This is a YouTube video titled "Virtual Presentation Delivery" featuring Matt Abrahams, a lecturer at Stanford's Graduate School of Business, providing advice on how to effectively present virtually. The content covers tips on physical posture, lighting, camera engagement, audio quality, and vocal variation to improve virtual presentations. The video was created in October 2016.
Hi, my name is Matt Abrahams and I'm a lecturer here at Stanford's Graduate School of Business. When you present, it's not just about what you say, but how you say it. I'd like to spend some time giving you some advice about what you can do when you present virtually and how you can set up your environment to be more successful. To begin, I recommend standing when you present. This allows you to focus better and to leverage deep breathing and perhaps even gestures and movement. It doesn't matter if you're not even showing your video. It helps to stand and present. If you are showing your video, though, I recommend that you light yourself from above, perhaps a 45 degree angle, and make sure you check out what's behind you, because your video is capturing that as well. You don't want to distract your audience. You want to take advantage of all the tools that exist to record yourself. If it's a webinar, even a teleconference and video conference often have the ability to record, record yourself, and then watch and listen. You'll learn a lot about what you can do to be more effective when you present. When you are presenting on video, make sure that you look directly at the camera. Many of us look down at our slides or the keyboard, or even our own image if we see it on the screen. Look directly at the camera and that makes it look like you're looking directly at your audience. You can always invest in a teleprompter. Those are relatively inexpensive. There are apps that can help. I actually just set up a music stand right behind my camera, and on that music stand I have notes. This helps you focus directly on your audience. Now it's not just about what your audience sees, it's also about what they hear. It's really important to have a good quality microphone when you present. The investment will pay back in dividends. When presenting with your mic, make sure that you vary your voice. Human beings habituate very, very quickly, so we want to make sure that we vary our volume and, and our rate. Taken together, these tips about what to do when you present and how to set up your environment can make you more successful. When you present virtually.
