PRESENTATION GUILD WHITEPAPER

THE FUTURE OF PRESENTATIONS

IN A VIRTUAL WORLD INTRODUCTION

For the last two decades, there has platforms for virtual worlds and been a steady increase in remote virtual reality spaces sprung up to presentations, as video and online create more immersive environments. collaboration platforms have facilitated With the challenges of a remote- new ways of working and connecting work culture, the bar is set high for with one another. virtual presentations to be engaging, The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic compelling, and inspiring—all while dramatically accelerated this trend leveraging the latest technology in a toward remote work and virtual way that supports and enhances presentations across organizations of messaging. all sizes, industries, and regions. Nearly Whether for sales, education, everyone—business professionals, inspiration, or internal teachers, medical workers, communications, virtual presentations newscasters, actors, government will continue to play a vital role in how officials, and many others—have had to people communicate. adapt and make virtual presentations and collaboration the norm. Presenters must understand the current and leading practices of virtual While the pendulum will eventually presentations to cut through the noise swing back to more in-person and engage audiences. interactions, a large percentage of virtual presentations are here to stay, In May of 2020, the Presentation Guild as remote work is normalized. invited a panel of diverse industry experts to explore these emerging In response, software developers capabilities and how presenters can significantly enhanced video- succeed in this increasingly digitized conferencing and remote world. Their in-depth discussion about collaboration platforms. Traditional the latest trends and best practices vendors raced to expand their informed this overview. software’s current features. New

THE FUTURE OF PRESENTATIONS IN A VIRTUAL WORLD | INTRODUCTION 2 EXPERTS

SANDY JOHNSON NANCY DUARTE PATTI SANCHEZ President of Founder and CEO CSO of Duarte, Inc. Presentation Guild of Duarte, Inc.

Sandy helps presenters PowerPoint Nancy is a communication expert who Patti writes books, creates responsibly. A certified Woman has been featured in Fortune, Time frameworks, and helps clients connect Owned Business Enterprise, Sandy Magazine, Forbes, Fast Company, with audiences through persuasive has been creating presentations for Wired, Wall Street Journal, New York presentations and story-based corporations and individuals around Times, Cosmopolitan, LA Times, and communications. She is the co-author the globe since 2001 and has been a CNN. Her firm, Duarte, Inc., is the of the award-winning book, Illuminate: PowerPoint MVP since 2008. global leader behind some of the most Ignite Change Through Speeches, For the Presentation Guild, she served influential visual messages in business Stories, Ceremonies, and Symbols. as Vice President and as President; and culture. she remains an active member. While I value the highest quality of The more complex our data gets, storytelling, I don’t want anyone to Communication is a vital skill and the more people try to make it look feel so intimidated that they don’t hopefully colleges and universities fancy instead of understandable. think they could tell a story well. start to focus more, help people Instead, you need to find the We have to break it down to simple become better at communicating, problem or opportunity in the data, processes, simple techniques, so and teach them the tools to communicate those challenges and that anyone can start and get facilitate improved communication. opportunities, and then shape the better over time. As experts, it’s our communication to guide people responsibility to make that towards the right direction. expertise accessible.

DR. NICK MORGAN CLIFF ATKINSON Communication Expert, PETER ARVAI Communications Keynote Speaker, Co-Founder and CEO expert, keynote and Author of Prezi speaker, and author

Since establishing his business, Public Peter’s mission is to combine Cliff is a communications consultant to Words, in 1997, Nick has become a storytelling with technology to help leading attorneys and Fortune 500 communications coach and theorist, people make better-informed companies. His bestselling book Beyond acclaimed author, keynote speaker, decisions. Through Prezi, he empowers Bullet Points, expands on approaches and popular blogger. He focuses on over 100 million users to create and and techniques he has taught body language, storytelling, and share ideas with the world’s largest internationally at top law firms, communication techniques. library of digital presentations. government agencies, business schools, and corporations around the country.

