Art of Presentations

How to Give a Presentation on Zoom? [A Step-by-Step Guide!]

By: Author Shrot Katewa

How to Give a Presentation on Zoom? [A Step-by-Step Guide!]

If you’ve never used Zoom, giving a presentation on it might seem a bit challenging. But, that’s a challenge we will have to learn to overcome as the world moves digital more and more day by day. The key question really is how to give a presentation on Zoom!

To give a presentation on Zoom, first, start by joining a meeting. Now open the presentation file on your computer and share the slides on Zoom using its “Share Screen” feature. You should test your camera, mic, speaker, and internet connection before you start with your presentation.

As easy as it may seem, some of you may need further detailed instructions. So, in this article, I will provide a step-by-step guide on things that you need to do in order to deliver a presentation on Zoom successfully! Plus, I will also share some tips that can help you ace your presentation on Zoom!

So, without any further delay, let’s get started!

Understanding the Zoom Application Interface

Before we understand the steps to give a presentation using Zoom, it is perhaps a good idea to acquaint yourself with the Zoom user interface first. If you are well-versed with it, then perhaps you may want to skip this section and click here instead.

Logging into Zoom

how to give a presentation via zoom

Although you can login to your account using zoom website too, but it is best to download and use the zoom app .

Once you have download the app, you will be prompted to login to your account. If you don’t have an existing account, you can either sign up or even login using your social account such as Google or Facebook. It’s actually quite simple.

If you feel that you don’t want to sign up or even use the social accounts for your meeting, you can choose to use “Sign In with SSO” option. SSO stands for single sign on and this allows you to sign in even when you don’t have an account with Zoom just once.

Zoom Home Screen

how to give a presentation via zoom

Once you’ve logged in, you will be taken to the home screen on Zoom.

There are a bunch of different things that you ca do with the home screen on Zoom. If you have been invited for a meeting, you will need to click on “ Join “. However, you will also need the meeting ID and the password for the meeting. If you don’t have the details, you will perhaps need to contact the person hosting the meeting.

You can also host the meeting yourself by using the “ New Meeting ” button. You can set a new meeting and invite others to join using this option.

Likewise, you can also schedule a meeting in the future using the “ Schedule ” option.

Furthermore, for changing the account related information, just click on your profile picture in the top-right corner of your window.

Lastly, there are several other detailed settings that you can tweak for your Zoom application. Almost all the other settings can be found in the “ Settings ” section by clicking on the “ Gear Icon “.

Zoom Virtual Meeting Window Interface

how to give a presentation via zoom

Once you are a participant in a virtual meeting, either by joining an existing meeting or by starting a new meeting, you will be greeted with an image similar to the one mentioned above.

On this screen, you will be presented with several different options. Some of the key functions that you will need to be aware of are as follows –

  • Mute – Turning on the Mute or Unmute
  • Video – Toggling between your Video
  • Participants – Checking the names of the Participants
  • Share Screen – to deliver a presentation (more on this later)
  • Record – To record a meeting session
  • End – Knowing how to end a meeting and exiting a call.

All the above functions will be visible on a small bar at the bottom of the window. If you are not able to see this option bar at the bottom, just hover over at the bottom part of your screen and all the options will appear .

Although there are other features that are also available for a zoom user or a participant, however, the aforementioned features should be good enough to deliver a presentation. These 6 features are at the very least something that you should be aware of.

How to Give a Presentation on Zoom (Step-by-Step)

Zoom has become a common tool for giving virtual presentations today. It is a widely used tool at conferences, meetings, and other events! If you are giving a presentation on Zoom for the first time, then perhaps you should be aware of a few things –

Here is a quick step-by-step guide on how you can give a presentation on Zoom:

Step 1: Install Zoom

Download and install the Zoom application to your desktop. To download the application, visit https://zoom.us/download and download the Zoom Client to your computer.

Step 2: Login to your Zoom Account

After installing the application, open it and log into your Zoom account. If you don’t have one, you can sign up for free using your email account.

Zoom also has options to sign in using SSO (Single Sign-On) or with your Facebook or Google account.

Step 3: Test Audio and Video Settings

Before you start or join a meeting, you will need to configure and test your audio and video settings.

To do that click on the gear icon on the Zoom application’s home screen. This will open the settings menu.

Now click on the “Audio” tab and select the microphone you are going to use. Try our different audio settings. After the microphone, select the speaker for audio output. If you can’t hear anything, try out another speaker source.

After configuring audio, click on the “Video” tab. From there, select the camera that is connected to your desktop. Tweak different video settings and find out what works best for you.

Step 4: Join or Schedule a Meeting

how to give a presentation via zoom

Now start a meeting by clicking on “New meeting”. You can also schedule a meeting on Zoom. To do that, click on “Schedule” and set up when you want to start the meeting. After completing the set-up, Zoom will give you a URL. Share it with the team members to join the meeting.

Or you can join a meeting by clicking “Join” on the Zoom client’s home screen. You can use a meeting ID or URL to join a meeting in Zoom.

Step 5: Open the Presentation

Once you have everything setup, you then need to prepare to show your presentation with your audience. To do that, open the presentation slides on your computer.

Step 6: Share Your Presentation

The last step in giving your presentation is to make sure that you share your presentation with your audience. To do that, click on “Share Screen” from the Zoom clients meeting window , select the screen where your presentation slides are open, and click “Share”. Now start presenting your slides to the audience.

Step 7: Stop Sharing to end the Presentation

One thing to know is how to end the presentation. To stop screen sharing, simply click on “Stop Share” located at the top of the screen . This option will only appear when you start sharing your screen.

How to Share a PowerPoint with Presenter View on Zoom?

To share your PowerPoint presentation slides with presenter view on Zoom, follow the steps given below:

Step 1: Open the Zoom App and Login

The first step really is to open the zoom app and login to your account.

Step 2: Join or Setup a Virtual Meeting on Zoom

Next, join the meeting. Remember, you need the meeting ID and password to join a meeting. Make sure you have requested for the details beforehand.

Step 3: Open Your PowerPoint Presentation

First step is really to open your presentation file that you want to present on the PowerPoint application.

Step 4: Put the Presentation in Presenter View

Now select the “Slide Show” tab from the top of the screen and click on either “From Beginning” or “From Current Slide” depending on your preference. This will open the slides in the “Presenter” view.

Step 5: Switch to the Zoom Application

Now, go to the Zoom application, start or join a meeting. While you are in the “Presenter” view on PowerPoint, press “ Alt+Tab ” to switch between applications in Microsoft Windows-powered computers. For iMac, use “Command+Tab” to move through open apps.

Step 6: Share Screen on Zoom’s Meeting Window

Once you are in Zoom’s meeting window, click on “Share Screen”, select the window where your PowerPoint slides are open in the presenter’s view, and click “Share”.

And that’s all you have to do in order to share PowerPoint with the presenter’s view in your Zoom meetings.

How to Share PowerPoint on Zoom Without Showing Notes?

There are two methods that you can use to share PowerPoint slides on Zoom without sharing your presenter notes. For the first method, you will need to have two monitors connected to your computer.

As for the second one, you can still share your PowerPoint slides on Zoom without sharing your notes (and you won’t need two monitors either). I’ve briefly explained both methods below.

Method 1 – Dual Monitor Method

In this method, you will be presenting your PowerPoint file on one monitor while looking at your presenter’s notes on the other one. Here’s how you can do that:

Step 1: First of all, open your slides on PowerPoint.

Step 2: Now join or start a Zoom meeting.

Step 3: Now click on “Share Screen” and select “Screen 1”. Then click “Share”. Here, “Screen 1” is your primary monitor.

Note: If you are not sure which one is your primary monitor, select where the PowerPoint file opened in.

Step 4: Now go to the PowerPoint application, click on the “Slide Show” tab, and from there click on “Monitor” and select “Primary Monitor”.

Step 5: Open the presentation file in the presenter’s view by clicking on the “Slide Show” tab and selecting “From Beginning” or “From Current Slide”.

If you have done everything correctly, participants will only be able to see the presentation slides while you have your presenter’s notes open on the second monitor.

In case you shared the wrong monitor on Zoom, click on “Screen Share” on Zoom’s meeting window, select “Screen 2” and click on share. This should fix your problem.

When you are sharing a screen on Zoom, you will notice a green border around that screen. This indicates which monitor you are currently sharing.

Method 2 – Sharing Portion of Your Screen

Follow the steps below if you have only a single monitor connected to your computer.

Step 1: Join or start a meeting on Zoom.

how to give a presentation via zoom

Step 2: Click on “Share Screen” and from the pop-up window select “Advanced”. From there select “Portion of Screen” and click on “Share”. This will give you a green border on your screen that you can adjust. Only the things that are inside this border will be shared on Zoom.

Step 3: Now open the presentation file in PowerPoint, and go to the presenter’s view by selecting “Slide Show> From Current Slide or From Beginning”.

Step 4: Adjust the size of the green border so that it only shows the presentation slides in the presenter’s view.

And that’s all you have to do. By doing so, your audience will only see the slides that you are presenting, but not your notes.

How to Show Yourself During a Zoom Presentation?

Ensuring that you are visible from time to time during a presentation can make it slightly more engaging and much more interactive. Here is how you can do that-

Step 1: First, start or join a Zoom meeting.

how to give a presentation via zoom

Step 2: Click on “ Share Screen ” and select the “ Advanced ” option. From there, select “ PowerPoint as Virtual Background ” and select the file you want for your presentation. Then click on “ Share ”.

Step 3: Make sure your video is switched on so that you are also visible to your audience. You can do that by clicking on “ Start Video ” on the Zoom Virtual Meeting Interface.

It will take some time for your slides to appear on the Zoom client. When it is done, participants will be able to see your face in front of the slides in Zoom. Make sure that your camera is connected to your computer and configured correctly.

This feature works best if you have a green screen behind you . If you have one, go to Zoom’s settings menu, select the “Background and Filter” tab and check “I have a green screen”. If you want to stop showing yourself during a zoom presentation, click on “Stop Video” on the meeting window and that will do the job.

Furthermore, you may sometimes want to show just yourself to the audience and not show the presentation at all. For that, all you need to do is simply click on “Start Video” in the Zoom Virtual Meeting Interface.

How to Record a Presentation on Zoom?

If you want to record your presentation on Zoom, you can do it easily. After joining or starting a meeting on Zoom, click on the “Record” icon located at the bottom of the meeting window. Once the recording starts, you can pause the recording or stop it whenever you like.

how to give a presentation via zoom

After the end of the meeting, the recorded video will be automatically converted into “.mp4” format and stored on your computer.

Tips for Giving an Awesome Presentation on Zoom

Giving a presentation in front of an audience is always a challenging task. Especially if it is online, many things can go wrong during your presentation. This is why I’m sharing some tips that can help you deliver an awesome presentation on Zoom. These are as follows –

1. Make a Professional Looking Presentation

There are several ways to make your presentation look really professional and high quality. One obvious method is to outsource your presentation to a specialised design agency! But, that can become really expensive depending on your budget.

Another (non-obvious) option is to use a PowerPoint Presentation Template! There are several high-quality and professional templates that you can get quite easily! In fact, using these Presentation Designs is quite inexpensive! You can download as many presentation templates as you want for as little as $16.5/month!

My favorite one is Agio PowerPoint Presentation template. It is perfectly suited to give a professional look to your presentation and yet it is quite quick and easy to use. Check out some of the images below –

Agio PowerPoint Presentation Template

how to give a presentation via zoom

Furthermore, make the presentation as simple and straightforward as possible. Do not confuse your audience with a network of colorful texts, graphs, or other contents.

Only use data and graphs that are relevant to your presentation. Also, the clever use of transition animations can make the slide appear much more engaging.

2. Check Your Equipment Beforehand

Whenever you are giving your presentation online, many things can go wrong. For example, your camera or mic may not function properly. Such interruptions will only make you a laughing stock in front of the participants.

Check your mic, camera, and speakers to find out whether they are working properly or not. Also, check your internet connection and your laptop’s battery level. If everything is ok, then you are good to go on with your presentation.

More Related Topics

  • Change the Style of Your Bullet Points and Stand-out from the Crowd!
  • 7 EASY Tips to Always Make your Presentations Attractive! (Even if You are a Beginner)
  • How to Reduce the Size of Your PowerPoint File? The Perfect Method!
  • Auto Create Your PowerPoint Slides using Design Ideas Feature!
  • Main Features of PowerPoint! [I bet You DIDN’T Know These]

Credit to Cookie_Studio for the featured image of this article

8 tips on how to present over Zoom like a pro

maura-deering

Today, Zoom is a central part of the remote workplace. It and other video conference platforms are widely used for meetings, job interviews, webinars, and presentations.

In-person presentations can be stressful enough, and having to conduct them virtually can seem even more daunting. 

But it doesn't have to be that way. Our eight pro tips for presenting over Zoom may help you feel more prepared, comfortable, and confident. Read on to find out more. 

1. Plan out your Zoom background/location ahead of time.

You can use a location in your home or a virtual Zoom background. If you select a place in your house, make sure it is uncluttered and clean. A plain wall or shelves with neatly arranged books provide a professional setting. 

Consider lighting. Soft lighting placed in front of you illuminates you evenly; sitting in front of a window can cause glare and shadows.

Make sure your background doesn't distract from you and your presentation. You don't want your audience focusing on a family photo or the dishes in the sink.

2. Test your equipment before your presentation.

Your equipment can make or break your Zoom presentation. 

To avoid surprises, check your internet connection, plug in your laptop, and ensure that your camera angle is correct and that the microphone works. 

You can confirm your internet connection, audio, and visual with a Zoom test meeting . Using a hard-wired connection rather than wifi is the safer option. And closing any applications you won't need during the presentation can conserve bandwidth. 

Taking precautions can avoid or minimize frozen screens, views of the top of your head, dead batteries, and sound problems.

3. Put notes in the right place on your screen(s).

Zdnet recommends.

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The best webcams for remote-working video calls

The pandemic lockdown will leave a legacy of increased remote working, so it's a good time to upgrade your webcam. Here are ten leading contenders.

You need your notes where you can see them, but you don't want to keep looking down or off to the side during your presentation. 

To combat this, you can use dual monitors . Position your presentation on one of them, visible to all, and your presenter's notes — plus the webcam you're using — on the other, visible only to you. 

Or you can present your slide show in a window and put a private view of your notes in another window on the same screen. Zoom provides step-by-step instructions for single and dual screens.

4. Practice Zoom presenting as if it were the real thing.

Zoom allows you to practice in the precise environment where you will be presenting. Set up your background, lighting, and screens as you will on presentation day. You can schedule a webinar practice session on Zoom and run through your presentation exactly as you will on the day. You can invite a friend to join you and offer feedback.

Practicing can make the difference between a smooth presentation or an awkward one. Rehearse as often as you can, and visit our page of public speaking tips . 

SEE: What tech jobs don't require public speaking?

5. Minimize clutter on your slides.

Slides are a key part of a virtual presentation and can help you and the audience stay on track. 

Slides should be easy to read and navigate. Avoid brightly colored backgrounds, complicated fonts, and too many graphics. 

Each slide should communicate one concept or idea. Avoid a long list of bullet points on a single slide.

