After doing multiple presentations on Zoom for the past month, here are some things that I have learned to improve the presentations. Here are some minor things that apparently make a big difference during the presentation.
1. Don’t drink from a plastic bottle. The sound of the bottle is very loud through the computer. Use a glass if you need to drink something while giving a presentation.
2. If you’re using a laptop, use a presenter so that you aren’t clicking on the laptop to change slides. Again, they can hear the mouse clicks or any typing on the keyboard.
3. When you click mute all make sure that you also uncheck allow participants to unmute themselves. Participants like to unmute themselves and it can create a lot of additional background noise.
4. Use 2 monitors if possible. Use one monitor for the presentation and one for communication. The communication can be through chat or nonverbal communication through participants.
Here are some things I use to make the presentation smoother and more interactive.
1. Start by showing the participants how to use the raise hand chat features. This allows them to let you know that they have a question without disrupting the presentation. You are then able to stop to let them ask the question when it is convenient for you.
2. Use polls. However, the polls have to be set-up on the Zoom website through the administrators account. This is a good way to get a feel for your audience and can help guide your presentation.
3. If someone raises their hand, I unmute them so that they can speak. I prefer that to answering questions in chat. I find it less distracting as a presenter, but I do both based on what the participants prefer.
4. People love the breakout rooms at the end. I normally put about 10 people in each room and I jump around from room to room to answer questions. I always start the presentation by going over a few rules about keeping conversations and comments appropriate.
Written By: Stephanie Dunaieff