I’ve been working with clients to Polished content isn’t necessarily incorporate holograms in meaningful. If we want to take our Our job is to teach someone to how presentations and that still looks business away from the polish—or distil; how to take complexity and like magic. I think it’s a way to up the even more extreme form of that make it understandable. Lawyers our game in the speaking world and manipulation—we have to become deal with complex ideas, so I tried bring back the awe, spectacle, and servants of people’s processes to at a conference to have them write wonder to presentations. help them understand and learn. a haiku of their case and within four minutes, they got right to the emotional heart of it.

THE FUTURE OF PRESENTATIONS IN A VIRTUAL WORLD | EXPERTS 3 EXPERTS

ALBERTO CAIRO YULIA BARNAKOVA Professor and Knight Digital and Innovation KEN MOLAY Chair of Visual Journalism, Consultant, Visual President, Webinar Data Visualization, and Communication Success Infographics at the Futurist University of Miami (UM)

Ken has been producing and delivering Yulia helps clients across industries As the director of the visualization business webinars since 1999. His stay ahead of technology disruption, program at UM’s Institute for Data background in public speaking, radio, bridging the digital divide for leaders Science and Computing, Alberto has stage acting, and training has given and organizations. She regularly also authored several textbooks, him a unique perspective on what it experiments with new technology to consults businesses and institutions, takes to create a compelling and see what’s next in visual and provides visualization training to effective presentation. communication, sharing insights in her major firms around the globe. blogs and video tutorials, which have been viewed over 7 million times. She Look at the different pieces that are We shouldn’t care so much about involved in presentation—you’ve is a Principal in the Digital & Innovation new techniques or tools; they are got the materials, the training for Practice at Heidrick & Struggles and a important, but secondary to caring designing a presentation as an recipient of the Microsoft MVP award. about democratizing what we entire concept, the transport already have. Closing the gap of mechanism, then you’ve got the people who can create and read network side of things, and finally It’s critical to envision how data visualization, especially in the the speaking skills. technology is disrupting the future business world—focus more on of communication, then get creative education rather than development. and experiment with digital tools to engage audiences in more powerful and immersive ways. JOHN RAHMLOW Webinar Expert and Presentation Guild Director

John Rahmlow is a presentation designer and presenter with decades of experience across a variety of industries. He recently retired from one of the leading financial services companies in the world where he was responsible for delivering hundreds of webinars each year. John is currently the Events Director for the Presentation Guild.

You always have to keep in mind that your audiences are working with different tools—so using things like video and transitions, people will get them at different times and potentially get different lags. We’ve still got some ways (to go) before virtual presentations have the same impact as in-person, so (connection speeds) need to get faster and improve the tools to ensure a more seamless message for the end user.

THE FUTURE OF PRESENTATIONS IN A VIRTUAL WORLD | EXPERTS 4 CONTENTS

6 The Rising Bar for Presentations 7 Emerging Trends Reshaping Presentations Authenticity Becoming Increasingly Valued “Presentations” Being Redefined Interactivity Increasingly Critical Media Seamlessly Blending Together Accessibility and Inclusivity AI-Based Democratization of Design Storytelling with data Presentation Delivery Coaching with AI On the Horizon: Virtual Worlds and Holographic Telepresence 12 Building Presentation Capabilities for the Future Develop a Professional Setup for Virtual Presentations Be Concise in Your Messaging Amp Up Your Storytelling Engage and Interact with the Audience Experiment with New Tools and Techniques Staying on the Cutting Edge of Virtual Presentations 14 The Presentation Guild