While a slide with few words in readable, bolded font works fine, visuals like charts, maps, and illustrations or photos can be more effective and keep your audience engaged. 

6. Use easy-to-understand visuals.

Visuals liven up your Zoom presentation in ways words don't. Instead of a long list of numbers explaining company statistics, try a graph or pie chart. Visuals aid understanding and keep your audience interested. 

Explaining technical procedures with videos or illustrations rather than wordy descriptions alone enables you to show and tell. They also accommodate different learning styles within your audience.

Microsoft posts tutorials for incorporating visual elements into PowerPoint slides and inserting videos from the web or your computer .

7. Explain your agenda before you begin presenting.

Most people like to know what to expect when logging onto a meeting. Opening your presentation with a slide outlining your agenda sets the timeline for your meeting and reassures your audience. If you plan to allow audience interaction, make sure to highlight when and how in your agenda. 

You can list the points you're going to cover in your presentation on your slide(s) and/or use graphics. You can pose a question on a slide, then show how you plan to answer it. Starting off with a funny (but work-appropriate) photograph or illustration can put you and your audience at ease.

8. If appropriate, encourage your audience to interact.

Unless you have a good reason not to, encourage your audience to interact during or after your presentation. 

Some presenters ask participants to use Zoom's chat function for questions and pause the presentation periodically to answer them or wait until the end. Presenters can mute and unmute the audience and allow time for comments and questions that way. Zoom also allows for engagement through participant polls during the presentation

The size of your audience may dictate how you want to handle audience interaction.

Not allowing participant interaction risks losing your audience to their phones and other distractions.

In conclusion

The hardest part of presenting on Zoom may be the technology for some and the public speaking for others. We hope our tips help.

Online public speaking courses can help with anxiety and discomfort. Developing emotional intelligence skills can also benefit your Zoom presentations. 

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Improve your practice.

Enhance your soft skills with a range of award-winning courses.

11 Essential Tips for Presenting on Zoom

January 24, 2022 - Dom Barnard

A boss unwittingly disguised as a potato during Zoom meetings, cries of “you’re on mute!” and guest appearances by kids and pets, are among the hilarious anecdotes attached to this hugely popular app.

However, it becomes serious when you need to make a good impression in a virtual meeting, job interview or presentation.

Zoom became a massively popular communications tool for business, education and social meetings during the Pandemic. In 2020, there were  485 million Zoom downloads , which is 30 times more than the year before!

Of course, some of the top Zoom presentations tips apply equally well to in-person or online delivery. Such as establishing your end goals, preparing a flowing framework and strong content, then practising your speech more than once. However, there are particular advantages and disadvantages to Zoom, to get the right results for presenting online.

These Zoom presentation tips will help grow your competence, confidence and success.

1. Put some trousers on!

One of the great things about Zoom presentations is there is a degree of informality and comfort.

You can dress just your top half smartly, have a hot beverage just off-screen, and do your best public speaking in familiar surroundings.

One of the worst things about Zoom presentations is …there is a degree of informality and comfort!

You can find yourself easily distracted, lacking in focus and slower in your responses.

The best way to present well on Zoom – when the stakes are high – is to create a wholly business-like environment and attitude. Use a space in your home or field location that’s as bland and clinical as possible, with no potential noise disturbance. Dress smartly from head to toe to create the best mindset.

Site your technology in front of you and imagine it’s a lectern and a set of multi-media tools in a meeting room or lecture theatre.

2. Use the superpower of data

While you’re using technology to communicate or collaborate, it’s common sense to optimise ways to enhance your presentations.

As part of your extensive preparation for important Zoom meetings, consider what documents, images and graphics to share, to add credibility and professionalism to your pitch. Or, simply to hold the attention of a Zoom audience from start to finish.

Familiarise yourself with the Share Screen option on Zoom, and the best ways of displaying videos during a Zoom call, including advanced share methods for online presentations.

There are good Zoom share screen tips here, including how to add a video to presentations on Zoom.

Zoom presentations with visual content are  43% more persuasive . Also, 90% of the information we process comes from visual input. So your Zoom presentation materials could be what gets you that job, funding or agreement.

3. Non-verbal communications tips for Zoom

Don’t assume that online presentations release you from many of the body language pitfalls and best practices. The opposite is true, as you need to focus on non-verbal cues even more.

If you deliver your Zoom presentation in a rigid, static and clinical way, you are missing out on some of the best ways to be successful in communications.

People respond to people. Effective communication requires warmth, authenticity and establishing a strong personal connection with your audience. Being robotic when presenting online won’t help you to succeed.

If this is an intense online meeting, then showing empathy can also increase the engagement and openness you achieve.

How do you communicate non-verbally on Zoom?

Without going over the top, be purposeful and slightly exaggerated in your body language. Sit straight and lean subtly towards the screen. Never away from it and certainly no slumping, crossed arms or chin/elbow leaning!

Smile, nod and keep strong eye contact, including showing your attention passing from person to person across a split-screen. Use hand gestures and show subtle movement in your upper body to add emphasis to key points.

4. Verbal communications skills

Zoom presentations also make it too easy to slip into a monotone voice or race through a presentation. You may even find the process of talking to technology – not live people – causes you to ramble, or get lost in your ad-libs or Q&A responses.

Make sure you articulate clearly, add emphasis when needed, and generally modify your tone regularly but logically.

Don’t be afraid to leave small pauses to drive a point home, or to take a deep breath while you construct your next point. If you look directly at the screen and hold eye contact, this ‘white space’ is perfectly acceptable.

5. Is everyone listening?

One of the most important presentation skills, in general, is reading the room. Is your potential boss or buyer looking bored? Are the panel of decision-makers getting confused? In contentious presentations, being able to spot your biggest dissenter from their non-verbal communication can help you shift your focus to winning them over.

It’s challenging to gain that sort of body language intel from online meetings. So, the best Zoom presentations compensate for that.

It can be as simple as adding more direct questions to your content and literally pausing regularly to ask your audience about queries or concerns. Make your questions open-ended, not a yes or no response.

“Let’s take a minute. What else do you need to know about that part of my presentation?”

Also, keep Zoom presentations succinct, flowing and animated. Your audience will drift away subconsciously if your delivery is pedestrian or you talk for too long without involving them.

Remember, attention spans are even shorter on technology!

Practice your video presentation and get feedback on your performance with  VirtualSpeech .

6. Opening Zoom presentations with pizazz

No, this doesn’t refer to grabbing your audience’s attention with a juggling trick or wearing your most colourful or glamourous finery.

How you start a Zoom presentation sets the tone. If you instantly engage their interest with a compelling opening, the attention and engagement last.

This should primarily be 100% clarity on the purpose of your presentation and the desired outcome. As well as establishing your credibility and methods to achieve the end goal.

Vague introductions and slowly revealing your key points drains your time and your audience’s attention.

What makes a good opening for Zoom presentations?

7. Icebreakers

You can’t shake their hand, but you can issue a quick, warm greeting and a short, relevant fact about yourself that helps them to warm to you.

8. Storytelling techniques

These work for a myriad of business communication tasks. Give a short (that word again) anecdote or illustration, to give context to your Zoom presentation. That could be about you, your product or the outcome you are requesting, for example.

9. Meaningful quotes in presentations

“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” – George Bernard Shaw.

Good quotes can work!

10. High impact fact

Another great opening for Zoom presentations is a little known fact or ‘behind the scenes’ secret that grabs attention. Did you know,  one-third of adults still sleep with a ‘comforter’  like a soft toy or blanket? (Not relevant to many presentations but it’s a memorable statistic that caught OUR attention.)

Wake your audience up with something they want to remember – and share with others – and they will be alert and ready to listen.

11. End Zoom presentations correctly

One last piece of advice on Zoom presentations. Don’t get so relieved when you get to the end, that you forget your call to action.

All communication should include an invitation of some kind, in clear language. What would you like your audience to do, now your Zoom time is over? Tell them that and thank them for your attention, with one last warm smile.

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Communications

15 Tips for Engaging Zoom Presentations + Examples

Your next Zoom presentation is a week away. And your mind is racing.

What presentation software should you use?

What if the other attendees can hear your neighbor’s loud music?

Will they find your presentation boring?

Relax and take a deep breath.

You don’t have to figure out the answers to these questions by yourself. This guide will cover everything you need to know about planning and delivering engaging Zoom presentations without stress and anxiety!

After reading this article, you’ll be brimming with confidence and competence on your next Zoom presentation.

Table of contents :

The science behind your Zoom presentation anxiety

  • Downloadable Zoom presentation checklist

Part 1: Tips on how to plan and prepare for your Zoom presentation

Part 2: tips during your zoom presentation.

  • How to share your Piktochart slide deck on Zoom
  • Present with ease on Zoom using Piktochart presentations

meme about zoom presentations

Before we get into all the other Zoom presentation tips, perhaps the most important is to deal with your Zoom presentation anxiety. And you’re not alone – anxiety over Zoom presentations is more common than you think . 

A  2021 paper  on why students have difficulties learning during synchronous presentations over Zoom found that 80 percent of the students polled experienced anxiety and trouble focusing during their virtual classes. But what causes this worry? In a peer-reviewed article, Professor Jeremy Bailenson, founding director of the  Stanford Virtual Human Interaction Lab , highlighted the  results of their research  and cited four primary reasons behind Zoom fatigue, stress, and anxiety:

  • Your brain interprets excessive amounts of close-up eye contact during video chats as an “intense situation.”
  • Like looking at the mirror, you become more critical of yourself as you see yourself on camera.
  • Limited movements while you’re chained in your chair and table.
  • Video chats require a higher cognitive load than face-to-face presentations. 
“You’ve got to make sure that your head is framed within the center of the video. If you want to show someone that you agree with them, you have to do an exaggerated nod or put your thumbs up. That adds cognitive load as you’re using mental calories in order to communicate,” shares Bailenson.

Finally, you have to consider tech troubles and presentation software fiascos, as well as dealing with the pressure of public speaking.

15 Zoom presentation tips and tricks to help you own the room like a pro

Now that you understand why Zoom presentations give you sweaty palms, let’s go through 15 actionable steps to prepare for the slides.

We created a checklist of the Zoom presentation tips so you can cross off each task.

a downloadable infographic showing 15 tips to engaging Zoom presentations

Prefer video learning instead? Watch the video below.

The success of your Zoom presentation is the result of thoughtful planning and preparation.

Get ready for your online class, product webinar, or job interview on Zoom with the following pre-presentation tips:

1. Decide on the scope of your Zoom presentation

Before presenting on Zoom, ask yourself — what one particular idea or insight would you want your audience to learn from you?

“Defining the scope is the most critical step. What are the boundaries, what are the deliverables, what is the topic that you are covering?”, recommends Linda Parry Murphy , CEO of Product Launchers, Inc.

Trying to cover every subject will only make you more nervous.

Remember the Stanford study earlier about too much cognitive load as one of the reasons behind Zoom presentation anxiety?

Limiting the scope of your presentation can significantly reduce your cognitive load while keeping your audience focused on the key points.

2. Plan for the structure of your online presentation

It’s important to master the sequence and structure of your presentation as part of your preparation. Creating a framework guides the meeting participants so they understand what the data means, why it’s important, and what the implications are in this situation.

A solid structure in place also makes it easier to go back to what you’re saying. As a result, you will feel more confident because you can keep track of your talking points with a quick glance at your outline if you lose your train of thought.

Matt Abrahams, a lecturer in Organizational Behavior and author of Speaking Up Without Freaking Out , recommends the following examples of presentation structures that you can use:

  • Past-Present-Future – review a process or share a timeline
  • Comparison-Contrast – show the benefits of a certain idea, insight, product, or service
  • Cause-Effect – explain the rationale behind a decision
  • Problem-Solution-Benefit – motivate or convince your audience
  • What?-So What?-Now What? – convince people to do a specific action after your presentation

Another simple presentation structure you can work on is to start with an introduction, the meat of your presentation where you can highlight 3 points, and wrap up with the summary and call-to-action.

3. Prepare your presentation visuals

Plenty of research and evidence shows that including images is more effective in getting your message across than written text or oral communications alone.

For instance, a captivating visual is  four times more effective  in conveying information than words alone. People remember 80 percent of what they see and do, compared to 20 percent through reading and 10 percent through hearing, respectively.

If your goal is to convince your audience during your Zoom presentation, you’ll also be delighted to know that using visuals can help you become more persuasive.

A Wharton School of Business research found that around a third of the audiences they polled felt that presenters who used visuals were more persuasive.

So remember that well-chosen images, even stock photos, can do wonders to augment your slides.

When making visuals for your presentation, use these questions as your guide:

  • Is there an icon, illustration, or image that could represent your point in a more meaningful way?
  • What types of diagrams , such as a timeline, flowchart, pie chart, arrows, or graphs, will help get your point across to your audience?
  • Who are my target audiences? When choosing visuals for my presentation, are there certain cultural taboos or inappropriate humor that I should be aware of?

One more thing – consider using bullet points if you find slides with walls of text. They’ll be easier to digest without taking the focus away from you.

Present with ease (and minus the stress!) with Piktochart.

You don’t have to worry about how your online presentations will look like. Piktochart’s easy-to-edit templates will take care of the visual aspect for you.

presentation

4. Eliminate clutter in your surroundings

konmari meme remove clutter during virtual meetings

Staying in one place with no room to maneuver probably doesn’t spark joy for anyone. KonMari your environment by eliminating clutter on your desk and in the space around you. This means extra keyboards, unused notebooks, pens, food boxes, and books can go.

Eliminating clutter gives your brain the impression that there’s more room for you to move around during your Zoom event.

If the space you’re presenting in makes it difficult to clear off clutter, you could find a plain wall to present against. And if that’s not an option, you can use a clean virtual Zoom background . Keeping your surroundings out of sight means it’s out of mind for you and your audience; one less thing to worry about while presenting.

5. Do a tech prep

Presenting in Zoom while you’re at home or traveling is a technological wonder in itself. But technology can be frustrating at times too.

Spending some time optimizing your Zoom settings by clicking in the toolbar while you’re in a Zoom meeting. Under video settings, you’ll find a few options that can help with the visuals, such as focus assist.

Before your presentation, double-check the following:

  • Make sure that your laptop, computer, lighting, headset, webcam, microphone, and internet connection are working. Have backup equipment if possible.
  • Familiarize yourself with the Zoom app and other relevant software you’re going to use during the presentation.
  • Close unnecessary browsers, applications, or software before the presentation. Turn off your laptop or desktop notifications. The goal is to optimize and speed up the device to have a smooth presentation.
  • Prepare a PDF version of your presentation slides and have an extra copy of your presenter notes in case of technical mishaps with your slides. It also makes sense to have a short link to your presentation that you can share with the audience.
  • Position your notes in the right spot so you know where to find them while presenting.
  • Check Zoom settings and do a quick audio and video check.

6. Rehearse your presentation

After taking care of your surroundings and equipment, the next step is to prepare yourself.

Practicing your Zoom presentation in advance can help boost your confidence. Here are some tips to help you rehearse well for your presentation:

  • Screen record yourself. Afterward, check your recorded video for technical issues, your body language, and whether or not your voice is audible or not.
  • Practice with a family member or friend who can give feedback on any distracting nonverbal communication habits like too many hand gestures.
  • Rehearse in the same room where you’ll be presenting. Use the same lighting, computer setup, and everything.
  • Practice speaking to the camera, not your computer screen.

