14 Presenting Remotely

The value of being able to effectively deliver presentations remotely is not specific to  the events surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, but it was certainly reinforced by it. As  technology has advanced and tiny cameras have become customary in many of the  devices we deal with on a daily basis, presenting remotely has become more and more common. This chapter is not a set of rules or definitive right and wrongs, but a  discussion of general approaches that work for remote presentations.

Why present remotely?

Whether it is the choice of the speaker or the audience, a remote presentation may be  the best option. While we are all certainly aware of this being a solution to safety  concerns, there are other more positive advantages to presenting remotely. There are  also some obvious challenges.

Clearly the author of this chapter finds the advantages of remote presentations  outweigh the challenges. This, however, does not suggest that remote presentation is  always a preferable choice. Nothing truly takes the place of live, in-person  presentations. But different occasions call for different solutions; when there is an  option, it’s up to the speaker and/or the audience to decide the best solution.

Let’s discuss some of these advantages and challenges a bit more thoroughly.

Advantages to Remote Presentations

Reach a larger, more distant audience. Without having to have a group of people gather  in one place such as a lecture hall, theatre, classroom, etc., clearly the reach of a  speaker is not held to such strict geographical boundaries. This opens up a world of  possibilities: audiences can enjoy a presentation from someone in an entirely different  country; potential employees can be interviewed or submit recordings of themselves to potential employers in other states; students can study abroad without having to leave  their homes.

Safer in times of epidemic or social distancing. Though this chapter is being written at a  time when the global COVID-19 pandemic is increasingly under control and social  distancing guidelines are being lifted every day, what we have learned during the past  year of continual quarantine and uncertainty will certainly be a part of our lives moving  forward. During cold and flu season, some speakers or audience may choose to deliver  or receive a message remotely to protect themselves and their loved ones. Those who  have not or cannot receive vaccinations may find it in their best interest to seek a  remote option rather than risk infection.

Travel accounts for a good deal of the world’s environmental pollution. The environment benefits from reducing the need for speakers and audiences to travel to be physically together.

Environmentally friendly. According to the National Center for Biotechnology  Information:

“As the transmission of novel corona virus (COVID-19) increases rapidly, the whole world  adopted the curfew/lockdown activity with restriction of human mobility. The imposition of  quarantine stopped all the commercial activity that greatly affects the various important  environmental parameters which directly connected to human health. As all the types of  social, economic, industrial and urbanization activity suddenly shut off, nature takes the  advantages and showed improvement in the quality of air, cleaner rivers, less noise  pollution, undisturbed and calm wildlife.” – Arora, Bhaukhandi, & Mishra, Science Direct,  November 10, 2020

Economical in terms of time and travel. Travel expenses can be overwhelming and can  actually limit our ability to experience more of the world outside of our specific  geographic location. With the advent of various technologies, a remote presentation in  India can now be viewed by someone in the Bronx who can’t afford to take the time off  to fly abroad; a person in Beijing can apply for a job in London without having to pay for  a plane ticket; a student who wants to study abroad but also needs to work in their  home country can consider distance learning in any country that offers it.

More streamlined visual aid options. Most video conferencing applications also have a  “screen share” or “file sharing” option. If used correctly, this function can streamline the  process of sharing presentation aids. Anything a speaker has on their desktop, hard  drive, or personal device can usually be shared easily with their audience. Notice,  however, that visual aids are mentioned as a possible challenge as well, which will be discussed  further.

Challenges to Remote Presentation

Audience disengagement. Those same devices with which we can see each other from  miles and miles away also do their best to distract us. It can be safe to assume that  most of us don’t turn off all of our notifications or close all of our open applications  before engaging in video conferencing, though this would be a very good practice to  adopt. When part of a remote audience, often participants may opt to listen more  passively while engaging in other activities.

