HOW TO IMRPOVE YOUR ONLINE PUBLIC SPEAKING SKILLS
Some of you may be perfectly comfortable giving your public speaking speech in front of a crowd. Online, however? You might find that your usual tricks do not work quite as well.
Speaking and presenting online is unlike being on stage, you are suddenly met with new challenges and restrictions you would never face otherwise. With this new digital age we have found ourselves thrust into, online presenting has become an important skill we need to master.
Can your audience see you? Are they enjoying your presentation? Are you engaging with them enough? Are your hand gestures or body language not getting across as well as you would like? Do you find the framing of a webcam too restrictive?
These are all questions I’m sure at least some of you have asked when giving a presentation or a speech.
Whether you are new to public speaking, or you are just trying to make the most out of this new medium, I would like to share…
5 TIPS THAT WILL BENEFIT YOUR ONLINE PUBLIC SPEAKING SKILLS
TIP NUMBER 1: STAND UP!
When we use our computers, we naturally sit down. It is not too confusing then, that most people tend to give their online speeches sitting down as well.
However, when you are giving a speech in-person, you stand up. Have you ever wondered why?
It is not just for being polite, but when you stand you have a lot more room to work with. You can stretch your hands, you can use your feet. In short, you can be far more expressive when you give a speech on your feet, and this applies for online public speaking as well. Standing gives you more freedom with your body, and this will greatly benefit your speech.
So in your next presentation, try standing, you will will have far more energy and enthusiasm than you had sitting down.
TIP NUMBER 2: FRAME YOURSELF
So now you are on your feet, but where is your camera? Can the audience still see you? How much of your body is visible, and how far are you tilting your head to look at the camera?
Moving your camera and framing yourself is more than just making sure you do not give yourself neck pains. It is also to make sure that your amazing hand gestures and body movements never wander off frame and to ensure you are the focus of the audiences’ screen at all times.
There are 2 things you need to take into consideration when framing yourself for an online presentation:
1) Raise your camera.
Now that you are standing, if your webcam is still on your desk, then you are most likely craning your neck down to look at it. You do not want this.
Looking down will not only hurt your neck after a long speech, but the angle will look weird for your audience. With the camera pointing up, it looks like you are looking down on your audience. It gives your speech an oppressive feel to it.
Raise your camera, if you are on a laptop or tablet, raise your device by placing it on boxes and books. Keep your camera level with your eye level, so that you are looking straight at them.
2) Center yourself, and keep your head and arms in frame.
To ensure that you are at the focus to your audience’s screens, you have to frame yourself properly.
Firstly, keep yourself centered. A good trick is to use the rule of 3s, splitting your camera’s image into a 3 by 3 grid, so that you know if you are leaning to close one side or not.
Secondly, ensure that there is a good distance between the top of your head, and the top of your camera’s frame, as well as lift your arms up, give them a little wave to make sure that your hand gestures will not be lost while you deliver your speech.
Your arms are not visible enough? Move back and give yourself more space. Are you too small that your head barely reaches the top 3rd of your screen? Move forward.
With these steps, you will frame yourself nicely, and you will not have to fear your audience missing out on your facial expressions, hand gestures or body language during your speech.
TIP NUMBER 3: CLEAR YOUR BACKGROUND
This tip is very simple, but equally important, and that is to ensure that your background remains clean, and clear of any obstructions or distractions.
Delivering in your speech in a crowded room is greatly discouraged. Not only can the obstructions be dangerous, accidentally hitting an arm against a shelf while doing your gestures for example. But it can also be very distracting. If your background is your office, and you have an impressive bookshelf behind you, audiences might get distracted, looking at the books behind you and examining what kind of reader you are instead of listening to your speech.
If you are presenting in a crowded room in your house, a family member might accidentally wander into frame in the background distracting not just the audience, but potentially yourself.
Ideally, the best place to present is somewhere empty and wide enough for your to stand and walk around for a bit. Keep the wall behind you bare, to reduce any distractions.
Of course, you can tweak this rule if it suits your presentation. Maybe you are speaking about a library, or you are speaking as an expert, then you can use your background itself as a prop, and that bookshelf will have a place behind you as you give your talk.
But use this smartly. In most cases, an empty background would be the best for your speech.
TIP NUMBER 4: LOOK AT THE CAMERA
Instintually, when we give a speech, we look at the audience. Whenever anyone teaches you how to do public speaking, looking at your audience is always drilled into us as being something we have to do. Look at them, and maintain eye contact.
But when you are online, looking at your audience is not the same as giving eye contact.
In an online setting, looking at your audience is actually just you looking at your screen. If you want to give your audience that eye contact, you have to look straight at the camera.
Of course, you should not be staring straight at the camera throughout your speech. You need to look at the audience too, to see their reactions, if any are raising their hands to ask a question. 80% of your speech should be spent looking at your camera, to give your audience that ever important eye contact.
TIP NUMBER 5: USE YOUR 3-D SPACE
Our final tip is using your 3-D space around you. When you give your speech, you might find that the space you are given is far more limited than if you were on a stage. Especially in terms of moving left or right. But there is one level of space you can use, one that was briefly mentioned earlier in this blog:
Forwards and backwards.
At Tip Number 2, about framing yourself nicely, I mentioned moving back and forth to find the best position. This can be your starting position, where you will stand for most of your speech. But you can still move around, and you can use this to great effect!
Need to say something loud, or use hand wide sweeping hand gestures that may go out of frame? Step back and make yourself smaller to give yourself more space. Want to emphasise something, or whisper a “secret” to your audience, you can lean closer to the camera to be more intimate or personal with your audience.
Using this 3-D space is great in really making your speeches stand out, as well as being more engaging to your audience. It can be used to such great effect and will greatly bring out more energy out of your speech.
Those were 6 tips to improve your online public speaking Skills! Try these tips next time, whether it be a Toastmasters speech, or an office presentation. You will notice a difference in not just your audience’s engagement, but also how much easier it will be to present online!