THE FUTURE OF PRESENTATIONS IN A VIRTUAL WORLD | CONTENTS 5 THE RISING BAR FOR PRESENTATIONS

Over the decades, presentations people are flooded with updates, evolved from slide carousels and alerts, and 24-hour content cycles all [These days], people don't overhead transparencies, to vying for attention. PowerPoint slides and beyond. want polished/slick, it feels “Meme culture” boosted expectations However, more so than any of these for highly visual, entertaining, and insincere. So our coaching dynamic platform changes, TED talks creative self-expression. Social media have raised the presentation bar and practice is now helping posts get more views when they dramatically influenced our include a memorable image, video, or people come across as communication culture. GIF—and many presentations now transparent and sincere Dry lectures filled with bullet-points had include visual components to keep the instead of polished. become the norm for many training audience stimulated. sessions, conferences, and corporate With this rising tide of expectations, meetings. Then TED talks elevated the Nancy Duarte presenters must draw in and deeply standard of presentations by engage their audiences. They must be showcasing the benefits of powerful designers, directors, animators, storytelling, impactful imagery, and writers, public speakers, marketers, concise messaging (enforced by strict communicators, and engagement time limits). experts—all at the same time. Social media and mobile devices So how does one do this most raised the bar even higher, driving an effectively—especially in a era of information overload, as virtual setting?

THE FUTURE OF PRESENTATIONS IN A VIRTUAL WORLD | THE RISING BAR FOR PRESENTATIONS 6 Authenticity Becoming “Presentations” EMERGING Increasingly Valued Being Redefined TRENDS Virtual presentations have become a The definition of what constitutes a ubiquitous element of our daily lives. presentation and a presentation RESHAPING With people forced indoors during the platform have been redefined, thanks PRESENTATIONS lockdowns, the digital world has been to our new boundaries of authenticity brought into everyone’s homes—Zoom, and virtual engagement. Presenters which saw daily active users jump can now use streaming sites in an from 10 million to 200 million in three unprecedented way: to broadcast With the accelerating trend toward months1, has offered a glimpse into authentic, unedited content. virtual, it is critical to explore emerging colleagues’ living spaces through video trends around designing and delivering Platforms like Facebook Live, Twitch, calls. This acceptance of imperfect but more immersive, engaging, and and LinkedIn Live are increasing in personal circumstances has added a interactive experiences. popularity—not only for gamers or sense of authenticity and realness to social media influencers, but also online content. By presenting a look educators and businesspeople. into people’s personal lives, backstories are formed as the fourth On the other hand, many event wall and formality are broken to create planners who would normally live a deeper connection with audiences. stream are choosing to forego the potential logistics tangle. Instead, they The more people can actually make a are asking presenters to pre-record personal connection through genuine their presentations and play these personal stories, the more relatable— videos during the conference. Two and engaging—their presentation will examples are Click, a prominent be. Speakers are letting go of the presentation conference, as well as façades of formality and polish; the LiveWorks, an augmented reality- occasional cameo from a pet or child themed conference by PTC. actually makes the speaker more relatable. Vulnerability and authenticity, A third style is on the rise. Similar to already fueled by Brené Brown’s viral webinars, but with more focus on the TED Talk, is becoming more important presenter, “podcast on camera” style than ever for making that critical presentations often incorporate a host connection with the audience. and include introduction slides for each speaker. Yet, authenticity does not mean avoiding preparation in the interests of eliminating “polish.” As webinar expert Ken Molay writes, “One of the aspects of authenticity is showing that you authentically care enough about the value of your message to make it worth the effort to create something that your audience will want to watch and listen to.”

