Zoom Like a Star: Theatrical Tips For Your Next Meeting
Every meeting or presentation is a performance. Are you preparing for them like an actor would? When presentations must be given remotely via Zoom or WebEx, you face a unique set of challenges, and to add another level of complexity, these presentations are often recorded. A well-recorded presentation or meeting can ensure future success as you share it again and again.
Here’s some advice on how to prepare for and perform your presentation. Because it is indeed a performance! You must prepare your voice, your tone, and your content with that in mind.
1. Do some vocal warm-ups. Gargle a little water. Hum a few bars of a song, open your mouth and say ahhhh like you’re at the doctor, speaking from your diaphragm. Phrases for warming up your mouth and throat include:
- The lips, the teeth, the tip of the tongue,
the tip of the tongue, the teeth, the lips. - ‘Round the rugged rocks the ragged rascals ran.
- When tweedle beetles battle
With paddles in a puddle
They call it a tweedle beetle puddle paddle battle.
2. Keep a bottle or glass of water near you and take small sips to moisten your mouth (not long gulps) as you speak.
3. Discuss all the business you don’t want in the recording before you start the actual presentation. Some examples of content you would not want in your meeting recording include people arriving in the meeting room, chit-chat, discussions about technical issues, and any other housekeeping that’s not part of the presentation.
4. Make sure that you’re on the first slide of the presentation in presenting mode when you introduce yourself and the other presenters. A sample script might be:
Hello, I’m Jane Austen, Vice President in Property & Casualty for Woodruff Sawyer. Welcome to the [title of presentation]. Joining me are [names of co-hosts and their titles and teams, if differing].
5. While you’re conducting the webinar, remember to smile. The smile will be heard in your voice.
6. Take a deep breath before speaking for the first time and remember to take your time and keep breathing as you speak. Breathe through your nose and avoid sighing at the end of a thought or sentence.
7. Emotional exclamations (shouting!) to emphasize a point should actually be delivered more quietly than regular speech. It helps differentiate and doesn’t blow out the microphone.
8. Conclude the meeting or presentation by mentioning your name and the names of your co-presenters again. Then suggest that people subscribe to your company newsletter and social media.
9. Don’t switch out of the presentation back to the PowerPoint view until after people start leaving the meeting.
Transitioning from in-person presentations to the virtual meeting room can be challenging, but using these theatrical techniques to polish your performance will make the process much smoother and ensure you have a high-quality recording at the end of it. Preparation is key to starring in your next presentation!
