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As we mentioned earlier, mediated presentations can never take the place of face-to-face interaction. However, there are certain easy actions you can take to lessen the barrier between you and your audience as much as possible.

For starters, make sure you position yourself directly in front of your computer, so that you can see your audience as they watch you on their screens. Create the appearance that you are really in their presence. Encourage them to ask questions at deliberate points in your speech, or ask them for comments and feedback. As you watch them, study their reactions as you would in a live audience situation. Do they appear engaged? Distracted? Are they checking e-mail or texting on their phones? The more you can do to focus their attention, the more likely they will be to interact with you.