There are important distinctions between presenting online and presenting face-to-face, in person and in the same room as your audience.
We’ve done a lot of thinking about this recently as we are coaching business people to present online far more than face-to-face currently, and we’ve found that there are many differences between the two, but they are mostly ones of which we are not even conscious!
However, when we do become conscious of the differences between presenting online and presenting face-to-face, we believe it really helps us get to grips with presenting online more fluently, confidently and persuasively. Which, of course, most of us are now having to do much more regularly than we did.
So, we hope our 10 thoughts that follow might be useful in helping you become a better, more fluent, more engaging, online presenter.
The COVID-19 pandemic forced many presenters to shift from in-person events to virtual presentations and webinars. While in-person and online presenting share some common elements there are also key differences presenters need to understand. Adapting your approach for the online environment can help you continue to deliver compelling, engaging presentations.
In-Person Presenting
In-person presentations have been the standard format for decades. When presenting to a live audience, the speaker shares a physical space with attendees. Some hallmarks of in-person presenting include
Strong Focus on Performance
- Your body language, gestures, and overall energy are on full display
- Requires developing a confident, commanding physical presence
- Stage presence and connection with the room are critical
Audience Focus and Eye Contact
- Make eye contact to gauge reactions and build rapport
- Read the room and respond/adapt to audience in real time
Fewer Distractions for Audience
- Audience members are less likely to multi-task during an in-person event
- Easier for speaker to hold people’s attention once gained
Reliance on Visual Aids
- Slides, props, and physical handouts help engage attendees
- Smooth handling of materials is important
Time Intensive
- Travel to event location required for speaker and attendees
- Full day commitment often expected of participants
In-person allows maximum interaction between speaker and audience, The energy flows both ways This creates engagement but also pressure to perform,
Online Presenting
With virtual presentations, the speaker and attendees join remotely via web conferencing software. Some characteristics include:
Less Emphasis on Performance
- Focus is on content rather than the stagecraft
- Can present more casually and conversationally
Reduced Body Language Impact
- Audience sees only your upper body, facial expressions
- Vocal variety and word choice become more important
Multi-tasking Audience
- People more easily distracted by email, internet, etc.
- Harder to maintain focus and engagement
Reliance on Technology
- Tech issues can disrupt flow or even derail an event
- Platform tools like polls and breakouts help interact
Shorter Timeframes
- Events condensed to smaller online segments
- Less continuous meeting time expected of participants
The online setting creates more separation between speaker and audience. This reduces performance pressure but increases demands to actively engage people.
4 Key Differences and How to Adapt
How should you adjust when moving your presentation online? Here are 4 critical differences along with tips to adapt:
1. Less focus on your performance
In-person: Your physical presence and connection with the room are paramount. This puts pressure on your stagecraft.
Online: The audience sees you as just a talking head on a screen. Less focus lands on your performance.
Adapt: Focus more on your content and vocal delivery. Be natural rather than performing. Use your voice, words, and facial expressions rather than physicality.
2. Reduced audience focus
In-person: You have people’s full attention in a dedicated venue free of everyday distractions.
Online: Audience can easily check email, browse the internet, and multi-task during your talk. Staying focused is tougher.
Adapt: Actively involve your audience every 2-3 minutes. Use chat, polls, Q&A, and other interactive tools to recapture wandering attention.
3. Body language and slides matter less
In-person: Your gestures, movements, and seamless use of visual aids enhance your talk.
Online: The audience sees only your upper body and slides. Your facial expressions and voice are most impactful.
Adapt: Let your facial expressions and vocal variety do the heavy lifting. Avoid dense slides. Use images and text sparingly to reinforce key points.
4. Greater need to engage
In-person: Once you grab people’s attention, it stays locked in for longer stretches.
Online: Virtual audiences are primed to disengage and distract themselves. Sustained attention is rare.
Adapt: Find ways to get your audience contributing every few minutes. Make them active participants, not just observers.
Tips for Engaging Online Audiences
Here are some additional tips to boost engagement with a remote audience:
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Use chat: Invite reactions, comments, and questions in the chat window throughout your talk.
