Presentation coach TJ Walker says slides make you disappear. Keep your face visible in a window, treat slides as reference points not scripts, and anchor your attention to the camera instead of reading bullet points.
Chapters
Ultimize. Slides don't necessarily make presentations better. They make it easier for you to disappear. Now, I understand you're going to have to use slides from time to time when you're giving online presentations, but do realize it makes it easier for you to disappear. And that's exactly what happens to most people online. The slide goes up, it fills the screen, and suddenly the focus is no longer on you. It's on the content. Maybe if people aren't off staring at their phone or checking email, it's the bullet points, the chart, the text. And once that happens, your role shrinks. You're no longer the communicator. You're just the narrator. And that's the trap. You don't want to fall into that trap. If you want to stay engaging, you have to stay present even when the slides are up. That means your face should be visible, even if it's just a small window in the corner. People need to see you. They need to see your expressions. They need to feel like you're talking to them and with them, not just reading content off a screen. The second part is how you use the slide. Don't treat it like a script. Treat it like a reference point. You're not reading what's on the slide. People don't need you to read. What's on the slide. They know how to read themselves. You're there to explain it, expand on it, add meaning to it. If the slide disappeared, you should be able to speak and be perfectly fine. Shouldn't have an impact on your presentation. That's the standard. The third part is attention. When a slide comes up, most people shift their focus to the slide itself. They stop looking at the camera if they're the one giving the presentation. They start reading along with the audience, and that breaks connection immediately. Instead, you want to stay anchored to the camera. You can glance at the slide briefly, but your primary focus stays forward. That's what keeps it looking conversational, ideally sounding conversational. So remember this: the slides are there to support you. They don't replace you. And the more you stay visible, present, and engaged, the more your audience will stay with you.
