Even when you’ve got everything else right – the message, the lighting, the sound and so on, your energy can be the difference between a great presentation and a poor one.
Energy is not the same as being shouty and moving around a lot (the technical term for which is ‘being really annoying’).
The opposite doesn’t work either – being slumped in a chair, reading through a few slides in a monotone is guaranteed to make your audience suddenly ‘have problems with my internet’.
The right amount of energy for online delivery is ‘TV news reader’. News readers are focused, clear, concise and poised.
You can achieve the same by doing the following:
Warm-up (see above) before you start your presentation. Make sure that your voice is ready, and that you’re psychologically ‘in the zone’.
Smile just before you’re ‘on’.
Sit near the front of your chair (bear with me here) and place your feet flat on the floor. This makes your torso more upright and gives you more ‘presence’. Then, place one foot slightly in front of the other. You’ll find that you naturally start leaning a little towards the front foot, and this helps you to ‘send your energy’ into the camera lens. I know it sounds like witchcraft, but trust me – it really does work!
Make sure that you’re not physically cramped – you need to be able to use your hands a little when you’re presenting, to affirm your messages.
Vary your vocal speed, tone and emphasis.
Commit to your message, and ‘selling’ it to the audience. This begins authentic energy to your presenting style. If you believe it, they’ll believe it.
Don’t be afraid to pause. Just as a candle looks brighter in the dark, energy is enhanced by a pause.
Keep your meetings short – no one can be energetic all day!