If you’re not used to face-to-face presentations, you could record your presentation and watch it back. I know, I know – it can feel so uncomfortable watching yourself. But a quick analysis will reveal if you use too many hand gestures, that can be distracting, and also if you need to reposition your camera so it shows your upper body while presenting.

The time has come for presentation day! You already know the ins and outs of your presentation, and you’ve practiced your Zoom presentation skills to a T. A couple of checks you can do before you start are:

  • Make sure you’re in a quiet area to minimize any potential interruptions.
  • Do a test call with a friend to check the internet connection and if you’ll stay connected.

Take note of the following tips and hacks to make your Zoom presentation engaging and anxiety-free during your webinar or talk:

7. Dress the part

Wear clothes that are appropriate for your presentation and audience. It also helps to be more mindful of your accessories and hairstyle. The outfits and accessories you wear during your Zoom meeting will speak volumes about you as a person.

For example, if you’re presenting to your coworkers, wear work clothes. If you’re pitching to a group of angel investors, wearing a tie can help convey that you’re serious and trustworthy. However, this may not be a good idea if you’re presenting to a group that is more open to change and tends to be more relaxed when it comes to conventional standards.

Another benefit of dressing the part is what you wear actually impacts how you think. Wearing formal clothes can improve abstract thinking and give you a broader sense of perspective, which is influential in helping you make better decisions.

8. Ditch the chair

Standing up when presenting in Zoom rather than sitting down helps you become more confident because you’re not hunched down on your chair.

Standing straight with your shoulders back also enables you to breathe easily, making your voice sound more powerful and confident. Finally, it allows you to move more and make explanatory gestures which is a charisma boost.

The more confident you appear in your presentation, the more confident you’re likely to feel.

“When your mind starts to feel more confident and powerful — it starts to see those challenging situations not as threats but as opportunities,” shares Harvard psychologist professor Amy Cuddy.

If you can’t stand up during your presentation, try to sit straight in your chair and back up your camera a little to show your upper body and not just your face.

9. Have a memorable introduction

Vanessa Van Edwards' tips on the ISSAAQQ method in opening a presentation for your zoom meetings

National best-selling author and founder at Science of People Vanessa Van Edwards specifically recommends opening your presentation with IISSAAQQ to make it more memorable. IISSAAQQ stands for: 

  • I cebreaker
  • I llustration
  • S hort story
  • S tatistic or surprising fact
  • A nalogy or metaphor

Bonus points if you can weave in humor with some background information with a relevant fact. Research found that more popular talks used humor 12.92 times, whereas less popular talks used humor only 3.92 times on average.

You don’t have to force a joke – humor could just be a play on words or surprising the audience with a funny image or meme that contrasts with a statement. Nothing breaks the ice better than laughter.

10. Look your audience in the eye (or rather your webcam)

Looking your audience in the eye is easier during face-to presentations than Zoom presentations. It can be a little tricky during online meetings because we tend to look at people’s faces on the computer screen. Maintain eye contact by looking into your webcam.

“A good idea is to lower the monitor camera a little so that you don’t have to tilt your head back to gaze up at it. If you can’t help looking at someone’s face on the screen instead of their camera, it helps to move the Zoom window to the part of the screen nearest to the camera so at least you’re looking at approximately the right place when you’re looking at their face,” shares Carol Kinsey Goman , Ph.D., executive coach and international keynote speaker.

You could treat the camera as if you were doing a face-to-face presentation. This way, it’ll be a bit simpler to hold eye contact with your audience when you’re not looking at your notes.

11. Think happy thoughts

Find ways to boost your mood before your presentation. Aside from helping you feel good (which in turn can boost your confidence), you’re also likely to smile often with happy thoughts. 

When you smile at your audience, they will also likely “mirror” your action and think happy thoughts. 

“Mirroring is relevant to our tendency to be empathetic. When I see you smiling, my mirror neurons for smiling fire up, and I get your state of mind right away. I feel it as you feel it. We need that mirroring in order to create a full empathic response to other people,” describes Marco Iacoboni , author of  Mirroring People  and UCLA professor. 

When you’re having a good time and sharing enthusiasm with your audience, they’ll reciprocate through their nonverbal communication. This means fewer folded arms and blank stares and more nodding along and smiles.

12. Delegate the chatbox

Have someone else take care of Zoom chat or manage the waiting room to keep you from being distracted. This person could be the meeting host, a colleague, or someone you trust who has your back during your presentation.

13. Engage your audience

A boring presentation is when there’s no interaction, and you’re being spoken at (hello, university lectures). You’ll be able to tell from everyone’s body language in the meeting room.

Make your presentation a two-way street. Here are some ways to encourage interaction and participation amongst your audience during your Zoom meetings:

  • Ask questions. For example, if you’re presenting a team productivity software in Zoom, ask your audience about their top productivity problems at work. You can also use this time as an opportunity to transition to your next presentation slide.
  • If you have a small audience, remember each person’s name and address them using their first names.
  • Use visuals like illustrations, infographics, or a short video clip in your slide show. Tool recommendation : Use Piktochart Video to transform a long video into short clips.
  • Use interactive quizzes while presenting online to change the pace and keep your audience engaged.

14. Talk like a human and avoid too much jargon

Alright, what does talking like a human mean in Zoom presentations?

For a start, avoid talking too much jargon and corporate speak. It makes you more relatable, keep your audience’s attention longer because your points will be easier to understand, and also helps you stand out from other presenters.

Just because you’re presenting in virtual meetings doesn’t mean you’re not talking to people. The only difference is you’re sharing your presentation in front of your camera instead of in front of the lecture room.

Next, improve your visual storytelling skills . Your presentation will be more memorable if you briefly share a story and pair it with visuals. Sign up for our free visual storytelling course . Check out the teaser video below.

15. Slow down

When you’re anxious and not too confident about your Zoom presentation, you’ll tend to speak fast, which in turn will make you more nervous. It’s a vicious cycle.

When presenting in Zoom, be mindful of your pace. Slowing down will not only take the edge off your nerves but also make you appear more confident.

Don’t be scared of pauses or gaps between your statements. Sometimes, you might need a sip of water to hydrate your throat. Other times, you could use the pauses as extra emphasis to drive key points.

Slowing down and changing up your talking pace will help you deliver an impactful presentation because you’ll have more control and be better able to drive the point home.

5 presentation examples and templates

To make presenting your Zoom presentation easy, here are some presentation templates and examples for inspiration.

Quarterly finance update

Have a big meeting coming up where you need to share sales performance and revenue figures? We’ve got you covered with this template.

It’s equipped with graphs where you can easily drop your revenue figures in and share performance with customizable graphs. There are also template slides for customer feedback and if your team is planning to introduce new processes.

financial update template

Marketing strategy plan template

This marketing strategy slide deck is perfect if you’re onboarding a new client and want to walk them through your research, analysis, and proposed actions.

marketing strategy plan template

Group project

Presenting your collaborative project in a Zoom meeting to your classmates? Take the worry off so you can focus on sharing the results by using this science group project template .

Despite the name, you can use it for any kind of school or university project because the structure works for any type of research presentation. The template has slides for:

  • Group introduction
  • Your hypothesis/basis for the project
  • Your theory
  • How you tested the theory
  • Key takeaways

piktochart template of science group project

Buyer persona template

The customer buying journey is always evolving, and you might need to present a case study to leadership or your team on recent findings. Our template makes it simple to share your customer’s story, as the template has slides for:

  • The customer profile
  • Motivations/goals
  • Personal insights
  • Responsibilities

Piktochart template for buyer personas

Team update in the all-hands meeting

It’s common for managers, or project leads to update the company with their results in company meetings. In these cases, you might just need a single slide to share your progress.

This work breakdown structure template does the job, giving you space to share what your team’s objectives were, what the key results were, who was involved, and what the shipping date was for these goals.

single-slide work breakdown structure template for online presentations

How to share your Piktochart slide deck on Zoom 

Step 1 : On the Piktochart editor, click Share to get the link to your presentation. 

By default, your presentation is not publicly visible.

Step 2 : Copy and paste the link into your browser bar. Then, click the Show Presentation button. This will launch in fullscreen presentation mode, and now you’re ready to shine. 

Step 3: Click Share Screen on your Zoom account and choose the browser with the Piktochart link.

For a visual demonstration, watch the short tutorial below with detailed instructions.

Ready to deliver your presentation? 

That’s it for our Zoom presentation tips; now over to you.

You have a brilliant idea or insight to present, and you need to share them with your audience in your next Zoom presentation. It’s high time you nail it with the virtual presentation tips we outlined in this guide. 

Take Piktochart for a test drive  today and create your next presentation slide minus the stress using our free presentation maker .

Kaitomboc

Kyjean Tomboc is an experienced content marketer for healthcare, design, and SaaS brands. She also manages content (like a digital librarian of sorts). She lives for mountain trips, lap swimming, books, and cats.

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How to Be Effective and Keep Participants Engaged When Presenting Remotely

Posted august 23, 2021 by eleanor hecks.

how to give a presentation via zoom

Whether you’re doing a more traditional presentation via Zoom , giving a live interview, or conducting a webinar, the experience is very different from doing so in person. There won’t be a physical audience in front of you, and sometimes timing is extremely challenging to sync up — people often try to talk over others during conference calls. What’s more, it can be just as difficult to convey the appropriate emotions and body language, especially when just the top half of you — or sometimes even just your head — is visible.

It makes one wonder: What are some things you can do to prepare for the presentation or conference? Are there any tips you should keep in mind during the live event? What else should you know?

How to prepare your Zoom presentation

The planning phase is one of the most critical, as it’s where you’ll decide your topics, your major discussion beats, and where you’ll elaborate. You may not be using a teleprompter, but you will be creating a loose script. In addition, you’ll need to create the media that will go along with your presentation, which should be error-free, captivating, and on point.

Here are some tips to improve planning and design:

1. Design for everyone

While creating your media — the slides — understand that you are creating for a wide audience who will likely be tuning in from multiple devices and platforms. The media is going to look very different on a large, HD-ready computer monitor than it will on a smartphone or tablet. Design the content, images, and layouts so that they are compatible and friendly for all. Someone browsing on their phone should be able to see precisely the same information as someone on a laptop or computer.

Be sure to test out your presentation on different devices and resolutions. Also, try to remember that too much screen time can cause focus and stimulation problems in both children and adults. Try to limit the total presentation time, so that it’s accommodating for everyone.

2. Tone down the visuals

Yes, every presentation needs captivating visual content to go along with the text and audio. But you don’t want it to take away from the meat of the experience. It’s okay to use maps, charts, graphs, videos, photos, including stock images, GIFs, memes, and more.

Just don’t overdo it on a single slide. Try to keep it relatively confined so your audience doesn’t go into a stimulation overload. If they’re trying to read a ton of text, listen to you speak, and process several images — especially animated ones — things can get really hectic.

3. Get your area ready

On a live stream, everything around you is as much the star of the show as you. Figurines, pictures on the wall, and even clutter will all feature prominently unless you alter the background — which Zoom allows you to do. Be sure to tidy up your space before the event and remove anything from the frame that you don’t want your audience to see.

4. Brighten up the room

Webcams, even UHD cams, tend to work much better in bright conditions. If you haven’t already, open your blinds to let in some natural light. Test out the camera conditions beforehand to see whether it’s too bright, or not enough. If you’re using a laptop, you can move around your home to find the best spot.

Audiences should have a clear view of your face. Most importantly, they should be able to see when you’re speaking and what gestures you’re making.

5. Test your equipment

You can make a test call to a friend or family member, or just test out the equipment locally, but make sure everything is working. Check your audio and your microphone, be sure the video is clear and bright, check your internet signal and speeds, and ensure all equipment is plugged in and not running on battery power. You should be doing this as close to the conference or event as possible. It doesn’t help if you check out your equipment days in advance and then run into issues the day of.

People do not like to encounter technical errors. For instance, when a page’s load speed increases by just 1-3 seconds, the bounce rate also increases by 32% . A 5-second increase boosts that bounce rate to 90%. So, the longer it takes to set up your presentation and get things moving, the more likely it is that people will tune you out or leave altogether.

6. Rehearse

Practice in front of a mirror, or hop on a call with friends and family and allow them to provide feedback. Never go into a presentation unprepared, especially if you’ve never given one before via Zoom or anywhere.

7. Create a checklist

A checklist is always a good way to review what you need to get done before an event or activity. Professionals use them to avoid costly mistakes , and you should be taking inspiration from that.

Try to remember every small detail or requirement that you need to complete before the presentation. You can even create a multi-tier checklist that deals with before, during, and after the big event.

fill-in-the-blank LivePlan

Hosting the Zoom presentation

So, you’re all ready for the big event? Now, it’s time to make sure everything goes smoothly during your presentation. Here are some helpful tips.

1. Speak plainly

It helps if you write the script or guidelines similar to how you will be presenting, however, you should speak plainly and enunciate as much as possible. Unless the subject matter explicitly calls for it, try to avoid industry or specialized jargon. That will also mitigate how much you need to explain or move off-topic. Furthermore, it ensures your entire audience can follow along, regardless of skill level or expertise.

2. Minimize potential interruptions

You can’t control what happens on the other end of that presentation, but you can certainly control things on your side. Try to mitigate potential distractions as much as possible. Put your phone on silent. Wear headphones so there’s no audio echo or distortion. Close your door or isolate yourself so no one comes in to interrupt. You might also consider turning on Do Not Disturb mode on your computer to pause notifications during the meeting.

3. Keep your materials handy

Two points. First, you want to keep your notes or script handy so that if you get stuck you can continue with little to no pause. Second, those materials should be in a place that has you facing the camera. If you have a document up on a monitor, for example, you don’t want to be glancing sideways all the time to read what’s next.

Situate the screen and camera so they’re at the same angle, so you’re constantly looking at the camera while you read. It’s a lot easier to do with a laptop because the camera is usually in the top bezel. With a desktop, you might have to move your display(s) around, or reposition your webcam. If you’re using a phone or tablet, you should have those propped up on a stand or tripod to keep them stable.

4. Dress to impress

Dress just as you would if you were paying a visit to the office or making a presentation in public. Put on the whole outfit too, and not just the shirt, because you never know what’s going to happen. If the camera falls, you don’t want it to expose that you’re just wearing underpants along with that collared shirt.

5. Have your media ready

It’s a simple tip, but a crucial one. Have your slides and other media ready to go and queued up for sharing. Don’t wait until the presentation to get things in order. You should be able to swap to the necessary screen, share the content, and go. Have all hyperlinks, videos, and interactive elements prepared beforehand, as well.

6. Pause for effect and questions

After each major beat, pause for a moment to allow your audience to ask questions, raise concerns, or ask for you to reiterate the message. This is much more difficult when you’re dealing with a large audience, but most Zoom meetings are relatively intimate with a local group.

7. Pay attention to chat

Alongside every Zoom event or meeting, there is a live chat window that can sometimes be forgotten if you’re busy focusing on your presentation. Don’t neglect it. Your audience may be asking more questions, providing valuable feedback, or even pointing out something wrong — like your mic cutting out.

