3 surprising tricks for engaging your virtual audience with slides

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You spend plenty of time staring at screens voluntarily. But the last thing you wanna do is stare at a screen involuntarily, right?

Like when you’re roped into attending a presentation with a bunch of dry, text-heavy slides and you’d do anything to play a tape of you sitting there – instead of actually having to sit there…

Well, here’s the uncomfortable truth: 

If you feel this way about sitting through a colleague’s presentation – I know this might sting a little – but, chances are, your colleagues feel the same way about sitting through yours.

Not because you’re not awesome or because you don’t know your sh*t! You are both awesome and know your sh*t. 

But because people’s attention spans are VIRTUALLY non-existent. (Pun intended…)

So if you wanna facilitate virtual presentations that are not only informative, but engaging and, dare I say, entertaining… I suggest taking your presenting-with-slides game to the next level. 

I’m talkin:

✔️ organizing your content more strategically

✔️ helping your audience track what’s on each slide

✔️ leaving them with clear takeaways

✔️ maintaining their focus throughout

Check out this 2-minute clip from *inside a client session* to learn 3 surprising tricks to help you take your virtual presentation skills from drab to highly engaging!

It’s that simple.

Pro Tip: Don’t compete with what you’ve included on your slides – read what’s there and fill in the rest with your voice. 

Trick #1: Use enticing headlines – to re-engage your audience as you transition between slides

Trick #2: Anchor your audience (i.e. tell them what they’re looking at) – address what’s on the slide, tell them *exactly* what they’re looking at or reading and then fill in the gaps with context. Don’t lead with context and let them wander off to try to figure out what they’re looking at. 

Trick #3: Animate your slides – reveal bullet points one by one, so your audience doesn’t jump ahead of you.  And consider including transitional slides with the title of your next section, so you’re not hanging out on a slide for too long.

If you incorporate these three tips alone, you’ll be well on your way to creating (and facilitating!) more engaging presentations. 

Craving some extra tips and tricks to elevate your virtual presentation game? 

>>> CLICK HERE to reserve your seat in my next FREE workshop,  “How to Present with Slides From Wherever You Are: 4 Ways to Engage, Educate & Entertain Your Virtual Audience” on Monday, July 13th at 12:30pm EST. 

You’ll learn how to:

✔️Outline your presentation in half the time

✔️ Format your slides so they work FOR you instead of against you

✔️ Translate your in-person communication style to the virtual world

✔️ And avoid 4 BIG mistakes I see even the best presenters make when presenting with slides online…

Doesn’t matter what material you’re presenting or who you’re presenting to. These are timeless principles you can apply to ANY slide deck and EVERY audience.

That’s right, I’m offering this $200 workshop for FREE. Or for a suggested donation of $36. All proceeds will go to Black Mamas Matter Alliance: a Black women-led cross-sectoral alliance that centers Black mamas–to advocate, drive research, build power, and shift culture for their maternal health, rights, and justice. 

Echoing the BMMA’s organizational values: We at SelfSpoken value Black women’s lives, knowledge, and leadership. We trust Black women and prioritize their voices. We recognize, celebrate, and support Black women – those who care for our families and those who better our organizations and communities – whether they are trans, cis, or gender non-conforming. We stand in solidarity with all Black women and people. ✊✊✊

Can’t wait to see you on Monday!

And in the meantime, keep showing up as the you, you most wanna be. 

One intention, one interaction at a time.

All my love,