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Poll the audience: Get participants to vote on multiple choice or quick yes/no questions. Show results in real-time.
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Do Q&A: Pause for live questions using audio or chat. Repeat and respond to questions out loud.
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Break into groups: Give breakout rooms a focused task or discussion topic. Have groups report back summaries.
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Share stories: Personal stories and anecdotes help you connect with people emotionally. Keep 2-3 stories on hand to sprinkle in.
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Use names: Address attendees by name when taking questions or input. This personalized interaction is powerful.
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Watch the clock: Keep your talk under 30 minutes. Break down longer presentations into a series of shorter segments.
While online presenting differs from in-person, the core communication skills remain the same: crafting a compelling message, making emotional connections, and delivering smoothly. Think of each format having its own nuances to master.
With time and practice, you can become adept at both online and in-person presenting. Understand the key differences in audience engagement, performance pressure, body language, and slide use. Then adapt your approach accordingly. Hone your skills in both mediums and you’ll be ready to connect, inform, and inspire audiences however you present.
Sharing is caring, presenting online
Being in a boardroom presenting to an audience can be daunting. You may feel exposed, too much in the limelight. Everyone has their focus on you. They’re paying you their attention. But, you are still WITH your audience, physically, in the same room. Sharing the same space. Sharing the same room conditions: atmosphere, lighting, temperature, people’s presence, the weather outside the window, the room’s acoustics, background noise, the fire alarm going off, building work, distractions, interruptions etc, etc. So you have many, many things in common with your audience. Normally, you’d never even pay these a second thought, but they are nonetheless important in helping to create a shared and connected experience.
On screen, you’re on your own! But this might be good. You may feel more in control. Less self-conscious. However, presenting online via your computer screen, from your home office or your workplace, to an online audience means you are physically apart. You are not sharing the same space. It is less a totally shared experience. You are alone, by yourself. And so, generally, is each member of your audience (more of this later in point seven). As an online presenter, this means you need to be more aware of your audience and their differing environments. What are they having to manage/cope with in their environment and what challenges/distractions might they have? It is now part of your job to try and make them feel they are ‘with you’ and also to give them the impression that you are ‘with them’.
Key amongst the tips for achieving this is good camera technique. Try predominantly to look into your webcam and not at your audiences’ thumbnail s on your screen. This dramatically changes the connection you can create with your audience. It’s eye contact for online presenting! (more on this later in point 10).
‘Meet’ your audience to persuade them
If you think about it, we all intuitively understand that being face-to-face with someone is naturally going to be more persuasive. I am sure we can all think of some occasions when, if we have really wanted to persuade someone, we have gone to see them. We just know we can put our point across, and persuade them more effectively, seeing them face-to-face. Doing it over the phone comes a poor second. And, sending an email behind that.
So, it’s safe to suggest most of us believe persuasion might be more difficult when presenting online. But an online video meeting is likely to enable us to be more persuasive than email, and even more so than a phone call. So, take every opportunity you can to make an impact and make your online meetings and presentations matter – for you and your audience.
5 TIPS FOR DELIVERING GREAT ZOOM PRESENTATION
Is online presenting better than in-person presenting?
Presenting online has some advantages over in-person presenting. These include: One of the most prominent advantages of online presenting is that you can do it from anywhere, and audience members can likewise access it wherever they have an internet connection.
What is online presenting?
Online presenting is the act of giving a prepared speech or talk with accompanying visual aids using teleconferencing software. In an online presentation, the presenter is in a geographically separate location from the audience members, who are viewing remotely.
Are virtual presentations the same as in-person interactions?
While virtual presentations will never be the same as in-person interactions, it is possible to create meaningful back and forth communication that will help you feel less anxious and more connected to your audience. Recently, I worked with a CEO who told me that she dreads giving virtual presentations.
Are virtual presentations better than in-person presentations?
With in-person presentations, you more or less have a captive audience — you still need be engaging, but your audience is kind of stuck with you for the duration. But with virtual presentations, your audience has a greater opportunity to stray.