8. Record your presentation

Make sure you’re recording the presentation to reference later, not just for everyone else but for yourself too. It allows you to rewatch the feed to review questions and commentary, and also to perceive your mannerisms and dynamic content. You can use that information to build a better presentation later.

9. Leverage the Zoom tools

There’s a host of tools you can use with Zoom , including screen sharing, annotations, live polling, and much more. Incorporate them into your presentation whenever possible, and don’t forget they exist! They can help make the experience more fun, engaging, and memorable.

10. Keep it interesting

It’s easy when you’re talking, especially about dull subjects, to lose your audience. One way to keep them invested and interested is to add the occasional “boom” moment. It’s an impactful instant, like a shocking statistic, joke, or alarming point, that ties together everything you’ve been talking about up until that moment.

The follow-up

After the presentation is completed, don’t make the mistake of thinking your work is all done. The first thing to do is make the media and the recording of the presentation available so that anyone who wants to can go back and review the experience.

Next, you need channels in place to collect feedback. People will have follow-up questions and concerns, and they may want you to clarify certain points. Also, you’ll want people to share their experiences. What did they enjoy? What did they dislike? How could you have improved as a presenter? Don’t be too scared to ask these questions, as they’ll help improve your Zoom presentation skills.

Finally, consider wrapping it all up with a nice bow by giving away free content or materials to those who attended the event, like a free e-book written by you or your colleagues, or a promo code to your storefront.

With these ideas in mind, you’ll be ready to knock your next Zoom presentation or remote meeting out of the park!

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Eleanor Hecks

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Screen sharing a PowerPoint presentation

There are three methods you can use to screen share a PowerPoint presentation in a Zoom meeting. If you have dual monitors, you can share a slide show while viewing the presenter's notes on another monitor. If you have a single monitor, you can also start the slide show in a window so you have access to other meeting features while sharing your presentation. 

If you have other participants presenting portions of the PowerPoint, you can give them slide control in Zoom, so that they can control the slideshow on their end, without needing to ask you to move the slides forward. Additionally, PowerPoint slides can be shared as a Virtual Background for a more immersive sharing experience. 

This article covers:

Dual monitors with slide show and presenter's views

Single-monitor setup with slide show view in a window, single-monitor setup with slide show in full screen.

Follow these steps if you are using multiple monitors and want to present your PowerPoint in one monitor, while viewing the presenter's notes in another monitor.

  • Open the PowerPoint file you want to present.
  • Start or join a Zoom meeting.

how to give a presentation via zoom

  • Select your primary monitor then click Share . If you are not sure which monitor is your primary, select the one that PowerPoint opens in.

how to give a presentation via zoom

  • Switch back to Powerpoint and click the Slide Show tab. 

how to give a presentation via zoom

Follow these steps if you have a single monitor and want to share your PowerPoint presentation in slide show view, but have it contained in a window rather than in full screen. This is useful if you need to access meeting features, such as in-meeting chat or managing participants, while sharing your PowerPoint presentation.

  • Click the Slide Show tab and then select Set Up Slide Show .
  • Under Show type , select Browsed by an individual (window) and then click OK .

how to give a presentation via zoom

  • In Zoom, start or join a meeting .
  • Select the PowerPoint window and then click Share .

Note : Be sure you select the PowerPoint window, not the entire screen. Sharing the PowerPoint window only will allow you to use other features without interrupting the view of the presentation. 

  • Select your monitor then click Share . 

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Zoom presentation tips to bring human connection into virtual meetings

Get your team on prezi – watch this on demand video.

Avatar photo

Līva Luriņa November 01, 2021

Gartner has acknowledged Zoom as a leader in meeting solutions for the sixth year in a row. That’s well deserved, as it’s pretty challenging to find a person in the digital world who’s never joined a Zoom meeting.

In a sea of countless Zoom presentations , it’s crucial to stand out in order to succeed. But what’s the best way to tell your story, engage your audience, and avoid virtual meeting fatigue ? Through personal connection.

Read on to learn the nine best Zoom presentation tips to help you build a human connection in the era of virtual meetings and discover 11 handy Zoom hacks to advance your Zoom presentation skills.

Zoom Presentation

1. Do your homework

The most important Zoom presentation tip is to think about your audience before thinking about the slides. You need to understand their expectations to bring value and build a real connection.

Consider things about your audience such as:

  • What do they need or want from your Zoom presentation?
  • Challenges or fears they face
  • Tone of voice or vocabulary that is the most appropriate to use
  • Examples or stories can they relate to

Once you’ve answered these questions, you can design your presentation accordingly. It’s a good idea to modify your presentation each time you face a new group of people.

2. Tell a story

There’s no better way to create an emotional connection with the audience than telling a story. Including storytelling in presentations will also help them better understand and remember information that’s important both in business and education.

But how do you actually include a story in your presentation? To really unlock all the potential, the storyline has to be connected to your main goal and, following the best Zoom presentation tips, carried throughout the whole presentation.

First, clarify what emotion you want to evoke, whether it’s surprise, joy, desire, anger, or anything else. Think of relatable examples, statistics, jokes, or experiences that will resonate with your audience. When you see people nodding their heads, that’s usually a sign that you’re nailing the presentation, and you’ve made an emotional connection with your audience (or they’re practicing active listening skills :)).

Elena Valentine, CEO of Skillscout, uses Prezi Video to show the importance of storytelling in presentation and shares some tips to help you hone in on using story as the ultimate attention grabber. Learn all about it in here video.

3. Visual vs. textual information 

Zoom presentations with visual aids are 43% more persuasive than those without. The human brain loves visuals – they make it easier to quickly process the message compared to slides with text. Also, ideas presented graphically are easier to comprehend and remember than those presented through text alone.

how to give a presentation via zoom

To bring the human connection to your Zoom presentation, you need all eyes on you. If your audience is focused on reading lines or bulleted lists on the screen, they are more likely not paying attention to what you’re saying.

That’s why it’s important to include visual information in your slides. Here are some Zoom presentation tips about types of visuals for your slides:

  • Data visualizations. Charts and graphs are your best friends if you want to communicate data and numbers. Prezi’s data visualization tools can help you with that – easily create designs to support your story and make your presentation more delicious.

Data visualized presentation

  • Maps . Turn geographical data and insights into interactive maps for cities, regions, or even whole continents – our brains love the data associated with reality.
  • Images and videos. These visual assets are a must-have in presentations to explain how things work, emphasize the idea, or draw attention to your message. Your choice of images will impact the emotional connection with the audience, so choose them wisely.
  • Graphic elements. Flowcharts, diagrams, icon blocks, notes, and other features are excellent ways to communicate processes, plans, or ongoing situations. Combine your story with these elements, and you can be sure your message will be apparent to everyone.
  • GIFs and stickers. Sometimes one GIF can express more than words could say. They are super helpful if you want to create an exact image in the audience’s head. For example, imagine a presentation about monthly sales performance and this GIF on the first slide:

This celebratory GIF is a great way to kick things off and get your team excited to hear the rest of your presentation. 

4. Let your audience hear and see you

Another Zoom presentation tip regards what your audience can see and hear. It’s best to come off as professional as possible.

Good lighting conditions don’t mean spotlights all around you. Natural light is the best tool to look good in a virtual presentation . Make sure you sit near the window but avoid having it behind your back as it will create a shadow. If the natural lighting isn’t an option, play around with your lamps – even a cheap ring light can make a huge difference. Watch this video to learn how to create the best video lighting and more.

Now, when your audience can see you, make sure they can hear you as well. There’s nothing worse than watching a Zoom presentation when the speaker has disruptive noise in the background or a squeaky mic.

In the video below, we explain the best ways to make a crisp and clear sound when you’re presenting. Even more, Zoom has several ways you can improve your audio – look for more Zoom presentation tips and hacks at the end of this article.

5. Make sure your Zoom presentation flows

This Zoom presentation tip works well with storytelling. Everything you say and show should have a good segue – both your story and your presentation slides.

Rather than transitioning through slides linearly, use Prezi’s presentation templates to have a more conversational presentation. You can create various flows and zoom in on a topic to go deeper. Or, let the conversation guide you and jump straight into the most relevant topics that your audience is interested in.

In his video, Brian Fanzo, Digital Futurist and keynote speaker, covers how to avoid coming off as scripted in an online presentation. Watch his video here for more: 

6. Body language is worth a thousand words

Body language has an enormous impact on how your audience perceives your Zoom presentation. Jessica Chen, Founder and CEO of Soulcast Media in her Prezi video explains that body language determines up to 60% of how we receive the information presented, whereas the choice of words makes only 7% and tone of voice only 33%. 

There are many ways you can mindfully use your body language during presentations. One of the top Zoom presentation tips is to stick something eye-catching next to your laptop camera so you can hold eye contact with the audience. To look confident and persuasive, move slowly, fluidly, create space between your shoulders and ears, and keep your head straight. And most importantly – use your hands, especially at the start of your video call. It will create a warm and safe place both for you and your audience.

7. Don’t hide behind the slides

It’s hard to make your presentation personal if you’re just a small rectangle in the corner of the Zoom window. All your audience can see on their screen is a giant slide with information and data. 

Using your body language is a key Zoom presentation tip, that’s why you should forget about sharing your screen and display your content right next to you. This makes a more memorable experience and impactful presentation. Prezi Video is the right tool for that – easily drag and drop the content you’d like to show or use our templates to build presentations that will amaze your audience.

8. Activate your audience

Another great Zoom presentation tip to keep your audience engaged is through conversational presenting with interactions. Once in a while, stop presenting to talk with your audience and allow them to ask questions or clarify something. Encourage them to use the Zoom chat or respond to a poll .

Zoom breakout rooms are an excellent choice for online workshops or training sessions. Participants can discuss the topics from your presentation in greater detail and express their ideas, enabling collaborative learning and knowledge sharing.

However, not everyone feels comfortable speaking up. Using Prezi Video during online meetings allows your audience to share instant reactions – images, GIFs , text, or stickers. By organizing that kind of interactivity in your Zoom meeting, everyone can participate and raise the level of energy in the meeting.

For more tips on activating your audience on Zoom, watch this Prezi video by Rich Mulholland, founder of the presentation company Missing Link: 

9. Create, rehearse, present

You can agree on or not with Malcolm’s Gladwell “ 10,000-hour rule “, but one thing is clear – the more you present, the better you become at it.

Once you’ve created your presentation content, rehearse it. You can use Prezi Video to record yourself before going live to Zoom so that you can see yourself in action. Practice where you’ll add pauses, ask the audience a question, or make a joke. Think about what tone of voice you should use to keep the audience focused and what your body language is saying.

You can even record your presentation and review it later to gauge how you can improve it. Practice makes perfect.

Selling on video expert, Julie Hansen, shares Zoom presentation tips for more effective sales meetings in her video here: 

11 Zoom presentation hacks for even better meetings

Add prezi virtual camera.

Download Prezi Video desktop app and connect Prezi Virtual Camera with your Zoom . After that, you can instantly share your content and ideas with you on screen, making everything from internal updates, trainings, and sales pitches more interesting.

Change your Zoom virtual background

To jazz up your Zoom presentation, you can create and upload your own virtual background image . Surprise coworkers with your office’s picture in the background, join a meeting from a sunny beach in Spain, or create a professional-looking background as your business card. Use one of our virtual background templates to get started.

Test the sound

It’s always a good idea to test your mic before joining a Zoom meeting. Go Zoom Settings > Audio and test both your microphone and speakers. This way, you can avoid that awkward “Can you hear me?” moment at the start of your meeting.

Spacebar to mute/unmute

Forget about those awkward moments when you’re trying to find the mic to unmute yourself and say something quickly. One nifty Zoom presentation tip: hit the spacebar and hold it to unmute yourself as you speak.

Turn off video and audio by default

Avoid that “first look tension” when joining a Zoom meeting. Go to Settings > Audio and mute your mic when joining a meeting to control the first sound. Under the Settings > Video settings, check the “ Stop my video when joining the meeting ” so that you can always greet your team with a smile and a wave.

Hide non-video participants

During large team meetings or all-hands, it’s nice to see other coworkers in your Zoom window. To avoid a cluttered screen with static images and videos, you can hide meeting participants without video from the gallery view. Go to Settings > Video and click Hide non-video participants . Now you can enjoy live reactions and people around you all meeting long.

Hide your self-view during Zoom presentations

In Zoom meetings, we tend to pay too much attention to how we look. It can be a real distraction and steal the focus of the presenter. To avoid that, press the three dots button on your video and choose Hide Self View . This will create a more natural feeling, as you most likely wouldn’t look in the mirror during a face-to-face meeting.

Share your screen with confidence

Eliminate notifications like messages or ads popping out when you’re sharing your screen. If you’re using a Mac, we recommend turning on Do Not Disturb mode , and for Windows users, use Focus Assist to avoid unnecessary pop-ups.

Mute all participants

It’s common for someone to have their mic on by accident, which can cause unwelcome distractions like background conversations, traffic sounds, or a barking dog. Skip these moments and mute everyone: hit Command+Control+M on Mac or Alt+M on PC.

Ensure the best visual quality

To ensure the best presentation quality, always go on Fullscreen mode . It’s especially important when presenting data during a meeting or explaining complicated graphs with small text.

Use reactions to interact

Small things matter, especially when you want your virtual presentation to have more human connection. Though Zoom allows you to use reactions like applause, love, thumbs up, and others, you can unlock even more interactivity with Prezi Video. Encourage your audience to share comments, GIFs, or any image during your presentation, allowing them to react and give feedback without unmuting or affecting meeting time.

Put these Zoom presentation tips into action

With more presentations happening online than ever before, it’s important to understand the basics of Zoom and how it affects your presentations. Learn more Zoom presentation tips when you visit the Prezi Video Gallery or get started by creating your first Zoom presentation today.  

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7 Zoom Presentation Tips to Bring your Virtual Events to Life (Best Guide in 2023)

7 Zoom Presentation Tips to Bring your Virtual Events to Life (Best Guide in 2023)

Quynh Anh Vu • 02 May 2023 • 7 min read

Here are 7 Zoom Presentation Tips to help you hold better Zoom events and fight off that fatigue – let’s make your next Zoom presentation the best yet!

Presenting can be extremely difficult, but virtual presentations (via Zoom or any other video meeting platform) offer their challenges.

After a couple of years of remote working, many team leaders and senior business managers are noticing Zoom fatigue amongst staff, so it’s time to reignite our presentations and ensure we’re creating engaging and memorable meetings.

Table of Contents

  • Take the Mic
  • Check your Tech
  • Ask the Audience
  • Keep it Short and Sweet
  • Tell a Story
  • Don’t Hide Behind Your Slides
  • Take a Break to Answer Questions

Tips for Better Engagement

How to make a Zoom presentation? Check out more Zoom presentation tips with AhaSlides!

  • Pictionary on Zoom
  • Zoom Word Cloud
  • Complete Guide to Interactive Presentation
  • Bad presentation at work
  • Easy Topic for Presentation

Start in seconds.

Get free templates for your next interactive presentation. Sign up for free and take what you want from the template library!

Zoom Presentation Tips for the Intro

Tip #1 – take the mic.

