how can you read the virtual room when no one is physically in the same room
in person we know it's much easier to interpret the social cues from your
audience you can see their body language you can
connect directly with eye contact and you can
feel their energy as they react to you and your message in the virtual setting
we all know it's a different reality in this video
you'll get five key speaking tips on how you can lead and more importantly
read the virtual room i'm riaz welcome to the every conversation counts
platform this is the channel that helps leaders
experts and coaches connect every time you speak on stage
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is released weekly in any meeting or presentation
the most common objectives are to inform to influence
problem solve and above all strengthen relationships
some of these experiences can be passive for your audience while some
require active engagement now we've covered up the basic ideas in etiquette
for virtual presentations here on the channel
you have people your audience that is turn their cameras on
put in the work if you're the speaker to understand the reason for the meeting
and above all ask good questions and use the polling functions to gauge your
audience the one big idea i invite you to
consider to effectively read the room and connect in virtual
settings is become a proactive facilitator how can you do this consider
these five ideas first things first tease their
insight being a proactive facilitator involves
good planning understand beforehand the types of people that will be in your
audience then reach out to a few key players that
you think would be great contributors and let them know you will be calling on
them to participate when your event begins let your group
know what's coming up and tease who will be sharing ideas
now you might be thinking well what if you can't confirm participation
beforehand when you're in the live virtual arena
call it out let a specific person know that coming up you will be calling on
them for their take so they at least have a moment
to prepare a thought or two to share when the time comes
engage that person to set the tone for active participation
it's a great way to show you care about your audience and we actually cover that
approach in a previous video here on the channel the second point is recognize
who goes first watch closely as to who voluntarily
participates for example if you ask a question and
people are responding in your chat box look at who shows up first then you can
confidently call upon them later in your presentation
and keep your dialogue flowing recognizing and calling on the people
who prioritize feedback will become contagious for the others
in your audience to step up and be recognized as well
the next point get to the point too much information
will clutter your story and your message listen how many times have you tuned out
of a conversation because the person you were listening to
kept going off on tangents structure your message
effectively and give your audience concise context
and nothing more a common approach for editing your own message
is to ask yourself after each sentence so what
this will keep you objective in determining if your ideas
support the overall message you're trying to convey
this next one might be a little difficult for you but embrace the silent
standoff when you ask your questions understand
it may take a moment to receive the feedback you're hoping for this silence
though could be a good sign that your listeners
are reflecting upon your questions when i first started doing live
television one to two seconds of silence after asking a question
because of a time delay would feel like an eternity
when i'd watch it back though it wouldn't look anywhere near as awkward
as it felt but here's the thing if you get
comfortable with silence the audience will follow your lead so
throw out your question pause give them a moment to share their
answer then engage with their insights and for more ideas on how you
can become an effective listener check out this video final point be
clear be brief then be quiet instead of trying to wow
your audience with fancy language and industry jargon
make things simple for your listener to follow along as soon as they have to
overthink your message or digest overwhelming statistics and
surveys you will lose their attention as they
attempt to process what you are sharing the key here
brevity is your listener's best friend create an
emotional connection with the use of powerful storytelling
your audience will listen and act on emotion that connects with their heart
before their head simplicity is the key to help deliver a
clear and concise message that your audience can
understand engage with and ultimately act upon remember when
you're speaking in a virtual setting it's your show you're the host and if
you follow these five ideas you'll keep your audience engaged from
beginning to end what has helped you read the virtual
room when you got to speak in remote settings let me know in the
comments for more ideas on how to connect with others
you can download the free guide the five secrets to making every
conversation count thanks for watching this video we cover many more ideas on
improving your virtual presentation skills
and engaging your audience in these videos
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we'll see you in the next video