The dual workspace is here to stay. Here’s how to connect with both in-person and virtual audiences.
By Amanda Fischer-Penner
Companies are finally realizing the benefits of allowing employees to work from home. This presents a new challenge for communicators, sales teams and anyone giving a presentation.
Think about the countless virtual meetings and webinars you sat through these past 18 months. How many times did you scroll through the gallery of guests and find someone:
Talking on the phone or to another person in their room?
Obviously working on another project?
Completely out of the camera shot, most likely not even in the room?
It’s easy for both in-person and virtual guests to get distracted, but virtual guests can easily switch gears if they get bored. Plus, in hybrid presentations, speakers don’t want to alienate people attending virtually. They have the right to be given the same attention they’d receive when in person.
So how do you overcome the challenge of presenting when some listeners are in the room with you, while others are joining virtually?
Here are 5 best practices to help your virtual audience feel included when giving a hybrid presentation (when you’re in-person).
Tip #1: Use the camera to your advantage.
One quick way to alienate your virtual audience is turning your back to the camera or never turning towards them via the camera. Looking at the camera is the virtual equivalent to eye contact, which all communicators know is essential. When scanning your audience, simply remember to occasionally look directly at the camera or acknowledge virtual guests.
Ideally, everyone should be able to see your face the entire time. Yet there may be times where you are forced to have your back to the camera. If this happens, make the concerted effort to periodically turn towards the camera.
You can even try looking directly into the camera lens instead of at their faces on the screen when turning towards the virtual audience.
Tip #2: Have a dedicated virtual person
When you’re the speaker, it can be difficult and distracting to monitor virtual messages or Q&A. Have a member of your team attend through the virtual room as a sort of moderator. They can not only relay incoming questions to you but also assist virtual guests having technical issues.
I recently attended a formal session where a couple of virtual guests were complaining of background noise. The virtual moderator was able to guide people to their Zoom settings where they could solve the problem. The virtual moderator can also alert the speaker if they cannot hear them.
We’ve all been in a virtual meeting where someone had their sound on but didn’t know it. Your virtual moderator can quickly mute the individual while you continue the presentation.
Finally, if you’re utilizing a virtual waiting room, they can let people in as needed.
Tip #3: Verbally refer to virtual guests
A good speaker knows to relate information to their audience or mention people by name. You can do this with virtual guests just as you do in-person guests, tailoring key points or examples towards them.
When addressing virtual guests, try to avoid phrases that only distance you further from them. For example, instead of “Hello everyone way out there.” Instead, try, “It’s good to see everyone.”
Tip #4: Be in-person and virtual simultaneously
At The Miller Group, we utilize Zoom room technology and have a camera in every meeting room. Virtual guests see a group shot on their screen. This means that sometimes the person speaking is rather far away from the camera and they are hard to see. We recently had an in-person presenter who also joined through her computer, placed directly in front of her. This made it easier for virtual colleagues to see her up close and feel more connected. It also demonstrated her consideration for who couldn’t be physically in the room.
Tip #5: Q&A consideration
When taking audience comments or questions, keep in mind that your virtual listeners will not be able to hear the audience unless they have a microphone in front of them. People tend to shy away from microphones, and you don’t want to scare people away from asking questions simply because they’re intimated by the mic. So when someone in-person asks a question, restate their question to ensure virtual guests stay in the loop.
My recommendation would be to use a microphone would taking audience comments or feedback (not questions).
The hybrid workspace is here to stay. Always be mentally ready to have a virtual guest when giving a presentation so you can naturally include them in the conversation.
Amanda Fischer-Penner, CMP, is Past President, KC IABC and Marketing Manager, The Miller Group.