Friendly happy African hipster guy in headphones with mic waving hand hello at laptop, smiling, laughing, speaking on video conference talk, using computer for online virtual business communication

One of the most simple and effective ways to capture your virtual audience is to take control of the conversation and ease anxieties. This doesn’t mean dictating all conversation, it’s more about creating a comfortable environment where your audience can feel focused and contribute to the discussion. 

We’ve all been in awkward pre-meeting “waiting rooms” while holding on for the last couple of people to join. As the person running the session, you can remove people’s meeting anxieties and instantly get them on your side.

As the presenter and (probably) host of the Zoom meeting, others will consider you a confident leader. Make sure you welcome people in as they join your Zoom presentation, use a meeting icebreaker , and show them your personality and that they are welcome to engage with your presentation. You will have their attention from the very start.

Remember, you are presenting for a reason. You are the expert on your topic, and they are looking to you to communicate that information – You’re the pro, and you’ve got this!

Tip #2 – Check your Tech

Mic check 1, 2…

Of course, sometimes tech fails us, and we can’t always do anything about it. But, you can help reduce the chances of that happening by checking in on your presentation software, camera and mic before the Zoom presentation starts and people join.

Also, check any videos or links you’re using to give yourself the best chance of delivering a wonderfully seamless presentation with preparation.

One of the best parts of a Zoom presentation is that nine times out of 10, there isn’t anyone else in the room. This has a massive benefit for anyone presenting – you can prepare. This does not mean writing a script and reading it word for word. Still, it allows you to have extra notes with any data and information you need, and it can be right on the screen for only your eyes to see – so you can browse your messages for answers to a question without looking away.

💡 Extra presentation tip for Zoom : If you’re sending out Zoom invites ahead of time, make sure that the links and passwords you’re sending out all work so that everyone can join the meeting quickly and without added stress.

Zoom Presentation Tips for Punchy Presentations

Tip #3 – ask the audience.

You can be the most charismatic and engaging person in the world, but if your presentation lacks that spark, it can leave your audience feeling disconnected. Luckily, an easy solution to this problem is to make your presentations interactive.

Tools like AhaSlides provide opportunities to include creative and engaging elements in your presentations to keep your audience switched on and involved. Whether you’re a teacher looking to engage a class or an expert in your business, it’s proven that interactive elements like polls, quizzes and Q&As keep an audience engaged when they can respond to each on their smartphones.

Here are a few slides you can use in an interactive Zoom presentation to pull that audience focus…

  • Make a live quiz – Regularly ask audience questions they can individually answer via a smartphone. This will help you understand their topic knowledge in a fun, competitive way!
  • Ask open-ended questions and pose scenarios – This allows your audience to engage and show off their knowledge. For a teacher, this could be as simple as ‘What is the best word you know that means happy?’, but for a marketing presentation in a business, for example, it could be a great way of asking ‘which platforms would you like to see us use more in Q3?”
  • Ask for feedback – It’s vital that we’re constantly improving, so you might want to gather some feedback at the end of your presentation. You can use interactive sliding scales to measure how likely people are to recommend your services or even gather opinions on specific topics. If you were pitching a planned return to the office to your business, you might ask, “how many days would you like to spend in the office” and set a scale from 0 to 5 to gauge the consensus.
  • Play games – Games in a virtual event may seem radical, but it could be the best tip for your Zoom presentation. Some simple trivia games, spinner wheel games and a bunch of other Zoom games can do wonders for team building, learning new concepts and testing existing ones.

These engaging and interactive elements make a huge difference to the focus and attention of your audience. Not only will it make them feel more involved in your Zoom presentation, but it will give you added confidence that they are absorbing your presentation and enjoying it too.

Make Interactive Zoom Presentations for Free!

Embed polls, brainstorm sessions, quizzes and more into your presentation. Grab a template or import your own from PowerPoint!

Tip #4 – Keep it Short and Sweet

Where you can, you want to try and keep your Zoom presentation digestible. While most meetings or presentations are scheduled for an hour, it’s generally agreed that most viewers can only maintain focus for around 10 minutes . This makes it important to keep meetings brief, and where you can’t keep them short, ensuring your audience is engaged is vital.

You can maximise your audience’s focus by not overcomplicating your slides. Text-heavy slides will have your listeners reading rather than listening to you, and they will burn out and lose stress much more quickly. If you need to give a lot of information, break it down into a few slides or use an illustrative graphic or interactive drop to talk people through it instead.

Tip #5 – Tell a Story

Storytelling is powerful. Suppose you can build stories or examples into your presentation that illustrate your message. In that case, your Zoom presentation will be much more memorable and your audience will feel more emotionally invested in the stories that you tell.

Case studies, direct quotes or real-life examples will be much more engaging to your audience and can help them relate to or understand the information you’re providing on a deeper level.

This isn’t just a Zoom presentation tip but also a great way to start your presentation. Read more about it here !

Tip #6 – Don’t Hide Behind your Slides

Illustration of a presenter with good body language sitting on a laptop with a screen full of colourful characters.

Although it’s much more difficult to present your body language via Zoom than in person, there are still things you can do to help ensure that your Zoom presentation gets your message across effectively.

Camera on! It’s tempting to hide behind your slides, but having your camera on will make a huge difference. Not only will your audience be able to see you, but it will communicate confidence and encourages others to leave their cameras on and hold the meeting in the open atmosphere of a live setting.

Although many workers remain remote, there is still a desire for that face-to-face connection we once had when working in offices and travelling for meetings and presentations. Sometimes, just seeing a friendly face will put someone at ease, creating a positive sentiment that they associate with you and your presentation.

As well as leaving your camera on, some people find that standing up to present is still effective – even on Zoom! If you have a large enough space and can find a way to make it work, standing up gives you added confidence, and it’s a great option if you’re presenting virtually for a conference.

Tip #7 – Take a Break to Answer Questions

If you know, you’ll be presenting for a long time; there’s a lot to be said for making space for a few breaks. Over Zoom, it’s not as easy to send everyone off for a quick coffee break because of how lengthy it can be to get everyone back and focused, so instead, you could end each section with a quick Q&A session.

Doing this has two advantages:

  • To keep everyone up to speed by elaborating on points you may have gone over a bit too quickly.
  • To give everyone a break from listening and looking.

On some live Q&A software , you can accept Q&A questions from your audience throughout your Zoom presentation and then answer them whenever.

These tiny breaks in the presentation can bring back your audience’s focus as they anticipate that they need to interact.

No time like the present

So, that’s the zoom presentation tips and tricks! With these tips, you should feel ready to take on the (presentation) world. We know that presentations aren’t always accessible, but hopefully, these virtual Zoom presentation tips go some way to relieving the anxieties. Try to use these tips in your next Zoom presentation. If you stay calm, stay enthusiastic and keep your audience engaged with your shiny, new interactive presentation, it will be your best Zoom presentation yet!

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Quynh Anh Vu

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The Ultimate Guide to Giving Virtual Presentations on Zoom

Part 4: how to record & edit pro-grade audio & video for your virtual presentations.

PART I Introduction 1 – Cool Zoom Features 2 – Virtual Presentation Do’s 3 – Virtual Presentation Don’ts PART II 4 – Presentation Purpose 5 – Structure & Flow 6 – Slide Design PART III 7 – Connect with the audience 8 – Audience Participation 9 – Sharing Content PART IV 10 – Video & Audio Recordings 11 – Post-production 12 – Your Phone as a Webcam PART V 13 – When Things Go Wrong 14 – How to Ground Yourself PART VI 15 – Advanced Techniques 16 – Zoom Webinars vs Meetings 17 – 23 Essential Settings

Quick definition about Zoom recordings. Zoom allows you to record your meeting or webinar in two ways: “Local recordings” save the video to your computer when you close Zoom after your meeting. Whereas “Cloud recordings” saves the files in the recordings section of your Zoom web portal (requires a paid subscription).

Definition in hand, let’s look at 4 reasons why you should make your own recordings and only use Zoom’s recordings as a backup

  • Zoom recordings produce limited and unpredictable video quality Zoom recordings are limited by two factors: System resolution (how big your screen is) for local and cloud recordings, and Internet speed/bandwidth for cloud recordings. The resolution seems to be capped at QHD (which is still good at 4x 1080p) even if your monitor is better than that. Cloud recordings can range from QHD down to a miserable 360p if you have a weak Internet connection, which is utterly unusable. The point here is that it’s unpredictable.
  • Virtual presentation software struggles to render visual complexity Zoom recordings (cloud and local) cannot handle slide transitions and animations smoothly, they will appear either as a blurred janky mess, or potentially not at all—appearing to skip from the start of the animation to the end.
  • Videos embedded in your slides won’t play properly Similarly, videos embedded in your slides will suffer from frame jumps and lag, and sometimes the audio won’t play at all.
  • Any audio and video sync issues will appear in the final recording If your audio and video aren’t in sync due to unexpected Internet speed variations, it will all be captured in the final recording, and if you’re using closed captions they will have both a delay and mis-transcriptions. these issues are fixable in post-production but it’s a really big pain.

It sounds like we need a better way.

Fortunately, all of these issues can become non-issues if you make your own recordings locally on your computer, using software to capture the screen, webcam, the audio from your microphone, and any audio embedded in your slides.

We have three options when it comes to recording a virtual presentation: Zoom local recording, Zoom cloud recording, and non-Zoom local recording.

HOW MANY OPTIONS ARE GOING TO BE IN THIS GUIDE!!!!? Lots more, sorry.

Comparison of 3 A/V Setups for Recording Virtual Presentations

Before I dive into the details of how to make a great recording of your virtual presentation, let’s take a comparative look along the recording quality spectrum, so you can see the difference between when an event organizer records your Zoom talk, versus doing it yourself (using everything you’ll learn in this section of the guide).

The three different technical scenarios I’ll compare are:

  • Scenario 1 Screen Recording: Zoom Local Microphone: Laptop mic System Audio: Default Webcam for live stream: Laptop camera Speaker Live View: Picture-in-picture visible in speaker view Speaker Recording: Embedded in Zoom recording Presenter Position: Seated Lighting: Regular ceiling lights Makeup: None Slide advance: Keyboard or mouse
  • Scenario 2 Screen Recording: Zoom Cloud Microphone: Mic in wired headphones System Audio: Default Webcam for live stream: Brio 4K webcam Speaker Live View: Picture-in-picture visible in speaker view Speaker Recording: Embedded in Zoom recording Presenter Position: Seated Lighting: Regular ceiling lights Makeup: None Slide advance: Keyboard or mouse
  • Scenario 3 Screen Recording: Apple QuickTime Microphone: Rode NTG4+ Shotgun microphone System Audio: Loopback Webcam for live stream: Logitech Brio 4K webcam Speaker Live View: Picture-in-picture hidden from speaker view Speaker Recording: Nikon Z6ii mirrorless camera for high production video Presenter Position: Standing Lighting: Video lighting Makeup: Just a smidge of video makeup Slide advance: Wireless clicker

how to give a presentation via zoom

Watch the video to see (and hear) the difference between the three scenarios

The table below shows a summary of the quality results from the comparison video.

A comparison of 3 a/v setups for virtual presentation recordings

Sounds great! How do I do it? Let’s break down what actually goes into a great presentation recording.

The 6 elements of a great presentation recording

There are six major elements in a professional quality virtual presentation recording:

  • Screen recording video (your slides)
  • Webcam video (you)
  • Microphone audio
  • Slide/system audio
  • Closed captions for accessibility and playing without sound.

If you leave the recording in the hands of someone else—by someone else I mean the presentation platform or event organizer—you may end up with a low-res video, patchy audio, glitches, mistakes, jerky motion and caption lags.

Or you get lucky and the video you get looks really good. Until you watch it all the way through, and notice the picture-in-picture cam view is overlapping your most important data point, and the 89-second “segment” where you had to exit PowerPoint multiple times to adjust a setting, showing flashes of your embarrassing lack of desktop tidiness.

So let’s do it right. Let’s put in the effort to create an absolutely fantastic A-Grade professional presentation recording that we can be proud of, and hopefully make money from in the future.

#1 Recording Element #1 High resolution screen video (your slides)

The diagram below shows different screen resolutions. While Zoom’s recordings can be of good quality (sometimes reaching QHD), they have limitations and the cloud recordings in particular, are unpredictable as they are based on your Internet speed and can fall as low as sad old HD.

What we want for our recordings is 4K or better , and the easiest way to do this is with software on your laptop.

A comparison of 4K QHD 1080p 720p 480p screen resolutions

For macOS users, this is easily achieved with QuickTime—free built-in software that can capture as much resolution as your machine can produce.

For PC users, a really cool feature of PowerPoint is that you can create a screen recording directly within the software . So if you’re using PowerPoint for your slides, you can do it all in one place, and you can use the screen recording feature even if you’re not using PowerPoint as your slide platform.

The finished recording will appear on a slide inside PowerPoint. You can then go to the Export feature and choose the quality of the exported file as shown below.

Pretty cool.

How to make a screen recording using PowerPoint

To show or not to show your webcam – in your screen recording

In the live broadcast of your talk, you want attendees to see you  and your slides. But the recording doesn’t have to be exactly the same as the live event.

By recording the webcam separately from your screen you open up more options for how the final video looks. You can do picture-in-picture, side-by-side, fullscreen slides switching to fullscreen webcam, etc.

The creative opportunities are huge when you have separate video files.

Let’s take a look at how your video will look depending on the webcam view you choose.

Screen & Webcam Recording Option 1 – Zoom Local Recording

Zoom calls your webcam view the “Self Cam” and there are two ways you can set it up: side-by-side mode or picture-in-picture mode.

Webcam options for Zoom local recordings

Side-by-side mode places your face beside your slides, keeping your self cam from overlapping your slides, but it results in a big empty column below you which is a giant waste – and looks bad in your video recording. You can make it bigger but that only serves to make the black column wider. The bolted-on column also makes the aspect ratio of your video look super widescreen, which is very unconventional.

To enable this, go to Zoom Settings > Recording > Record video during screen sharing > Place video next to shared screen in the recording

Picture-in-picture mode lets you position your self cam anywhere on top of the video, and you can enlarge up to a capped max size. You can also move and resize as much as you like throughout the presentation. This preserves the aspect ratio of your video but does risk covering up important elements on your slides.

You can of course hide it from your view to prevent it interfering with your recording and the audience will still be able to see it.

Beware , in side-by-side mode, if you enlarge your cam video at any point in the recording, it will remember the largest size you reach, and the black side column will be fixed to that width,  even if you shrink it again—resulting in a big black sidebar with a tiny video inside. An awful consequence.

Local Zoom recordings lock the sidebar wasted space

Screen & Webcam Recording Option 2 – Zoom Cloud Recording (paid accounts only)

Zoom cloud recordings again have two options. The first shows a picture-in-picture view in the top-right corner, but even if you resize or move the cam view the recording won’t capture the changes.

The size appears to be a fixed size, so ff you have a low-res screen it will be quite large, but if you have a high-res screen it can be tiny—so the value in having it there is negligible, and somewhat confusing.

Webcam options for cloud recordings

A really cool feature of the Cloud recordings is that it can produce separate files for your audio and video.