Technological limitations for speaker and audience. We must keep in mind that we do  not all have access to the same technology. As a speaker, when given the opportunity to  choose between live and remote presentation, one might consider the demographic of  their potential audience and the likelihood that they will have the necessary technology  to be reached. Will they have the device necessary to receive a remote presentation?  Will they have access to the bandwidth? As someone who determines the  circumstances of a presentation (such as a teacher, supervisor, or potential employer),  the equitable approach is to consider the technology to which the speaker has access  and with which the speaker is familiar—or at least reasonable expectations to acquire  them.

Visual Aid Solutions. If a speaker is familiar with video conferencing platforms which  allow them to share their screen seamlessly and has access to the technology with  which to do so, they are fortunate and should take advantage of them. Without these  skills and capabilities, sharing a visual aid with an audience and being certain the  audience can easily see and process it can be challenging. The same applies to audio aids. Later in this chapter, we will discuss best approaches when dealing with limited  technology.

Same Idea, Different Approach

A previous chapter in this book discusses the elements of the communication process.  This is a standard discussion in any public speaking text, and usually involves a similar  description. These are generally considered the elements of the communication  process:

• Speaker
• Message
• Channel
• Listener
• Feedback
• Interference
• Situation

The similarities between in-person presentations and remote presentations are most evident in the elements of speaker, message, and listener. The most basic  communication model is still in play: a speaker is sending a message to a listener in the  hopes that message will be received. The other elements of our communication process —feedback, interference, situation, and channel—are most affected by a remote  presentation format.

The elements of public speaking which are shared between live and remote  presentation have been and will be covered in this book. The differences are more  essential to a discussion on remote presentation.

Conditional or inconsistent feedback/More easily distracted audience. A realistic observation of the “work-from-home” habits many of us have developed over  the last few years would likely show that we are less focused in our meetings and  appointments than before. As our devices are designed to be exciting and interactive,  there are perpetual distractions all around us when we are required to surround  ourselves with technology. We are not lowering the lights and focussing on one  projected slide presentation in the same meeting room, board room, or classroom. We  lack the physical conventions which bring a live audience together. Therefore, audience  attention is likely to be less focussed. This is simply another type of interference a  speaker must work through. The message must be clear and concise, and the speaker  should do all they can to grab and hold their audience’s attention. The same care in  which a speaker selects their initial attention grabber at the onset of a presentation can  be taken with each moment in the presentation thereafter. Furthermore, messages  should be made as concise and clear as possible to make it as easy for an audience to  commit their focus.

Speaker and Listener in Different Contexts. As mentioned above, our remote audience is not all in the same room. Sometimes, they  may not even be in the same moment in time.

If a presentation is recorded, a speaker not only receives no live, non-verbal feedback,  but the speaker may never receive any feedback at all from certain audiences. It is still  the responsibility of the speaker to try and maintain their audience’s attention, though they may not be present when the audience receives their message. This must be an  underlying motivation while recording the presentation.

During a live remote presentation, the audience is composed of independent receivers in various locations with their own set of distractions. What can we do as speakers to bring a sense of unity to our remote audiences? The idea of establishing common  ground discussed earlier in this textbook becomes an important tool not  only to bond the speaker and the audience, but to help bond the audience members to  each other.

Channel for Communication Depends on Technology. Regardless of the technical resources of the speaker or the audience, some level of  technology is required to establish a remote connection. While a live video feed is  probably the closest a speaker can come to simulating a live presentation, less degrees  of technological support can still be successful means of communication. As long as the  speaker or presenter can get a message to the audience, the basic communication  model can function.

Technology and Presentation Aids

Work with what you’ve got; work with what you know.

We are all presented with different challenges and have access to different resources.  While you undeniably must have some sort of device (computer, electronic tablet,  smartphone, etc.) and a reliable internet connection, a remote presentation can be  successfully achieved with various levels of technological support.

Some speakers will have a good grasp of how to use PowerPoint and share their  screen with their audience; some speakers will provide physical presentations aids and  show them over video. Some speakers may record their presentation and then spend  time in an editing program adding text and images to support their presentation; some  speakers may simply record themselves against a nice, neutral background.

While it is always a good idea to improve our technological skills, learning a new  software or platform right before a presentation may not be the best choice. Chances  are the speaker is nervous enough without adding the element of relying on something  unfamiliar.

