Managing Your Delivery in Online Speeches

As you progress through your college education and work life, you will increasingly face situations in which you will need to deliver an online presentation. For example, your sociology professor may require a video podcast, or your job may involve videoconferences with employees located around the world. In these and other situations, conveying immediacy and projecting a powerful speech style will ensure that your audience stays tuned in to your message. How? In addition to relying on the same language and nonverbal elements previously discussed, there are some specific things to keep in mind for online presentations.

Whether you are recording a video to post or streaming in real time, make sure the camera is properly adjusted. Focus the lens to a medium close-up shot to capture your upper torso and head. By doing so, your viewers will experience a more personal connection than they would if your image were too close or too far away. You should also keep your background free of visual distractions. Something as simple as a clock or a painting on the wall behind you can be distracting to listeners.

Be expressive with your face, eyes, and voice. Although this is clearly important at presentations where your audience will see you, it is also important for podcasts or any narrations you may do. Even if your audience can’t see your facial expressions, using nonverbal communication will help your vocal expressiveness. If your audience can see you, avoid excessive gesturing and body movements that could be distracting.

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When delivering a speech online, paying close attention to your surroundings, outside noise, and the camera angle is as important as your appearance and other delivery skills. What aspects of this speaker’s setup for his online presentation were done well? How could he improve them?

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To help keep your audience engaged, use presentation software and other visual aids. Well-designed and meaningfully integrated slides, for example, can help your audience understand complex ideas, especially statistical information. We cover more on how to use such software on page 397.

Of course, you’ll still need to practice. A key part of any successful presentation, whether it’s face-to-face or online, is practice. It is especially important that you practice with any technology you might use to make sure you know how it works and are comfortable with it. Recording your practice also allows you to check and revise your camera setup, expressiveness, sound levels, and lighting quality.