You get an all-in-one video and you get a separate screen recording, webcam recording, and audio track, which lets you do cool things in post-production in terms of layout and editing.

This isn’t as good as creating your own local recordings (not using Zoom recordings at all) and has the downside of the webcam being limited to 360p, and the  unpredictable resolution based on your Internet speed. You might get a 1440p screen recording, but you may also get a 480p recording which is horrible.

Webcam options for cloud recordings

All in all, I’d say that both recording options within Zoom are great to have as a backup, and for quickly sharing clips if you need to—while you work on editing your masterpiece.

Screen & Webcam Recording Option 3 – Non-Zoom Local Recording

In my opinion this is the absolute best option to choose. It’s more work but worth it once you get your workflow figured out.

If you want to show your webcam in the final video, you can either go with the picture-in-picture mode (again this will be locked into your final video recording as we’re recording the entire screen), or you can turn it off and record your webcam’s video separately and customize how and where it appears in post production.

Tip: If you don’t want it recorded over your slides but you still want to see yourself while presenting, you can drag the cam view to a separate monitor if you have one.

If you’re going to hide the self cam the audience will still be able to see your video, so you don’t need to worry about it being turned off. 

If you are going the picture-in-picture route (and this goes for the Zoom recordings too) you need to check a few settings to make sure it’s only your webcam that shows up (and not any attendees or co-hosts). Follow the steps in the image below.

How to set up your self cam view in Zoom

The big upside of recording your webcam separately is being able to overlay or position the high-res footage however you like in post-production, including custom side-by-side modes as shown below, which affords you the opportunity to add some excellent branding to your video.

Record your own high-definition video of your virtual presentations

When recording your webcam, it will most often be done through the webcam’s own software. Before you do this, you should test it to make sure it doesn’t slow your machine down. For the Brio webcam, the software is called Logi Capture, and it lets you choose a whole bunch of visual settings as well as being able to record.

Recording your webcam video using the webcam's software

Important notes

  • If you record your own webcam video, make sure that whichever camera you are using also records the audio. You’re not going to use this audio, it’ll be low quality, but you will use it to sync your different video clips (slides and cam) with your high quality audio in post production.
  • If you interact with Zoom menus while presenting, they won’t be captured in Zoom’s local or cloud recordings – you just see your mouse go up and down near the top of the screen. However, if you are recording your screen locally with your own software (QuickTime/PowerPoint etc.) the menus will be visible in your screen recording unless you turn them off in the settings. Even with the control bar hidden you still see the thin screen share portion of the bar. The only way to get rid of it entirely is to drag it over to a second monitor if you have one. Note, that when they are hidden, the only way to get them back is to hit the escape (ESC) key, so if you’re mid-talk and need access to features like annotations or chat etc. just know that you’ll have to do this, and then hide the toolbar again once you’re done. An editing tip here is to not speak while you do this. That way you can edit the portion with the toolbars coming and going out of the final video if you so desire.

How to hide Zoom controls when recording a virtual presentation

An all-in-one solution for your own recordings – ScreenFlow (Mac only)

If you’re a Mac user, the easiest way I’ve found to record everything you need all at once, is to use software called ScreenFlow, which lets you capture EVERYTHING. You can capture the webcam, your laptop screen, your external monitor screen, system audio, and microphone audio, all at the same time, creating separate tracks for all of them. It’s also an editing platform, and while it’s not as feature-rich at something like Final Cut Pro or Adobe Premiere Pro, it costs less and is easier to use.

ScreenFlow lets you record many inputs such as multiple screens, webcam, system audio and microphone

The sheer number of inputs that ScreenFlow can record simultaneously makes it an invaluable tool for anyone recording virtual presentations.

#2 Recording Element #2 High resolution camera video (of you)

While your slides are typically the focal point of your presentations, you are still the star, and the difference between a Zoom presentation with and without webcam video of you is huge. People can easily tune out when only looking at slides, but when your face is visible—or even all of you if you present standing up—you have the opportunity to give a much more dynamic presentation, and capture a more interesting recorded video.

We know what your webcam display options are from the previous section, but which webcam should you use?

Presentation camera options – ordered by cost

There are three aspects to your video camera setup: the camera you use, the settings on the camera, and the video settings you apply in Zoom. In terms of camera options, it’s fairly simple, you either use the camera in your laptop (if it has one), a webcam, a DSLR/mirrorless, or your phone, and I’ll discuss the pros and cons of each below.

Honestly, I think going with a dedicated webcam is the best and most flexible option for presenting on Zoom. It gives you the opportunity to sit or stand, and a 4K camera will give you much better results for recording your presentation than the one in your laptop (if it has one).

Regardless of the camera option you choose, you have two more things to optimize for the best video experience, the lighting, and how you appear in the camera frame.

Good lighting will make you look better, and prevent the webcam from potentially dropping the quality in an effort to squeeze more light out of the shot.

How you are framed will define the dynamic aspects of your performance. You can sit, or you can stand. You can appear as a head-and-shoulders closeup or have more space to gesture and move your body.

#3 A/V Setup 3 – Excellent lighting to make you shine

Great lighting can make the difference between looking like you’re presenting from your basement (it’s okay if you are – you just don’t want it to look that way) and sitting in a professional studio. And it doesn’t cost much to make a big improvement.

Yes, you can use your regular old ceiling lights, but if you want to stand out, you need to invest in some more controllable lights.

One of the simplest setups is to have two lights, a key light (primary light) and a fill light. These are typically positioned as shown below, with the fill light set to approximately 50% of the strength of the key light. This helps give some shadows to your face which is much more authentic and natural looking than a completely evenly lit face.

A simple two light lighting setup

I use these LED lights from Neewer which are good low to mid range lights. I actually upgraded them recently to a slightly better version which has electronic control of the colour temperature which is very handy but not essential.

There are also a ton of cheaper DIY options on YouTube (search for “DIY video lighting”), if you want to try those. And also a fantastic guide to building a lighting setup for under $100 by Wistia .

Pro lighting tip: You want to match the colour temperature of your lights as closely as possible. There are two common temperatures to shoot at 3200K (warmer tungsten) and 5600K (cooler daylight). Both look good, but if you can, get some light bulbs for your regular ceiling lights that matches those temperatures (Amazon and Home Depot have all the options you need). For a good primer on colour temperature and white balance in your lighting watch this video .

Pro lighting tip 2: If you wear glasses, do a test recording on Zoom to see what the reflections are like with your lighting setup. A small light reflection is okay, but if it’s really big and distracting try lifting the lights higher. It creates a more natural angle (imagine the light coming from the sun) and will remove the glare from your specs. If you can’t fix it, and you don’t need your glasses to see the screen, consider removing them if you are comfortable doing so.

Pro video tip: Use some simple video makeup to remove glare and reflections form your skin and give it a more matte appearance. It’s simple and works wonders, and I’m not talking about “real makeup” like foundation. What you need is a simple setting powder which you dab on gently with a fluffy Kabuki makeup brush .

You should also grab some oil blotting tissues to wipe the oil from your face (before you apply the setting powder). This will remove unwanted shine and sweat on your face.

#4 A/V Setup 4 – High quality microphone audio

Great audio is essential if you want to up your game and present at a level that’s superior to most other speakers. It’s especially important for making your presentation recordings as polished as possible.

Unfortunately, great audio isn’t free, and there’s a daunting spectrum of options and quality. There are a million resources on YouTube for getting started, and I’ll cover some of the setup options I’ve tested based on different price points.

Different audio setup options ordered by cost

Note: for wireless mic options—when you’re presenting standing/walking—there is the extra cost of a remote clicker in order to present standing up – which I highly recommend. The Logitech R800 (affiliate link) is universally loved by pro speakers. Some of the cool features are that it vibrates when you have 5 mins then 2 mins remaining, and it has a countdown timer on it that you can set for the length of your talk.

how to give a presentation via zoom

Watch and listen as I compare 7 different microphone options.

how to give a presentation via zoom

As you can see, quality is strongly correlated with price, and it comes down to what you are comfortable with. If nothing else, this illuminates issues with the setup you might already be using, and perhaps weren’t aware of. Most of us have never listened to our audio from attendee side of the presentation.

While an awesome wireless lav mic setup is the best way to have complete freedom of movement, in all of my tests (and I’ve tested a lot of mics) the only mid-range priced one I’ve found to be in any way adequate for recording audio is the (RODE Wireless Go).

My absolute favourite audio setup is the Rode NTG4+ shotgun mic mounted to the ceiling on a boom arm. I use it for podcasts, screencasts, and presenting from my desk, and with a quick position change, I can use it to present standing up for the max-energy effect.

My advice would be to try presenting standing up as a test (not during a live performance until you’ve practiced) and record the audio on your laptop. Yes, it’ll be echo’y, hissy, and quiet because you’re not sitting in front of it, but you’re testing the feeling of presenting standing up, not the audio. Then if you decide you like it, you can save up for some better gear.

How to remove background noise and enhance your audio

An expensive option for enhancing your audio and removing uncontrollable background noise is to use a physical audio pre-amp/processor such as the DBX 286s (affiliate link). This is a fantastic piece of hardware that can do several things:

  • Add bass (depth) and treble (clarity) to give you the professional radio broadcast sound
  • Remove harsh ess sounds (try saying “discussing” out loud)
  • Remove background noises with a sound gate. This allows you to set a specific gated decibel level, to prevent any sounds quieter than that level—such as mouse clicks, background hum, or mouse movement scratching—from passing through. It only passes audio through when you start talking above that db level. It’s brilliant.

Clearly this is a very advanced setup, but it performs wonderfully and is especially good if you’re not good at post-production audio (which requires complex tools to fix).

#5 A/V Setup 5 – Broadcasting audio that’s in your slides (system audio)

Let’s talk about a big issue with audio in virtual presentations.

Mixing your audio (microphone audio) with audio from your slides (system audio)

If you have audio and video in your slides you may have experienced the problem where your microphone takes control of the audio input rendering your system audio (the sound on your slides) silent. To solve this problem you can use software to create a virtual input source that combines your microphone and system audio (and lets you balance the volume) at which point whenever you are on a call or presenting, you can select that input and voila, you have complete control of your audio.

The software I recommend for this is:

  • macOS: Loopback – Cost $99 USD
  • Windows and macOS: VB Audio Cable – donation or free

The image below shows how Loopback works. VB Audio Cable works in a very similar way.

Using Loopback to create a virtual audio source

Once you’ve set up your new virtual audio device, you would then select that as your audio input in Zoom, instead of just your microphone, as shown below.

Choosing the virtual audio source in Zoom

Something you must do if you have audio in your slides is to balance the levels so that they are consistently the same. If they are too loud listeners might turn down their volume which can make the next audio slide too quiet and they’ll miss something important. Similarly, if it’s too quiet they’ll crank the volume and the next slide might blow their speakers.

The best process to get the balance right is to stack all of your slides with audio together and run through them adjusting the volume of each clip in the settings of your presentation software. The screenshot bellow shows how to do this in Keynote:

How to balance the audio in your slide deck

Once they are all equally balanced, you can then use Loopback/VB Audio Cable to set the volume of your slides to be the same volume as your speech by speaking into your mic at the volume you would in your talk, and adjusting the levels so they sound good when flowing back and forth.

Note: Loopback tends to maintain its settings in the background even when closed, I recommend turning off all of your virtual input devices before closing Loopback  to prevent issues where your audio isn’t doing what you want and you forget you had this set up.

#6 A/V Setup 6 – Adding closed captions to your live and/or recorded video

Whenever I’m reading a blog post containing videos clips—particularly on my phone—I find myself much more likely to stop scrolling and pay attention to them if they have closed captions.

Rev.com lists 5 reasons why closed captions are important :

  • Accessibility: When you make your content accessible, you allow people who might be deaf or hard of hearing to have access to the videos you produce.
  • Indexing for SEO: Search engines can’t crawl video, but they can crawl text. If you want your videos to rank on Google, back your video up with captions and a transcript of the audio.
  • User experience: Give your audience the ability to enjoy your content, regardless of the environment they are in.
  • Helping foreign-language learners: If you want to reach a larger audience, you should use captions and subtitles to make it easier for foreign-language audiences to comprehend your message.
  • Improve average watch time: Captions grab and hold your audience’s attention, people are more likely to watch your video to completion if they have the option to turn captions on.

Deque.com has an excellent list of presentation accessibility best practices , including:

  • Describe Visuals: Describe what is being visually presented on your slides for attendees who are blind or have low vision (you do not need to describe decorative images).
  • No Content that Flashes (Zero Tolerance):  Do not display any content that flashes. Content that flashes can be harmful to people who suffer from photosensitive epilepsy.
  • Identify and Describe Speaker(s): Say who is speaking when there are multiple presenters in one presentation. If your camera is on or you’re presenting in person, be sure to describe what you visually look like and your environment at the start of the presentation.

How to Get Closed Captions From Your Zoom Presentations

There are a few ways to do this.

  • You can let Zoom transcribe it live
  • You can use a 3rd party service to transcribe it live
  • You can wait until you have a final edited video and use a 3rd party service (or person) to transcribe it

Options 1 is useful if you want to show the closed captions during the event, but you will suffer from time lag and transcription inaccuracies, and having the captions locked into your recording

Option 2 is useful if you want to record the transcription live – but not show it at the time. This lets you edit any mistakes before you add it to your video recording.

Option 3 is the best approach. Reason being, if you want a professional looking video recording of your talk, you need to edit portions out such as the ramblings at the start and end, and any technical glitches. When you do this, the timing of the closed captions will be thrown off and you’ll have to manually update them which is a royal pain in the arse. By having it transcribed afterwards, you’ll have perfect timing, which makes everything much simpler.

Option 3 is what I use, but I’ll show you how to do 1&2 in case they fit with your use case.

Option 1 – Use Zoom’s Auto Transcription feature to produce Closed Captions

I mentioned earlier in “Zoom Feature #9 – Closed captions” that Zoom lets you add live closed captions to your Zoom presentation. You can either have someone type them in live—not exactly ideal as it requires a professional—or you can turn on “Auto Transcriptions”.

To get this going visit Settings > Meetings (Advanced) in the Zoom web portal.

This will add a “Live Transcript” button to the Zoom toolbar. When you choose auto-transcription from the toolbar via the Live Transcript button attendees will get a notification in their toolbar saying that “Live Transcript is available”.

If you are recording the screen locally using software (ScreenFlow, QuickTime or PowerPoint etc.) you want to have our video recording as clean as possible, so it’s best to select “Hide Subtitle” from the transcript menu. Don’t worry, the attendees will still see them. This also prevents you being distracted by any delay or mis-transcription.

The closed captions will only be saved if you choose the cloud recording option, and you’ll find them in the Recordings section when logged into the Zoom website. Note, the transcription can take a while to show up after the recording appears depending on how long your presentation is.

How to use live closed caption transcriptions in Zoom

The closed captions will only be saved if you choose the cloud recording option, and you’ll find them in the Recordings section when logged into the Zoom web portal. Note, the transcription can take a while to show up after the recording appears depending on how long your presentation is.

To download the captions you can click into any of your videos in the Zoom web portal and download the closed captions .VTT file.

This is an editable text file where you can make any changes to correct mis-transcriptions. You then upload this to the platform you are using to host your videos.

