Course Outcomes

This presentation skills course for virtual presenters will:

  • Offer suggestions for building rapport.
  • Explain on-stage vocal quality and body language.
  • Suggest techniques for creating a dialogue during virtual meetings.
  • Provide ideas for creating engaging slides.
  • Recommend several options for encouraging interactions.

Course Overview

At one point or another, anyone who has presented virtually has probably experienced the sound of silence. When it happened, chances are Simon and Garfunkel didn’t start playing, nor did the darkness seem like much of an old friend.  In fact, it may have been downright terrifying.  This presentation skills course targets people who routinely run conference calls or web-based meetings.  The program offers tips and tricks for engaging participants and encouraging interaction.

Note: For virtual presentation skills training taught in an online instructor-led format, please see our web-based virtual presentation skills course.

Program Objectives

At this program’s conclusion, participants should be able to:

  • Plan an interactive conference call or web-based meeting.
  • Use questions to build rapport with meeting participants.
  • Design interactions beyond basic polls.
  • Use their voices to engage participants.
  • Practice pauses to emphasize their messages.
  • Ask for “what’s next.”

The following outline highlights some of the course’s key learning points. As part of your training program, we will modify content as needed to meet your business objectives. Upon request, we will provide you with a copy of the participant materials prior to the session(s).

Workshop Outline

Plan It: Structuring the Meeting

Whether you are conducting a conference call or web-based meeting, a good plan is essential.  In this opening discussion, we will talk about the importance of articulating the purpose of a meeting, its goal, and what the participants should expect during their time together.  We will then review the value of chunking content, providing a road map, and explaining to participants their role in the process.  Next, class members will have an opportunity to shape the session’s agenda.

Turn It Up: Getting Radio or Camera Ready

Great conference calls and engaging web-based meetings have a lot to do with a facilitator’s energy.  If the person sharing information sounds similar to the character Ben Stein portrayed in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” you can bet the crickets won’t be far behind.  In this part of the workshop, we’ll talk about being telephone or camera ready.  Participants will learn the steps they should take to sound appropriately enthusiastic and passionate about their subject.

Ask Don’t Tell: Establishing a Dialogue

Nobody likes to be talked at. In this course segment, we will discuss the importance of questions and how to use them to create a dialogue and give meeting participants a sense of control.  Next, class members will generate a list of questions they can use back on the job.  Finally, we will discuss steps presenters can take when they are not getting the level of feedback they expect.

Polls Are Predictable: Spicing Up Interactions

Three slides, poll, three slides, poll, three slides…you get the idea.  “Predictable” equals “boring.”  There are many ways to take a poll without taking a poll.  In this part of the course, we will examine the various options available for gathering participant feedback.

Let’s Practice: Designing Interactions

In this final part of the program, participants will have the opportunity to plan and introduce a virtual meeting.

By the conclusion of this course, participants should understand how to choreograph a conference call or virtual meeting.  They should be able to explain on-stage behaviors.  Also, they should have a handful of new tools for creating and maintaining engagement.