THE FUTURE OF PRESENTATIONS IN A VIRTUAL WORLD | EMERGING TRENDS RESHAPING PRESENTATIONS 7 Interactivity ▪ PowerPoint-based games offer ▪ Prezi AR allows you to set up Increasingly Critical endless possibilities for gamifying graphics on top of your video feed, so presentations, such as creating mini- your face and graphics are integrated. Given the rising expectations for quizzes and classic games like entertaining and involving audiences ▪ Snapchat / Instagram camera Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy, during presentations, interactivity is integration uses virtual cameras to strengthening interactivity and becoming critically important; a must to implement an avatar or face filter in engagement with the audience. maintain attention and engagement. your video feed. This feature works Gone are the days where lecture-style, ▪ Audience synchronization is a non- best to spice up informal one-way communication was the technical approach to creating presentations. standard. With so much stimuli vying interactivity, which entails having the ▪ Loom AI has a semi-realistic avatar for audiences’ attention, presenters audience do something similar all at that appears while you are speaking. must develop highly interactive, once—such as eating, pouring drinks, It allows you to still appear semi- engaging experiences. passing objects from “one screen to professional and looking at the another” etc., creating a sense of Several types of tools and features can screen but with the freedom to move “togetherness” among the audience. help replace the live, spontaneous, and around while presenting. has already meaningful interactivity, which has embraced this trend with its ▪ Mmhmm app helps you design a been forsaken by virtual connection: Together mode, which provides a creative, dynamic presentation that ▪ Breakout rooms in Zoom, WebEx, shared background for everyone, seamlessly blends video and slides in and other platforms provide a such as a stage or an auditorium. a streaming or recorded format. change in experience and allow ▪ Blending physical and virtual by people to work together in small having participants draw something groups before coming back to the or find an object for “show and tell” plenary. often creates a sense of interactivity ▪ Live annotations and sketching that connects everyone. on screen (e.g., Zoom’s annotation We shouldn’t care so much feature, PowerPoint’s Inking tools, about new techniques or etc.) offer a “live flipcharting” Media Seamlessly experience for co-creation and tools; they are important, Blending Together collaboration. but secondary to caring In the endless sea of video calls (often ▪ Collaboration tools / sticky noting about democratizing what dubbed “Zoom fatigue”), presenters in platforms like Mural provide a must also consider getting creative we already have. Closing virtual experience of collaborative with their video feeds to add graphics real-time work with sticky notes, the gap of people who can and break up the monotony. While similar to a live brainstorming these techniques will get stale if used create and read data session. as part of every presentation, inserting visualization, especially in ▪ Audience polling (Poll Everywhere, them occasionally into presentations the business world—focus Menti, Slide-o, etc.) and other could add a delightful surprise to break audience input tools offer interactive, up content. These emerging tools and more on education rather real-time audience input—this can platforms enable this type of work: than development. be used to supplement open ▪ Zoom added several new features discussion and chat inputs to create (in August 2020), including the ability a variety of interactive elements. Alberto Cairo to use slides as a virtual background.

1 Patnaik, Subrat (2020) ‘Zoom’s daily active users jumped from 10 million to over 200 million in 3 months’ https://venturebeat.com/2020/04/02/zooms-daily-active-users-jumped-from-10-million-to-over-200- million-in-3-months/