Using tangible visual aids such as models, printed images, charts and graphs, or other  types of artifacts can be just as effective as a more technologically supported solution.

In fact, because so many presentation aids are presented digitally, an argument might  be made that a more “old-fashioned” solution could increase audience engagement and  help focus attention.

Audio aids and video work a bit differently and depend on the technological support to  function properly during presentations. As a teacher, I must be aware that while I stream  a video on my desktop and share it to my virtual classroom, my students are often  seeing a grainer, choppier version of the video. Playing a video or audio recording on  another device that can be picked up by your camera and/or microphone may be an  option, i.e. playing a video on an electronic tablet held by the speaker for the virtual  audience to see or playing a recording over a speaker that is not attached to the  computer and can be picked up by the computers microphone. Just remember, the  important part of using a presentation aid is in the title: presentation aid; it must help the  speaker get their point across and not provide additional distractions to the audience or  obstacles to the presentation. Whenever possible, put yourself in the audience’s position and see the presentation from their viewpoint. This is part of an audience-centered process.

Virtual Eye Contact

The importance of eye contact has been discussed elsewhere in this textbook. While  some presentations may be given orally with the on-screen visual aids being the  primary optical focus for the audience (such as turning off the speaker’s video and  focussing on a shared slide presentation), this section applies to presentations that are  attempting to mimic a live presentation model.

No actual eye contact is possible in a remote presentation. When we look at our screen,  we are seeing millions of moving pixels making up very accurate visual representations  of our audience members. If our audience is gracious enough (or required) to have their video on during a remote meeting, we can honor them by engaging in virtual eye  contact.

Personally speaking, when I was new to a remote classroom setting, I discovered not  only the opportunity to explore the skills necessary for successful remote presentation,  but also to see myself teaching on camera! Not that I’m particular fascinated with my  own looks, but I found it very challenging not to get caught up in watching myself speak rather than connecting with my audience. Suddenly, instead of wondering what I must  look like while I was presenting information to my students, I could see in real time right  on my screen. I learned to set my “grid” up so that I couldn’t see myself as easily. The  students may have not known the difference, but I have no doubt that my connection to  them improved once I engaged in more regular virtual eye contact.

Whenever possible, a speaker may consider avoiding reading their speaking notes from  the same screen on which they are connecting with their audience. In live, in-person  presentations, speakers practice taking information from their notes while returning  meaningful and regular eye contact with their audience as often as possible. In a remote  presentation, an audience may feel more engaged with a speaker if they feel the  speaker is splitting their attention between their notes and the listeners rather than  speaking to—or through—their notes. If one has a large enough screen on their  desktop, this may not be the case. But many of us are dealing with laptops and  handheld devices which would not accommodate a split focus as easily.

Standing vs. Sitting

Traditionally, a speaker would stand for a presentation if they have the ability to do so.  Gary Genard, founder of the Genard Method of performance-based public speaking  training, states that “if you have the choice to sit or stand when presenting, standing is  better.” He goes on to say that “speaking virtually benefits from full-body involvement as  well.” (Genard).

In a remote setting, many of us work from a desktop or laptop computer which provides  the camera and microphone, part of our channel for communicating remotely. These are  generally more easily accessed when seated. A speaker who chooses to invest some  time and effort into setting up their equipment to accommodate a standing presentation  will certainly improve their audience interest and perhaps even enhance their credibility.

Technical Considerations for Remote Presentations

Background

When choosing a location from which to deliver your remote presentation, the  background must be taken into consideration. The background should not provide any  interference for the speaker. Choose a neutral background or, at the very least, a background that is not distracting. Remember, we are always trying to hold our audience’s attention against  their natural tendency to let it wander; we have to help them focus on us. Not everyone  has access to a completely blank wall, but we can all take some time to find a  background on which to shoot which will give our audience as little to pay attention to  (besides us, the speaker) as possible.

