, graphs, and images to enhance understanding and engagement. Visuals can help convey complex information in a more digestible and memorable way.
• Tell Stories: Incorporate relevant stories or anecdotes to make your content more relatable and captivating. Personal experiences are powerful tools for capturing your audience’s attention and keeping them engaged.
• Interact with Body Language: Use appropriate facial expressions, gestures, and body language to convey enthusiasm and connect with your audience. Non-verbal cues can enhance engagement and create a more memorable experience.
• Pause for Questions: Give your audience regular opportunities to ask questions or seek clarification. Pause after key points or at designated breaks to allow for interaction and address any queries.
• Display Empathy: Be attentive and empathetic towards your audience’s needs and emotions. Show genuine interest in their thoughts and perspectives, and create a safe and inclusive environment for discussion and interaction.

By incorporating these strategies, you can create a more interactive and engaging Zoom presentation that captivates your audience’s attention and encourages their active participation throughout the session.

Troubleshooting Audio and Video Issues

Technical difficulties with audio and video can disrupt the flow of your Zoom presentation. To ensure a smooth experience, it’s important to be familiar with troubleshooting common issues that may arise. Here are some troubleshooting tips for audio and video problems during your Zoom presentation:

• Check Your Internet Connection: A stable and reliable internet connection is crucial for smooth audio and video. Ensure that you have a strong connection and consider connecting via an Ethernet cable for a more stable connection.
• Test Your Audio and Video Devices: Before your presentation, test your microphone and camera to ensure they are functioning properly. Use the Zoom audio and video settings to select the correct devices and adjust their settings if needed.
• Adjust Your Audio Settings: If your audio is distorted, low, or inconsistent, check the audio settings in Zoom. Increase the volume, adjust the microphone sensitivity, and ensure that the correct audio device is selected.
• Restart Your Devices: If you experience audio or video issues during your presentation, try restarting your computer and reopening the Zoom application. This can resolve any temporary glitches that may be affecting your devices.
• Close Unnecessary Applications: Close any unnecessary applications or software running in the background during your presentation. This can free up system resources and prevent audio or video lag or interference.
• Use Headphones or External Microphones: If you are experiencing audio issues, consider using headphones or an external microphone. This can help eliminate background noise, improve audio quality, and minimize the chance of audio feedback.
• Optimize Camera Placement: Ensure that your camera is positioned correctly and at eye level. Avoid backlighting or excessive lighting that may affect the quality of your video. Adjust the camera angle and lighting as needed for the best visual appearance.
• Update Your Software: Keep your Zoom application and other relevant software up to date. Updates often include bug fixes and performance enhancements that can solve audio and video issues.
• Seek Technical Support: If you encounter persistent audio or video issues that you cannot resolve, consider contacting Zoom technical support or consulting with a technical expert for assistance.

By following these troubleshooting tips, you can minimize audio and video issues during your Zoom presentation and deliver a seamless and professional experience for your audience.

Tips for a Successful PowerPoint Presentation on Zoom

When delivering a PowerPoint presentation on Zoom, it’s essential to adapt your approach to the virtual environment. Here are some valuable tips to help you create a successful and impactful presentation:

• Practice and Rehearse: Familiarize yourself with your presentation and practice it multiple times before your actual Zoom presentation. This will boost your confidence, help you refine your delivery, and ensure a smoother flow.
• Create a Engaging Opening: Capture your audience’s attention with a strong opening that introduces the topic and highlights its relevance. Use a compelling anecdote, surprising statistic, or thought-provoking question to hook your audience from the start.
• Use Visuals Wisely: Leverage the power of visuals to support your message. Incorporate impactful images, charts, and graphs that enhance understanding and engagement. Avoid overwhelming your slides with excessive text or cluttered visuals.
• Speak Clearly and Slowly: Pay attention to your diction and pace of speech. Enunciate your words clearly and speak slowly and deliberately to ensure that every participant can follow along easily.
• Engage with Eye Contact: Look directly into the camera to establish eye contact with your virtual audience. This creates a stronger connection and helps maintain engagement throughout your presentation.
• Use Gestures and Body Language: Incorporate appropriate gestures and body language to enhance your presentation. It adds dynamism and visual interest, making your delivery more engaging and authentic.
• Encourage Interaction: Foster audience engagement by inviting questions, encouraging comments, or conducting interactive activities. This promotes a two-way communication and keeps participants actively involved.
• Time Management: Keep track of time and pace yourself accordingly. Avoid rushing through slides or going over time. Practice beforehand to ensure your presentation fits within the allocated timeframe.
• Use Breaks Strategically: Incorporate short breaks throughout your presentation to give your audience a chance to process information, ask questions, or engage in discussions. This helps maintain energy and prevents Zoom fatigue.
• Be Mindful of Your Background: Choose a clean and uncluttered background for your video. Consider using a virtual background or a well-organized physical setting that is visually appealing and free from distractions.
• Technical Backup: Have a backup plan in case of technical issues. Keep a secondary device ready, ensure you have a stable internet connection, and have a contact person to help troubleshoot any unforeseen problems.

By implementing these tips, you can maximize the impact of your PowerPoint presentation on Zoom. Remember to adapt to the virtual medium while maintaining your confidence, engaging your audience, and delivering a compelling presentation.

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