Remote video calls with clients have been a part of working life for years now but for many they can be a stressful business. Content designer Dave Songer shares what he’s done to ease the pressure and improve his presenting style.
I don’t have fond memories of my first stakeholder presentations. Those ‘show and tells’ felt like I had been thrown to the lions: a meeting on an unfamiliar platform (Google Meets); presenting work I didn’t know much about (pensions); to people that ultimately decide whether I’m fit for the job (stakeholders).
Since those early days, I have made some reasonable adjustments that not only make my content updates more manageable, they’re also less stressful, more enjoyable and, crucially, more valuable for my audience. It’s not a long list (and probably not even revelatory) but it works for me.
Tech prep
To help prevent your presentation from falling over before you’ve delivered your intro – practise, practise, practise with the software that’s being used. All conferencing platforms work differently – so whether it’s Google Meets, Zoom, Teams or GoTo Meeting, make sure you’re up to speed and confident before the main event.
Consider going through it with a colleague, sitting in different rooms if you’re in the same building. A mock presentation is particularly useful if you need to go through your own material, such as slides or a visual work platform like Mural.
Tech gremlins
Sometimes things don’t work as they should – for whatever reason, the slides won’t share, the connection is patchy, and faces are frozen. Try to have a plan B. If you’re using a Mural board and you are having issues, you may want to share the URL on the chat, inviting everyone to follow on the screen. The participants will understand that it’s just one of those days, but they will appreciate the effort you’ve made to keep things on track.
What are you aiming to achieve?
Including what you’re going to cover and what you’re planning to achieve gives you focus and helps those you’re presenting to know what to expect. When you do this though, don’t over-commit and set yourself up for a fall. This is a forum for you to show what you are doing to improve and solve issues on the project – no reasonable stakeholder is expecting you to make promises that you are unlikely to be able to deliver.
Remember – you are the authority. Save the explicit, granular detail for your team meetings and stand-up calls.
Write a script
It took me a few attempts to discover that although I can talk fluently and without pause in daily life – put me in a stakeholder call and those skills desert me. There are others on my team who flourish in this environment, but if you find yourself floundering you should consider writing a script.
Having basic notes or, if you prefer, a word-for-word script of your presentation can really help. In my case, it prevents me from talking too fast – adding paragraph breaks give me visual cues to pause, while bold or coloured text reminds me to really enunciate specific points. It also replaces my ‘ums’ and ‘errs’ with clear and concise language.
Keep it visual
When I’m using slides, I add graphics on the specific areas I’m talking about, enlarging a specific portion for where I want the participants to focus. Make sure the images look good and aren’t low resolution, but don’t use them to try and tell the whole story. For structure, I use short, bulleted lists next to the images and for the detail, my script.
Enjoy the silence
Often, when I finish presenting the sprint I am met with silence. I admit that was initially disconcerting, ‘What, no questions? None?’ I quickly learned this didn’t mean they didn’t like or agree with what I’d said. The lack of questions or comments were confirmation that they had heard what I told them, understood it, and had nothing to add.
And if you do get asked questions, that’s fine too! Remember though, there’s no obligation to give an answer there and then. Explain on the call that you’ll look into it and come back with the answer.
Final thoughts
Presenting to stakeholders doesn’t need to be intimidating. With a little preparation, a plan for when things don’t go to plan, and an understanding of your role in the room, these sessions can become opportunities to showcase your expertise and build trust with your audience. Like anything, it gets easier with time – and the rewards of nailing a presentation are well worth the effort!
