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Every month, we host a webinar for churches on presentation skills, where we invite attendees to share their tips on what makes a confident and engaging presentation – and quite frankly, the comments are always gold.
Take a read of the most frequently recommended tips and ideas help you present with confidence:
Gather your essentials – Don’t let a dry throat or a low battery knock you off your flow. Keep your essential items to hand whilst on camera. Ours are always water, tissues and chargers!
Remove distractions – Before you begin, go to the room or location you will be filming in. What can you see and hear? A noisy road, ticking clock, books, pictures, or a flickering light can all be a distraction. Remove what you can or relocate if necessary.
Get comfortable – If you do not feel at ease, it will come across to those watching. So, take time to notice what you need to present with confidence – wear your slippers, practise in the mirror, or put a do-not-disturb sign on the door. Whatever you need to feel your best!
Be Human – Authenticity is more important than a slick performance. Brush off mistakes and use humour if appropriate. Your audience will find this relatable and probably will not notice a tiny stumble.
Welcome – The first few seconds of your video is your opportunity to connect with those who are watching. Welcome, smile and set the tone for the rest of the video. A warm welcome will invite viewers to watch for longer.
Share a story – Telling a story early on in a compelling way of presenting because it is relatable! Draw viewers in with a story from your week. If you can, make it relevant to the topic to create an engaging introduction.
Expression – Communicate your passion for a topic through voice and facial expressions. Your enthusiasm will rub off on those who are watching and make the subject - no matter what it is - more captivating.
Make eye contact – If you were presenting to a room of people, you would look around the room and make eye contact to include and connect. Not making any eye contact can make the presenter look disinterested. On camera, we can not see everyone watching at home. Instead, look into the camera and smile - it will have the same effect.
Be conversational – Talk to viewers as if you were together in the same room, making it more like a friendly conversation, than a lecture.
Invite engagement - The quick catch-ups on the way in, a hug from the person you sit down next to or saying the peace to one another. All these moments of engagement are so important. We can not replicate these moments online, but digital tools can help. At the start, invite viewers to say hello or share a good news story in the chat. If you are broadcasting live, do read them out and say hello. If pre-recording, still invite people to interact, but once you publish the video, make sure to reply to comments when they come in.
Pause if needed – You may feel the pressure to fill every second whilst on camera, but taking a deliberate pause can help your viewers and you! If you are nervous, take a sip of water to collect your thoughts, ask a question and pause to reflect. One or two of these moments may help you keep the nerves in check.
Have you found these tips useful? Attend the webinar on Presentaion skills to learn more about preparing, setting-up and presenting with confidence.