Written by: Mari Carmen Pizarro, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
You’ve got to give a presentation on Zoom. Right away, you know you’re going to make a concerted effort to connect. You make beautiful presentation slides, remind yourself to ask meaningful, crowd-pleasing questions, and commit to looking straight at that camera. You open the Zoom room and begin, confident that this presentation is gonna be a hit.
And then… Someone starts a thread in the chat. A thread that goes on and on and on… The conversation lasts as long as your presentation, and you leave your meeting wondering, “Does anyone even know what I said?” I have considered eliminating the Chat option during meetings. I want to avoid folks having side conversations and missing the content and ideas I want to share. However, as I pondered this idea, I thought, what if the Chat can become a presentation partner rather than a nuisance?
Making the Chat Work for You
Here are the steps I recommend to take control of your video conferences:
Define how to use the Chat. The Chat is to be used as a discussion platform led by you (the presenter.) So the first step is to let your audience know that you will be using the Chat as your presentation partner and that you will indicate when to use it. Any questions?
Use it to share the agenda. I like to write the agenda in the Chat, or if the meeting is shorter, I share the intention or goal for the session there. This is done right after you define how to use the Chat, as it sets the tone that you, not the participants, are in charge of what goes in it.
Use it to aid your presentation. Whenever you refer to a document, a website, or an article, place the link in the Chat. I love to use the Chat for handouts or pdfs that I have prepared in advance to enhance my presentation by adding variety.
Prepare questions in advance and ask participants to share their answers in the Chat. This doesn’t have to be complicated; for example, asking participants to share something they are grateful for at the start of a meeting can set the tone for an uplifting discussion.
And finally, when participants are sharing, you can use the Chat to reinforce their message. Respond with support or questions in the Chat.
The chat window is a unique opportunity in virtual meetings to elevate your presence, add dimensions to your ideas, and demonstrate that you’re fully present.
These strategies work for experienced as well as rookie presenters. The key is understanding that virtual meetings differ from in-person meetings. Use these tips and make every virtual meeting an interactive experience. All it takes is a little extra planning to make every session effective and fun.
Mari Carmen Pizarro, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Mari Carmen Pizarro is the Founder of Whole Leadership Systems and Chief Human Resources Officer at Avet Pharmaceuticals, Inc. She is also the creator of The International Women’s Leadership Academy. With over 30 years of experience in leadership and human performance, Mari Carmen is an expert at integrating emotional intelligence with influence and leadership. Mari Carmen is a seasoned Executive Coach, High-Performance instructor, Keynote speaker, and TEDx presenter.
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