THE FUTURE OF PRESENTATIONS IN A VIRTUAL WORLD | EMERGING TRENDS RESHAPING PRESENTATIONS 8 Accessibility and Inclusivity Another focus of accessibility is AI-Based Democratization designing with multiple platforms in of Design Virtual presentations can reach mind. John Rahmlow, a Presentation anyone anywhere in the world, Guild Director who has delivered Visually appealing design has always accelerating the need for accessibility hundreds of webinars, notes that been important, but it is particularly and inclusion. differences in aspects like an critical for virtual presentations, where The ability to configure presentations audience’s screen resolution, viewing the slides are often primarily (or solely) for different audiences based on devices, and bandwidth need to be what the audience sees. demographics like age group, region, considered when setting up the Luckily, tools using artificial intelligence and technical requirements, ensures presentation: are making visual design easier the universality of communication, “You always have to keep in mind that than ever. Beautiful.ai and demonstrating more diverse and your audiences are working with PowerPoint’s Designer have dynamic ways of connecting. different tools—so using things like streamlined and democratized the Zoom partnered with speech-to-text video and transitions, people will get creative process, ensuring consumers company Otter.ai to add automatic them at different times and potentially can easily access professional slide scripting and translation to its feature get different lags. We’ve still got some design. set and offer simultaneous translation. ways before virtual presentations have With these tools, users can open a For example, the United Nations the same impact as in-person, so we blank presentation and start typing conferences are streamed in nine need to get faster and improve the tools and get a series of recommended languages on Zoom.2 to ensure a more seamless message for layouts and imagery that reflect the the end user.” Microsoft leads the way in accessibility text, as well as theme styles and by regularly adding a host of inclusivity If these differences are vast, some complementary color palettes. features to PowerPoint and other presentation professionals design for Presenters can opt for a basic “clean Office products. Their engineers the “lowest common denominator” in up” of pre-made slides automatically designed ever-improving simultaneous mind, creating only basic or no —elevating the design quality for last- translation/captioning for animations, minimizing videos, and minute presentations. presentations, alt-text on its images, uploading slides in advance (vs. Presenters delivering dry, bullet and voice controls (including screensharing) to create a smoother pointed presentations will fail, integration via its Surface Buds), as audience experience. especially in this virtual culture. Too well as automatic dictation options for Additionally, presenters should use many stimuli (e.g., social media, family building presentations and documents. inclusive language and imagery to disruptions, work emails) are better reflect the wide spectrum of competing for an audience’s attention. audiences around the world. Stock Visually pleasing, regularly changing It is getting much easier to do image sites like CreateHER, Nappy, visuals (including Pecha Kucha style) are more critical to reaching and holographic presentations now. DisabilityIN, and PhotoAbility offer increased diversity of subjects and maintaining audiences. Before and You simply get shipped a kit, their settings. throughout our global health crisis, and it’s self-serve and looks presentation professionals writing Presenters must think broadly about about the migration to virtual great at the destination… their audience and ensure their work is presenting all agree that more slides, accessible, reflecting the diversity in better slides, and greater variety Nancy Duarte their audience, which is often broader ensure a presenter’s success. with virtual presentations.

2 Zoom (2020) ‘Language Interpretation in Meetings and Webinars’ https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/360034919791-Language-interpretation-in-meetings-and-webinars

THE FUTURE OF PRESENTATIONS IN A VIRTUAL WORLD | EMERGING TRENDS RESHAPING PRESENTATIONS 9 Storytelling with data Presentation Delivery variety of settings like TED stages Coaching with AI or boardrooms while wearing a VR Amid the growing availability of headset. The potential for head and data and tools to analyse it (like In a virtual setting, the importance of eventually eye tracking, as well as Microsoft’s Power BI), presenters inflection and powerful delivery grows body position and gesture tracking, need to show data in an effective exponentially. With limited visual input provides a significant opportunity for and compelling way. and plentiful distractions, the burden is highly specialized delivery feedback, The virtual setting offers more much more on the presenter to create available 24/7. possibilities than ever to present data an engaging audience experience. Ken Molay has written extensively on the Given the critical importance of in 3D and view it from different delivery skills for virtual presentations, angles and perspectives. Companies importance of setting up lighting, camera, and video backgrounds to “set presenters should explore AI coaching like Virtualitics and Flow, already platforms to keep their skills sharp used by large organizations like the stage” for a powerful delivery. Given that virtual settings often play and understand the current state of Deloitte, allow data to be viewed in the technology. virtual reality and have the audience down voice inflection, he also “walk around” and zoom in on data advocates for the use of “stage voices” points during presentations. and playing “to the back row” when presenting virtually, as diction and However, according to experts, the inflection become particularly most important aspect of presenting important to maintaining engagement. data is robust analysis and a powerful, graphic-supported storyline. To help make presentation delivery Alberto Cairo, professor of Knight easier, there is a growing set of AI- Chair in Visual Journalism at the based presentation coaches that allow School of Communication of the for practice and immediate feedback. University of Miami (UM), finds that With PowerPoint’s Presenter Coach, audiences often give a users enter rehearsal mode and, while disproportionate amount of attention speaking, receive on-screen guidance to numbers and charts—further regarding pacing, inclusive language, exacerbated in a virtual setting where use of filler words, and potential attention is especially taxed. He culturally sensitive phrases. advocates for presenting data in Presenter Coach also lets users know a very carefully analysed, clearly when they are simply reading off the showcased way. slide, helping presenters understand the In her landmark book Data Story, Nancy value of communicating confidently and Duarte states that data does not “speak clearly. At the end of each rehearsal for itself” but needs a “hero” and story session, presenters are provided a arc. Then the audience will follow along detailed report with metrics for with the data’s story and be vested in additional practice. Mobile-based apps the outcome. like Speako and Orai (used by Duarte to supplement one-on-one coaching) Therefore, presenters must leverage allow for similar speech coaching as data with a careful consideration of well. both visuals and narrative, continuing to explore and consider emerging Moreover, virtual reality-based AI tools for more creative, immersive speaking coaches like Virtual Speech presentations. allow presenters to practice in a