Lighting

Believe it or not, lighting has very transformative powers. Many of us have memories of  sitting around a dark room or a campfire, holding a flashlight below our chin to shine  straight up our faces while we told a scary story. If you’ve never seen this effect, take  some time to find a mirror, a flashlight, and a dark room and prepare to see a very  different version of yourself.

Auditoriums and classrooms are generally well-lit spaces. This is intentional. Lighting is  part of the context in which a presentation is given, and should be taken into careful  consideration. Lighting also has the capability of being an obstacle for the speaker  under certain circumstances. If a speaker is lit from behind, their audience will see them  in shadow; if lit from only one side, half of their face will be in shadow. We have  discussed above what happens when lit from below; being lit from directly above casts  different kinds of shadows down our faces, though not nearly as scary.

Even if we are working with basic lighting, we can certainly make sure the light source in  the room is supporting our presentation as much as possible. We can make sure that  whatever device through which we are communicating is between us and the light  source. If the light is overhead, we can adjust to make sure it isn’t casting harsh  downward shadows. We should always try and take a look at what our audiences are seeing before we present. Most conferencing software allows us to conduct a “meeting”  and record it without having other people present. As with most things, a little  preparation goes a long way.

Splicing or Cutting Video

Some of us may be called upon to give job interviews by way of recorded presentations.  I have done so myself. While all presentations are important on some level, the stakes for a job interview are fairly high. Aside from the obvious care we  would want to take with the technical elements above, we want those viewing our video  to perceive us as competent communicators. A video that is recorded in a single take,  without splicing different clips together, gives the viewer a sense that the speaker is prepared and confident. It also may allow the viewer to forget for a moment they are watching a video and imagine what it may be like to work in person with this potential employee. Splicing videos together may give the viewer a sense that something immediately before or after each clip has  gone awry and needs to be fixed. If the video is on the short side and spliced together, it  may give the viewer the impression that the potential employee did not care to take the  time to record the video over. Often a video job interview is essentially a short  informative speech about ourselves; delivering this presentation in a single take can  show potential employers that we are prepared and can communicate a message  fluently and clearly from beginning to end.

For other types of recorded presentations, the speaker must decide for themselves  whether cutting and splicing feels appropriate to the occasion. A cooking demonstration  may require a time jump while that turkey roasts in the oven for five hours. A video  presentation about a speaker’s home town may provide an opportunity to cover more  geography, and splice clips together in which the speaker delivers their message from  different locations.

Practicing the Presentation

The old adage states that “If something can go wrong, it will.” While this is not always  the truth, presenting remotely adds an entirely new set of potential mishaps. We must  be prepared and anticipate what could go wrong and have a plan to prevent it if  possible. And just as with a live presentation, we must be prepared to carry on if and  when something does go wrong.

Practice both with and without your video support. Do the presentation a few times as if  your audience is live and in the room with you. Then, record yourself doing the  presentation the way your audience will see you. After taking some time away so the  presentation isn’t as fresh in your mind as the speaker, watch the video from the  audience’s point of view. Do some self-analysis to see how you will be perceived  remotely by your audience. Speakers who are allowing their lighting, microphone, or  camera to become an obstacle or an element of interference for them will come off as  unprepared and unprofessional. Speakers who are seen and heard easily over video  automatically gain a few credibility points with their audience.

Presenting Our Best Selves

Regardless of the method or occasion, whenever we rise to the occasion of speaking  publicly, we hope to present our best self and should do everything within our power to  do so. The time and effort we put into preparing to present remotely directly contributes  to our success. Whether you plan to give a remote commencement speech at a  graduation, bring an important issue forward at a virtual town hall in your community, or  submit a recorded video job interview for your dream job, your best self deserves the  opportunity to shine through regardless of whatever remote channel you use.

Works Cited

Arora, Shefali, et al. “Coronavirus Lockdown Helped the Environment to Bounce Back.” The Science of the Total Environment, Elsevier B.V., 10 Nov. 2020, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7323667/.

Genard, Gary. “The Genard Method: Public Speaking Coaching and Training.” Genard Method Public Speaking Training, https://www.genardmethod.com/.