How to download the closed captins .VTT file from Zoom

Editing a raw text file like this is time consuming and a skill in itself.

The Zoom transcriptions are pretty accurate, but live transcriptions always have some lag when shown to your attendees. It’s up to you if you want to show them or not. It’s best to test them with your style and speed of speaking to see if they sync well enough with your slides to be useful in a live environment.

Option 2 – Use a 3rd Party Live Transcription Service

My preferred 3rd-party platform is Otter.ai. It does a really fast job of transcribing live, but more importantly—when we’re talking about making a great video recording—it makes it really easy to edit any mistakes in the transcription.

With Otter, you don’t just get a text file. You get a text editor with the audio connected to it. So if the translation is off, and you don’t remember what you were saying (let’s face it – we all ramble from time to time in a presentation) you can just listen to it and make an edit. Which is much easier than finding the video recording and moving back and forth in it to figure out what you said.

Send live transcriptions from Zoom to Otter.ai

As a paid option it might not make sense for everyone, but if you do a lot of presentations or have a backlog of videos, it’s well worth taking it for a spin, even for just a month.

Here’s how to set up Otter with Zoom for live transcriptions and to get your closed caption files.

  • Open an Otter account (they do have a limited free version to try out too)
  • In the Apps section, add Zoom then follow the setup instructions
  • If you are on a corporate account, your administrator will have to complete some of the steps in the process

Setting Otter up with Zoom - step 1

  • And you’re off to the races.
  • When you’re done, you will have a transcription file you can edit with the audio beside it to double check any mistakes.
  • When exporting the transcription, you have some regular text options, but in terms of closed captions, only one option, the .SRT file. I imagine they will have more to come. This is the original closed caption format that’s widely compatible with video hosting platforms including Wistia. Zoom only has VTT which is a newer format that can include some text formatting information, but not every platform accepts it, and for the most part we don’t need much beyond the right words at the right time.

A cool feature of Otter is that it can recognize different speakers, so if you’re talking with a co-host or another speaker on a panel, it will split those up for you, which can be handy if you’re editing the video to remove another speaker and need to edit them out of the transcription too.

Important note: If you use a 3rd party service, then decide not to use it, or just want to use the regular Zoom feature, you won’t be able to unless you turn off the “Allow live streaming meetings” setting. It took me two hours to solve that problem.

Otter and Zoom

Option 3 – Using a 3rd party service to create closed captions from your final edited video

This is really easy, and again I use Otter for this. You simply upload your video and boom, in a few minutes you have the full, perfectly timed transcription, and as we saw earlier, because the audio is connected to it, editing is quick and easy.

Export as an .SRT file, upload along with your edited video to your video hosting platform, update any visual settings it may have and boom, you are done!

That was a lot of information. But once you’ve gone through these steps and established your audio equipment and settings, webcam, screen recorder, and closed captions, you’re ready to record your magic and then piece it all together afterwards to create a brilliant recording that you can use in your marketing and promotions.

A/V Chapter Appendix – The A/V setup I use for presenting

This is the setup I use for my presentations, and it’s absolutely fantastic. It needs a bigger upfront investment, but if you’re serious about doing professional quality virtual speaking engagements or creating your own video content, it’s a setup that will separate you from most speakers. You don’t need to get to this stage immediately. Just chip away a bit at a time, picking up different pieces of gear, and if you can only afford part of it, focus on a good mic, DIY the lighting, and use free software like DaVinci Resolve for editing.

Note about affiliate links

The table below includes some affiliate links. These generate a small amount of $$ to help with Be the Keynote’s bootstrapped startup costs, and the use of these links is greatly appreciated. They are mainly for equipment that I personally use or have tested for quality. I don’t ever recommend something without standing behind its ability to help you present better. Whenever possible I will recommend different price options.

Sadly, the vast majority of virtual presentations that happend on Zoom just wither and die in the wind because the speaker finished their talk, got up from their desk, wiped the sweat from their brow and went on with their day.

That’s wrong to me on so many levels, and while I don’t blame anyone for it, I hope to inspire anyone reading this ultimate guide to remember a few steps whenever you get down off the virtual stage.

  • Step 1: Congratulate yourself for being brave and awesome enough to get on stage and share your message, style, and voice.
  • Step 2: Take a deep breath and think of the people you helped today.
  • Step 3: High five yourself for remembering to click the record button (you did that, right?)
  • Step 4: Realize that you now have a slice of incredibly valuable and rich audio visual content that you can share, repurpose, and monetize.
  • Step 5: Follow the remaining steps in this chapter to make the most of your newfound bounty.

Seriously, it’s amazing to have high-quality video content. You should be excited.

Before we get to the serious business of stitching together your high-res footage you created from your talk, embed one concept into your memory and do it for every talk you do…

Establishing ownership of your content

This is actually a rewind-in-time piece of advice. As part of your agreement to speak at a virtual event, specify that you’ll be making a your own recording of the presentation. Some contracts give the even all kinds of exclusive ownership rights over the content they produce from your talk, and you want to make sure both parties are aware you’ll also be making a recording.

Now it’s time to:

  • Piece together your high-res footage
  • Figure out what to do with your videos once they are ready

Part 1: Piecing together your high-res footage

Editing video and audio is a mammoth topic that I can’t hope to cover in one chapter, so I’ll focus on the basic aspects you need to know to combine your audio and video captures into one piece. And to do that–you guessed it–we need a bullet list of things to do! Huzzah.

My editing platform of choice is Final Cut Pro which costs a pretty penny, but there are free options available that are amazing when you don’t need all of the serious cinematography features (which I don’t need at all to be honest). DaVinci Resolve is fantastic and most importantly, the free version is amazing and lets you sync your video and audio automatically—which is the number one thing that you’ll need in order to connect all of your recorded footage.

#1 Choose your video editing platform of choice

There are many video editing platforms available at a range of prices: from $0 to $400, and some that are subscription based like Adobe Premiere Pro at $27/month. The table below shows some of the more popular options.

#2 Import the footage from your webcam, screen recording, and audio devices

The first step in your post-production is to get all of your separate files into your platform of choice. These would include:

  • Webcam video
  • Screen recording video
  • System audio
  • Potentially a second camera

The videos below show good ways to do this on the various platforms.

  • How to import audio and video files into DaVinci Resolve
  • How to import audio and video files into ScreenFlow
  • How to import audio and video files into Camtasia
  • How to import audio and video files into Final Cut Pro X
  • How to import audio and video files into Adobe Premiere Pro

#3 Sync your videos with the audio

In order to be able to sync your audio it’s crucial that every video source you record also has the microphone turned on: the computer where you recorded the screen, the webcam, and any secondary video camera you had set up. You won’t use this as it will be of low quality, but it’s what you will use to sync the videos up with your primary audio track. There are two ways to sync the tracks, automatically, and manually. It’s easy to guess which is better.

Syncing automatically

Only a few platforms have an auto-sync feature which is a massive time saver. The ones I’m aware of are: Final Cut Pro X, Adobe Premiere Pro, and DaVinci Resolve – again making Resolve a fantastic choice as it’s free! The videos below show how to do it on the respective platforms.

  • How to auto-sync audio in Final Cut Pro X
  • How to auto-sync audio in Adobe Premiere Pro
  • How to auto-sync audio in DiVinci Resolve

Syncing Manually

As I haven’t had to use this technique (yet), I’ll simply refer you to some good video demos of how it works. There are times that even when auto-sync is avilable it doesn’t work right and will require a bit of manual tweaking, so I’ll include links to a series of videos on how to do this on multiple platforms. In essence though, you want to make sure you clap loudly once or twice once the cameras are rolling to create an audio spike in each of your recordings that you can then line up in your software to sync it to your video files.

  • How to manually sync audio and video in Final Cur Pro X
  • How to manually sync audio and video in Camtasia
  • How to manually sync audio and video in ScreenFlow

#4 Fix whitebalance issues in your webcam video

The most common reasons for whitebalance issues—in simple terms, when you look too blue or too yellow—is having a mixture of different lighting sources that have different temperatue bulbs, or there is a setting on the camera that was set incorrectly.

You can fix this in your editing software, which can be tedious and difficult, so the best way to set yourself up for success is to make sure you include something pure white, grey, and black in your video clip. For best results buy some cards that have accurate representations (with no tint or colour cast).

A cheap option is something like this set of 3 whitebalance cards (affiliate link). And for a more professional option the X-rite Colorchecker Passport Video is very highly regarded.

You hold them up (as close to your face as possible) at the start of your video recording, and then when it comes time to edit the video you can use this to help the software figure out the correct whitebalance. You hold it close to your face because that’s the most important part of the video to get right. As long as your look correct it will all look great.

This is especiallyl crucial if you are using more than one camera to capture different angles, as different camera sensors/software will produce different results, even if y=the colour temperature is set manually to the same value.

For tips on how to fix whitebalance issues, I recommend watching some of these clips.

  • FIX A TERRIBLE White Balance In Davinci RESOLVE
  • Get Perfect Color and Skin Tones With This Chart! << this is a brilliant technique for Final Cut Pro X

One important tip that I learned the hard way, is to do a few things before you start editing. First you should correct the exposure, then do the colour correction, and then start the editing. Because once you start chopping up your video, it gets much harder and more laborious to colour correct a whole bunch of chunked up clips.

#5 Edit out any start and end fluff

Every virtual event involves a host getting things started, chatting to the audience about logistics, often fumbling with the transfer of screen control, and then your intro.

Similarly, there will be aspects of the ending (and perhaps in the middle, especially if there is more than one speaker) that aren’t part of your presentation.

You don’t want any of this in your final recording. When you use your recording to promote yourself as a speaker, whether it’s to event organizers, on YouTube, on your speaker page, or as part of a paid training course, your audience will be immediately turned off if the video starts with “Hi everyone, we’ll be starting the webinar in a few minutes. We’re just waiting for the last few folks to trickle in….”

how to give a presentation via zoom

Watch how to quickly cut unwanted sections out of your video.

#6 Edit out any technical glitches

While you’re at it… Unless it was a very sunny blue moon in June, there will be technical glitches in your talk that caused an interruption.

Your audience will suffer through glitches with you in a live event, and they will love you for dealing with it with grace and good humour. But in a recording it’s just annoying and shows that you didn’t care enough to fix the video.

If you’re asking for an email address or cash money for your videos, you need to crank up your production. Even the most basic video editing software makes this a simple task. And if you’re new to it, choose a platform, start a 30-day trial and make it happen.

#7 Edit out any other speakers or people you don’t want in there

It’s pretty common to have more than one speaker on a webinar format presentation. Often it’s you (the guest) and someone from the company putting on the event, and you don’t want their content in your video.

To remove them, quickly scrub through the video to find where they start and end, and cut them out.

If you are using Otter.ai for closed captions, you can look at the transcription to see where each speaker starts and ends (as it identifies them based on the sound of your voices). This can help you figure out where the timestamps are in the video if there is a lot of switching back and forth.

If you are on a panel or a co-hosted webinar where discussion is occurring between you and someone else, be careful that removing a section doesn’t hurt the context and quality of your content. If it needs to be in there, leave it, but aim for it to be your content only. The logistics of charging money or capturing leads with content that’s not exclusively yours are a pain in the butt.

#8 Add a logo animation to the start (and/or end) of your videos

This is a more advanced addition to your video, but if you intend on making many videos—either lots of events, or if you’re recording other instructional videos as part of your content marketing—you will want to have a branded intro.

Your logo might be your company logo or your own personal brand name logo.

You can see many examples of these if you browse YouTube. Most often it’s a short (3-10 second) logo animation with some accompanying sound effects or music.

If you want to take this approach, you can find many people on Fiverr.com who will do it for a very reasonable price. This is what I did for Be the Keynote.

Hire a logo animator on Fiverr to design you a video bunper for your virtual presentation recordings

#9 Export your video

In terms of which resolution you should export your videos at, it really depends on where you’re going to host it. If it’s YouTube, Wistia, Vimeo etc. they encode multiple versions (720/1080/4k) if you upload a 4K, and will show the best quality available to viewers based on their Internet connection.

However, if you have storage limitations (say for the plan level you have with a paid platform) or you’re hosting on your own server, 1080p will be just fine for most situations.

#10 Upload to your video hosting platform(s)

Once you’ve uploaded your video to your hosting platform of choice, you need to work on making it findable. In YouTube you need to add the following elements:

  • Title. Read How to choose an effective YouTube video title
  • Description. Read How to create a good YouTube video description
  • Thumbnail image (explained in next section)

#11 Choose the default video thumbnail image (poster frame)

Video platforms typically allow you to choose how the video will look in it’s static mode, i.e. what do you see before you hit the play button. The default will be the first frame of your video which could be blank or some awkward shot of you looking blurry with a weird expression.

It’s absolutely essential that you replace the default image with another one (if it’s not already awesome). You can do this in a number of ways.

  • You can create your own custom image and upload it
  • You can choose the best of the auto-suggested thumbnails (YouTube does this)
  • You can scrub (dragging the timeline slider) through the video until you find a frame you like and tell the software to capture this frame as the thumbnail (also called a poster frame). This is a feature that Wistia offers and makes it really fast and easy.

How to choose a video thumbnail in Wistia

Why should I customize the poster frame?

There have been many studies about click-through rate (the % of visitors on a page who play your video) based on the choice of thumbnail image. What seems to often work best is something quirky, strange or enticing. But almost all of the time you’ll want to make sure it’s your face (or full body if you recorded standing up) because we tend to react to faces staring at us.

To create a really clickable poster frame you should get in the habit of striking a fun pose at some point – either before the event starts, at the end or during if you are having fun.

For greater consistency in many videos, you can stage a photo shoot setup, and use it to take photos for the poster frame  each time, adding fun props or expressions.

5 Common Thumbnail Mistakes (and How You Can Fix Them) by Wistia is a good read.

#12 Add and edit closed captions if you have any

If you want to have closed captions as an option to your viewers, you’ll either have hard-recorded them into the screen video if you had live translation turned on in Zoom, or you can create them now you have a finished video: either through an automated service that will require some editing, or via a real-person service that will be more accurate and remove most of the manual labour.

If you used the Zoom cloud recordings feature, you will receive a .VTT transcription file, which isn’t always an import option for platforms (Wistia requires a .SRT file). You are fine with .VTT if you’re using YouTube.

Editing the captions is a bit of a pain unless you have a platform that makes it easy, such as Otter.ai. And there are a few factors to consider when exporting/editing the closed caption file.

In terms of how the captions appear, you want to only show one line at a time (two max). 32-40 characters per line is the general standard.

Automated captions can be great, but for the tightest voice-caption match, I like to do some editing to make sure the timing is punchy.

#13 Publish your video – and start optimizing for search

Your penultimate step is to publish your video. Once that’s done you need to run some test queries in the YouTube search bar to see if the video is findable for your desired search terms. It’s unlikely you’ll rank well to begin with – you just want to make sure it is findable – so keep clicking through the pages of search results until you find it.

Over time—with some promotion from you—you’ll build up likes and comments and this will help it to rank better.

