The last episode was about slide design for online presentations, but now it’s time to talk about the last piece of the puzzle – speaking and delivery.

Listen to the new episode to learn about a number of speaking and body language factors that have a huge impact on your online presentations.

It’s never easy to recreate the feeling of a real-life presentation over a computer, but there are many ways you can make the experience much more engaging for your audience than usual.

The one thing about clothing or accessories that’s easy to overlook is shiny and reflective objects or makeup. When you’re speaking to the camera and reflect light into it, this can be extremely distracting for your audience.

The same thing goes for noise-making accessories or other devices around you like coffee machines, phones, microwaves, etc. Stay away from them.

Don’t forget about picking the right colors for your clothing based on the background setting behind you.

You don’t want any kind of unnecessary risks of additional stress and pressure on yourself during an important online presentation. This means going to the bathroom on time and hydrating yourself, especially when it’s going to be a longer session.

This way you simulate a real-life meeting where people can meet each other before the presentation starts and you can engage your audience.

Always stand up straight when you’re presenting online. That’s rule #1 you should never break, whatever the case.

When you’re standing up your core is open and your voice is much more grounded and present when you’re speaking. You sound better, more clear, and more confident.

The important thing to note here is that the visible part of your body should be from the waist up so you have enough room for gestures while being close enough to the camera.

A virtual background is distracting and doesn’t engage the human brain in the way that a natural environment will.

Unfortunately, in a virtual environment, this means looking straight at the camera. Even though it’s unnatural at first – you absolutely must get used to it and turn it into a natural habit.

People get easily distracted and disengaged when the person speaking to them isn’t looking at them in the eyes – basic human communication.

The only way to recreate a lifelike environment is to just speak to the camera so your audience feels like you’re there and you’re connecting.

Don’t overuse your gestures in terms of speed and amplitude. Keep calm and don’t get overexcited to compensate that the people aren’t in front of you.

Speaking to the camera has to happen in a smoother way with gestures that don’t fill the entire screen of your audience. It’s overwhelming for people and they might feel uncomfortable with that.

When you’re presenting live it’s easier for people to connect because they feel and hear the undertones in your voice that convey the emotion humans need to connect with your story.

Online presentations are a different story though, so make sure that you’re pushing yourself enough to speak and express yourself clearly and articulate every word. Don’t mumble and never use a monotone voice.

Oh, and one last thing – use pauses with extreme caution when presenting online. They’re a powerful tool when you’re presenting live, but it’s very easy to misuse them when you’re talking to a camera. If people lose your voice for a couple of seconds – they might disengage with you.