Ask yourself these questions when preparing for a remote presentation.
Are you prepared for the presentation?
- Be very familiar with the content
- Read the presentation out loud several times
- Anticipate questions the audience may have
- Prepare a script or outline of the presentation, especially if you are nervous
What is the goal of the presentation?
- Prior to a presentation, request to meet with your leader or a colleague
- Review questions together
- Prepare actionable statements when giving negative results, e.g. This is not uncommon and with a little focused education have seen improvement
- Prepare a two minute overview of the goal of your presentation to share with your leader or colleague, ask for feedback, and make revisions
Are you enthusiastic and positive?
- When giving negative results, look for a few strengths/positives to give before and after negative results
- It can be difficult to always be enthusiastic on the phone. During your presentation, you are the “face” of the company. Would you be excited to work with you?
Who is your audience?
- Look at the calendar invite to see who will be attending your presentation; if you do not have this information reach out and ask who will be on the call
- Be prepared to modify your presentation based on your audience
Can you teach something new?
- You are the subject matter expert if you are presenting; be confident in that
- Look through your presentation for ways to keep it interesting
- Review your presentations, especially those areas you are not familiar with; talk with your leader to assure you understand it well enough that you can explain it simply
- Share information through a story or antecdote… is there a situation you can use as a learning opportunity?
Are you taking yourself too seriously?
- Prepare yourself for criticism. Have some ‘go to’ statements ready to use, for example, “I am sorry you are not satisfied. We understood this to be the way you wanted us to approach it. If you have suggestions for improvement, we would be happy to look into making those updates for you.”
How do people learn?
- Be prepared to share personal stories, for example, “I sometimes struggle with this topic as well”
- Perhaps pause during the presentation and ask some questions, for example, “Does this result surprise you?”