There is a lot of content available to help you increase your ranking. Here are a few places to start:

  • How to Get Your Videos Discovered on YouTube
  • YouTube SEO: How to Optimize Videos for YouTube Search

Part 2: What to do with your videos once they’re ready

Here are some things you should do with your new clump of gold.

#1 Add clickable elements to drive action

Having clickable elements in your videos has long been a source of pain for marketers and content creators, partly because YouTube keeps changing the rules.

Annotations? Yay! Nay. Cards? Yay! End screens? They keep changing the name of the type of link and how they work. Then they change the rules and and take away the feature leaving your videos are full of moments with you pointing to the corner of the screen expecting people to have something to do. Not to mention that some of the features are limited to being a YouTube partner.

Not a huge deal, but it comes with a certain level of anxiety and uncertainty about the long-term reliability of how you’re recording your videos.

For more info on the types of available in-video links on YouTube, the YouTube Creator Academy is a good place to start.

In truth, the best way to control interactive elements in your videos is to use a platform that you are in control of.

Wistia is my platform of choice—full disclosure, there are a sponsor of Be the Keynote—because they are awesome, I only partner with awesome companies, and I’ve been using Wistia for nearly a decade.

Types of Interactive Elements in Wistia Videos

In the top-right corner of the image below is what they call an annotation (similar to a YouTube annotation which is now called a card?!?!!?!?).

Use Wistia annotations to get people to click

Another style is the fullscreen Call to Action (CTA). This is a good way to make sure your intended action is noticed.

Wistia full-screen calls to action (CTAs) are a great way to guarantee a link is noticed.

Both of these types of interaction can be placed anywhere in your video’s timeline (and as many times as you like) and can be easily turned off if needed.

I still use YouTube to host versions of my videos on my channel as they are very well indexed for search—because Google owns YouTube. But whenever I need to embed one of my videos on my website or on a landing page I embed the Wistia version. Not only is it a superior experience, but you don’t have to worry about YouTube injecting ads or showing related videos that aren’t yours at the end.

Wistia has really good analytics so you can see how far through the video they watched, and spikes to show areas that seemed to drive particular interest. Super cool.

You can also add forms for collecting leads which they call Turnstiles (you can’t do THAT on YouTube).

#2 Use a form to collect leads from your videos

If you’re not generating leads from your videos, you’re doing yourself a disservice. Wistia calls a form in their videos a “Turnstile”. Essentially it’s a gate you have to move through in order to access the wonderland of your video (you can make the form optional).

Here’s what a turnstile looks like:

A wistia turnstile is a form embedded in your videos to collect leads.

#3 Include a promotion to help monetize your video content

Being salesy in your virtual presentations is a giant turnoff for your audience. But in the video you make from your recording you can add anything you like. I don’t mean you should be salesy, but people watching a free educational video will be fairly receptive to a midway promotion that’s relevant and beneficial to them.

This is the benefit of having your own raw footage, you have a piece of content that you own, that you can work with and optimize so it gives you the best possible return on your investment.

#4 Add your recording to your speaker page for event organizers to watch

When a conference organizer is researching speakers for their event, the two things they consider above all else are referrals from other speakers they trust, and the ability to watch you in action on video. You absolutely must have a speaker landing page which contains your bio, videos, photos, and testimonials.

#5 Upload your best speaker reel videos to YouTube

Your speaker page might not rank very well in organic search, so if you want conference organizers to find you and your speaker reel videos, stick them on YouTube because it’s the easiest way for your content to show up in search results.

The typical view from your webcam looks a litle like the image below. It’s pretty good, and I have an interesting background stage setup to add interest, but it’s still quite distracting.

There are many ways to set up a webcam, but probably the most interesting and styish I’ve seen is to use your phone with the Camo App by Reincubate (currently iPhone and in beta for Windows). It’s designed to turn you phone into a really sexy and controllable webcam.

Most new smartphones have phenomenal cameras in them—I just got the iPhone 12 Pro and it’s awesome.

The reason Camo is so good is the amount of photographic control you can get over your phone’s camera. It allows you to do more than the iPhone’s built-in controls, and has a portrait-mode blur effect that give a nice shallow depth of field. I’d love to try it with an Android as they have aperture control built in.

You can also control the ISO, contrast, saturation, colour temperature etc. and if you choose the right angle for the shot the end result looks quite documentarian’ish << is that even a word?

Apps like Camo can create cinematic looking video for your virtual presentations webcam

Props to my man JP Holecka for showing me Camo and this great over-the-monitor camera angle.

It looks like I’m being interviewed on a documentary, versus being stared at straight in the face.

There can be a bit of lag between the audio and video which I need to investigate, but even if it doesn’t work live, it can be an awesome extra camera angle to include in your final video recording as a picture-in-picture option. I wouldn’t spend much time with it filling the whole screen as the portrait mode does give some weird artifacts around your edges (like when using Zoom backgrounds), but if you use it a bit smaller you don’t really see them.

In this shot I turned off my main ceiling lights, use a key and fill light, and had some Edison bulbs shining on the wall behind. It looks pretty awesome.

Intro Introduction to Virtual Presentations on Zoom

Chapter 1 18 Cool Zoom Features You Should Know About

Chapter 2 12 Things You Should Do in Your Zoom Presentation

Chapter 3 8 Things You Shouldn’t Do in Your Zoom Presentation

Chapter 4 Defining Your Presentation’s Purpose

Chapter 5 How to Define Your Talk’s Structure, Story, & Flow

Chapter 6 41 Slide Design Tips for Virtual Presentations

Chapter 7 6 Ways to Make Eye Contact With an Invisible Audience

Chapter 8 How to do Audience Participation in a Virtual Presentation

Chapter 9 How to Share Content during a Zoom Presentation

Chapter 10 How to Create a Stunning Video and Audio Recording

Chapter 11 Using Post-Production to Add Value to Your Zoom Recording

Chapter 12 How to Use Your Phone as a Beautiful Webcam

Chapter 13 What to Do When Things go Wrong in Your Presentation

Chapter 14 How to Ground Yourself and Get Ready to Present

Chapter 15 Advanced & Creative Zoom Presentation Techniques

Chapter 16 The Difference Between Zoom Meetings and Zoom Webinars

Chapter 17 23 Zoom Settings to Enable or Disable for a Smooth Presentation

Presenting Via Zoom

What’s the same.

Many of the principles of good presentations will carry over to the online format. For example, excellent presentations should still:

  • Provide relevant information
  • Be well organized
  • Keep your audience engaged
  • Use visual aids that rely more on images than text
  • Use visual aids that are a supplement, not a replacement for the verbal presentation. 

Even with a mediated presentation, the way you present information is important along with the content you are presenting. Your verbal and nonverbal delivery matter.

What is Different?

Audiences can engage with speakers differently.

You can use chat windows and discussion spaces to get more instantaneous feedback from audiences. You can also more easily provide supplemental resources by giving links.

Organization becomes even more important

Because the audience is not physically present and they clearly have an electronic device in front of them, it’s easier than ever for them to get lost. Be extra deliberate in providing a roadmap for your organization and then referring back to that road map can help keep people on track.

Your environment is more adjustable

You have more control over the environment than you would in a classroom. Be sure your background is as professional and simple as possible to avoid distractions. Use adequate lighting. While the ideal is to have lighting from three sides (one above, two that are more to the front and side), being sure you can be seen and that there is not a light source (window or lamp) directly behind you will be sufficient. Light sources directly behind you tend to put you in shadows. 

You also have more flexibility about how you are seen. Ideally, you will position your camera and yourself so that you are visible from approximately the waist up and take up the majority of the screen. If possible, stand up for the presentation as you would in class. If you cannot stand up for some reason, be sure you are in a stable chair that doesn’t roll or spin to reduce the chances you will make distracting movements.

Technology is vital

Even more so than a presentation that requires you to use PowerPoint, presenting via Zoom has the potential to expose problems with technology. Be sure to  test all of your equipment before your presentation begins. (Here is more information on support and technology tips from LITS.) 

More Zoom Resources

  • Adding Virtual Backgrounds
  • Teaching Via Zoom
  • Zoom for Students

Office / Department Name

Oral Communication Center

Contact Name

Amy Gaffney

Oral Communication Center Director

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Don't start your work presentations by simply saying 'hello.' Here's how to be more engaging in the conference room.

  • I'm a public-speaking expert, and I've trained many executives and senior teams.
  • I tell all of them to stop starting work presentations with a salutation or a "hello."
  • Instead, you should engage your audience by telling a story or asking a question.

Insider Today

I'm sure you've sat through plenty of presentations where the presenter starts with a polite salutation like, "Hello, thank you for having me here today," or, "I am so glad to be here" — often followed by their name and professional résumé . Sometimes, if it's an internal meeting, you get the same salutations followed by an agenda slide with bullet points and the presenter narrating it.

As a public-speaking coach who has worked with many executives and senior teams, I know how to make work presentations more engaging. Here's how you should change your approach.

If you stick to your old ways, you aren't leaving a memorable first impression

Your audience is thinking three things when you walk into that conference room or onto that stage: Who is this person, why should I care, and how are they going to solve my problem?

Let's face it: Most people are more interested in how you will solve their problem than in you and your professional résumé. So let's flip the script a bit. Start with the solution to their problem, briefly talk about yourself for credibility, and then give them a reason to care.

Instead, try to capture their attention

Begin your presentation with a hook or a story — something that grabs their attention right from the start. For instance, your hook might be, "Did you know this?" or "What if that?" It could also be a short story that humanizes your services or products.

Most presentations are predictable; wouldn't it be better for both your time and your audience if you could introduce an element of surprise?

Some might feel it rude not to thank the organizer or greet the audience, so I suggest finding another place in your presentation for this. Here's a good structure:

Intro: "What if you could be a more confident and credible presenter? What if you could engage with your audience so they remember your products or services?"

Credibility: "My name is Meridith, and I've been coaching entrepreneurs and executives on how to speak with spark for over a decade, and I am really excited to be here. I want to thank [insert name] for inviting me to share the afternoon with you."

Solution: "Today, I will give you three ways to make your audience remember your products and services, helping you stand out in a competitive market. Let's get this party started!"

You could also try to form a personal connection

Often, presentations lack a personal touch. Try sharing a relevant personal anecdote or experience that relates to your topic. This not only makes your work presentation more relatable but also helps to establish a deeper connection with your audience.

For example, you could say: "When I was younger, I often hid in the back of the classroom, hoping the teacher wouldn't call on me because I didn't want to sound stupid or have the wrong answer. Later in life, I discovered acting and improv comedy . It was through the practice of these two art forms that I developed my confidence and learned how to engage more courageously with others. Today, I will give you solutions for how you can also better engage your audience with spark."

Try to encourage interaction

At the very least, you should try to engage your audience from the beginning — whether in person or on virtual calls. You can ask a thought-provoking question or propose a challenge that involves them directly. This approach shifts the dynamic to more interactive and engaging sessions.

If you implement any of these suggestions, you can make your presentation memorable and impactful immediately. And you'll most likely get a larger return on your investment of time and energy.

In today's fast-paced world, where attention spans are increasingly shorter than ever, it's crucial to grab and hold your audience's attention from the very beginning. By doing so, you set the stage for a more engaging and productive interaction. So challenge yourself to break free from presentation norms and embrace a style that resonates deeply with your audience and leaves a lasting impression.

how to give a presentation via zoom

Watch: A public speaking champion reveals 3 keys to nailing your business presentation

how to give a presentation via zoom

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  2. How to Give a Presentation on Zoom? [A Step-by-Step Guide!]

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  3. How to Give a Presentation on Zoom? [A Step-by-Step Guide!]

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  5. The Best Zoom Meeting Setup: 5 Strategies For Successful Virtual Office

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  1. Zoom Presentation Product Part

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    To give a presentation on Zoom, first, start by joining a meeting. Now open the presentation file on your computer and share the slides on Zoom using its "Share Screen" feature. You should test your camera, mic, speaker, and internet connection before you start with your presentation.

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  4. The Ultimate Guide to Giving Virtual Presentations on Zoom

    Kinda. To access the feature (beta at time of writing) click the "Advanced" tab in the "Share Screen" popup, and select "Slides as Virtual Background". This is what it looks like from the attendee's perspective. And yes, you appear twice on the screen. Once on top of your slides, and again beside them.

  5. How to properly present PowerPoint slides in Zoom

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  7. 11 Essential Tips for Presenting on Zoom

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  10. 17 Zoom Tips for Effective and Engaging Remote Presentations

    How to prepare your Zoom presentation The planning phase is one of the most critical, as it's where you'll decide your topics, your major discussion beats, and where you'll elaborate. You may not be using a teleprompter, but you will be creating a loose script.

  11. How to Present on Zoom: Google Slides and Powerpoint Presentation Guide

    Simply click/tap on the 'Share Screen' button in the Zoom client — both PC and mobile — and you're good to go. Related: How to use Zoom Filters Remember you'll need a sharing key or meeting key for this to work. If you don't have access to either, you must share your screen while you're in a meeting.

  12. 5 Tips for delivering great ZOOM presentations like a pro

    Introduction 5 Tips for delivering great ZOOM presentations like a pro. Rich Mulholland 7.29K subscribers Subscribe Subscribed 225K views 3 years ago Technology is always changing, and so...

  13. Screen sharing a PowerPoint presentation

    There are three methods you can use to screen share a PowerPoint presentation in a Zoom meeting. If you have dual monitors, you can share a slide show while viewing the presenter's notes on another monitor.

  14. 7 Zoom Presentation Tips to Make You Look and Sound More Professional

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  15. Zoom presentation tips to bring human connection into virtual meetings

    Avoid that "first look tension" when joining a Zoom meeting. Go to Settings >Audio and mute your mic when joining a meeting to control the first sound. Under the Settings > Video settings, check the " Stop my video when joining the meeting " so that you can always greet your team with a smile and a wave.

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    Tip 2. Practise using Zoom's tools . If you're not that familiar with Zoom then it makes sense to have a few practise runs before an online presentation or meeting. There are many tools on Zoom that you may need to use such as 'share screen', 'change background', and the 'mute button'.

  19. 7 Zoom Presentation Tips to Bring your Virtual Events to ...

    Tip #5 - Tell a Story. Storytelling is powerful. Suppose you can build stories or examples into your presentation that illustrate your message. In that case, your Zoom presentation will be much more memorable and your audience will feel more emotionally invested in the stories that you tell. Case studies, direct quotes or real-life examples ...

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    In the Apps section, add Zoom then follow the setup instructions. If you are on a corporate account, your administrator will have to complete some of the steps in the process. Once the apps are connected, you need to "Allow live streaming meetings" option in Zoom and check the "Custom Live Streaming Service" option.

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    Make "eye contact" through your Zoom webcam. When hosting a Zoom virtual meeting, don't let your attention wander elsewhere. Avoid looking at yourself on the screen or spotting something outside your window. Direct eye contact into the camera gives your participants the feeling that you're engaged in the conversation.

  22. Tips & Guides

    Presenting Via Zoom If you've been asked to give a presentation via Zoom (or another web conferencing platform), you may be wondering how that compares to what you would have done in class. This tip sheet can give you some ideas of what carries over from face-to-face presentations and what might need to be thought of differently. What's the same?

  23. How to Start a Work Presentation, Be Engaging: Public Speaking Expert

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