Giving a presentation via video call online is not a familiar concept. It’s been on the rise for a year, and has made a special spike since local global measures against Covid-19 have increased, but it’s still unfamiliar. This is because giving virtual presentations via video calls is only made easy through the best video conferencing software. There are myriad options out there, but not all video conferencing solutions or video chat platforms are optimised for giving virtual presentations. Of course, all of Banty’s platforms have features which not only serve to make virtual presentations easy, but also optimised. To learn more about every video platform Banty can offer you, click here. The guide below will contain information that would be helpful with any virtual presentation in general, as well as information that would be helpful for any in-person presentation, but parts of it rely on features specifically offered to Banty users and tailored to the technology available to them.
This is tip number 1. I mean it. This isn’t just because parts of this guide specifically rely on features you can find on any Banty video platform. This is because it makes for an extremely pragmatic choice if you have a virtual presentation via video platform coming up soon. If you like, you can even start a free-trial of our most premium platform, make use of every tip in this guide for virtual video presentations, utilise every feature available in the Banty video chat platform of choice to get through your presentation astoundingly and never pay a dime! Of course, we’re actually hoping that once you experience how ridiculously easy it is to ace all your online video meeting needs with us you’ll find our platform well worth staying with, but in the meantime, don’t let that stop you from acing several of your next virtual presentations for free! You have fourteen days to use every feature we have to offer before you need to decide! Use our video chatting platform to have any type of virtual meeting you want!
Give out the link to your unique, easy to remember, highly customisable Banty URL to potential attendees of your presentation. Stand out right off the bat with your own virtual meeting room.
Using video call platforms for a video call is business as usual, but using them to give presentations can be challenging. Presentations typically involve visual demonstrations, and giving a clear visual demonstration during a virtual presentation requires screen sharing. Not many video chat platforms offer screen sharing options. However, as far as video conferencing software goes, Banty’s screen sharing options are unparalleled. Depending on which of our services you subscribe to for a 14-day free trial to get through your virtual presentation, your options may vary a little, but all of them are excellent. You can share a full screen or input a youtube link for everyone to watch at the same time with any Banty option. This will help you present slides, video, and audio without a problem. If you would like to make use of our studio production services, with Banty Plus you can also utilise split screen technology to display multiple visual aids or maintain eye contact while you present, and you can utilise picture-in-picture mode to magnify an image, slide, or video, and so much more. If you've got something bigger in mind, you can take your video conferencing event to the scale of an actual major conference with Banty Virtual Events!
Video presentations are different to regular video meetings in a few ways. Many video meeting solutions focus on enabling you to engage the other person on a personal level. While we offer you all of that focus and more at Banty, virtual presentations are about engaging one or multiple people virtually with the content you’re presenting, not just your person. And Banty is a pioneer amongst video conferencing platforms which empower you to do that. Consider the following; A physical, in-person presentation where you read and visually examine the presenter’s slides. The reason slide projectors were adapted for presentations, is because they offer big, clear visual aids, relative to the distance of those sitting. Now consider; A virtual presentation where everyone is sitting quite close to their devices. The same clear and large views, relative to their distance from their screens. This is what every single Banty platform offers you. And more, if you choose to our subscribe to our more premium option. Or simply just take it for a test run.
Ultimately, Banty’s screen sharing features are things you want on your video call platform of choice regardless of whether you aim to give virtual presentations or not, but they are especially useful for presentations in particular. Earlier I mentioned using the split screen feature available with some Banty of Banty's studio services; to maintain eye contact whilst presenting. How though? How does one maintain eye contact on a video chat platform? This brings us to point number 3. Because yes. It’s a point all on its own.
This is one of the most under-utilised virtual presentation tips you’re going to hear. Or rather read. When you’re using a video conferencing system, advice to make eye contact is a little different. Many of us heard that making eye contact during regular physical presentations increases the perception of confidence. Whether you’re presenting to your professional or academic seniors, juniors or peers; presenting and projecting confidently has many benefits. We won’t get into those benefits too much at this point, but they remain the same. Whether you’re presenting in person or on a video conferencing system. Video conferencing apps, or any other type of video chat software, were ultimately developed to give a virtual version of a physical experience.
So The same benefits from good eye contact apply to virtual calling presentations whilst utilising video call software platforms. But their application is different. For good eye contact on video platforms, avoid the temptation to look at the other person’s face. Counter-intuitive, right? After all, that’s where their eyes actually are. But trust me on this. Instead, look at your camera lens to maximise the impression of eye contact. This is a dream come true for introverts, and might be a trifle confusing for extroverts, but with some practice it’s not too difficult to master for anybody.
Whether you’re utilising video calling for a virtual interview or giving a presentation on stage, the old adage holds true. Practice makes perfect. When you rehearse your presentation materials well enough, you become more familiar with them on a neural level. Your brain builds connections and recognitions, which helps you project the truth to your audience. That you know what you’re talking about. Conversely, some experts who are not vocally familiar with their written material sometimes give the impression that they aren’t experts at all.
Now, video platforms offer you an advantage in presentations that in-person presentations do not. You can retain a few visual aids for your own use, so that no one can see you reading off your screen, your notes, or even a teleprompter. But you can’t rely on video calling to shield you. If you read too much, you negate point number 3. You can’t read every word of your presentation and look at the camera with any decent consistency. But when you rehearse written material enough, you don’t need to read it in detail. You can use the sentences as prompts to glance at. In this way, you can maintain eye contact by looking at your camera’s lens more frequently, and break the intensity of your eye contact by glancing away occasionally in order to get the gist of a question or an answer.
You may think that if you use a teleprompter, you can read to your heart’s content on video platforms with no one being any wiser, but this is not the case. It is true that teleprompters can help you maintain eye contact whilst reading during video communication. But a lack of eye contact is not the only indication that you’re reading off something. There are tells too numerous to list here, and the bottom line is, this is why practice makes perfect. So, whenever at all possible, rehearse, rehearse, rehearse for a presentation.
To give a presentation whilst utilising video chatting apps, the above points are worth considering, whichever video call solution you favour. Of course, Banty is ideally placed to fulfill these presentation points, so we strongly urge you to try a 14-day free trial right now!