THE FUTURE OF PRESENTATIONS IN A VIRTUAL WORLD | EMERGING TRENDS RESHAPING PRESENTATIONS 10 On the Horizon: However, in today’s dynamic create an immersive experience: Virtual Worlds and environment, these virtual worlds are “When every point in space is your Holographic Telepresence steadily increasing in prominence. The canvas, changeable at the snap of a Educators in VR International Summit finger, how will you design a radically Virtual presenting uses a spectrum of in early 2020 pioneered the way (even new, exponentially more engaging capabilities. On one end are presenters pre-COVID) to an all-VR global audience experience?” who are new to this medium, actively conference in AltspaceVR, an avatar- This next presentation frontier is building a solid hardware setup and based social platform bought by emerging but likely a few years from foundational skills for presenting Microsoft in 2017, which features becoming mainstream. However, virtually, such as screen sharing and frequent appearances by Alex industry experts recommend audience management. On the other Kipman, inventor of the HoloLens presenters keep an eye on and start end, experienced online presenters are mixed-reality headset. experimenting with newer platforms to pushing boundaries with holographic With in-person conferences cancelled stay on the leading edge. effects in large-scale “virtual world” for 2020, many event planners turned gatherings and presentations. The latter to online conferencing and virtual is still on the edge of “mainstream” but world platforms. Conference quickly gaining popularity. organizers around the world are Toronto-based ARHT Media does realizing that they can hold large-scale I’ve been working with folks holographic effects for in-person online events successfully—and the to incorporate holograms in events, making it seem like a hologram technology for these events only of the presenter is on the stage (it is continues improving. presentations and that still technically not a “real” hologram but a Although the logistics can be more looks like magic. I think it’s lighting trick). ARHT works with complex and the technical glitches a way to up our game in entertainers and progressive business more frequent, audiences feel a leaders looking to create an innovative the speaking world and greater sense of immersion and sense of presence on stage without presence when they can see and bring back the awe, physically being there. interact with other avatars in the spectacle, and wonder to In response to an explosion of virtual space with them. presentations, ARHT has recently presentations. Various virtual world platforms (some developed a virtual presentation stage, exclusively for VR headsets, some which allows presenters to beam into Nick Morgan available via 2D PC or Mac) have video conferences and do live exploded onto the marketplace. Charlie presentations as if from a stage. This Fink, a prominent author writing about software uses a proprietary these spaces, has recently published a technology similar to a green screen to book with a summary of current bring video conferencing to life. platforms, which are regularly updated Beyond videoconferencing, “virtual in his XR Directory site. world” presentations with avatars are The advent of virtual world platforms also on the rise. These types of raises the question of how we will presentations became popular several present across these varied spaces to years ago in Second Life, as major different audiences. Yulia Barnakova, universities and corporate learning digital and innovation consultant and departments rushed to build out visual communication futurist, campuses within the platform. Yet, envisions a changing norm of these did not gain significant traction increasing expectations where 3D for a variety of reasons, including a presentations use the entire space to resource-heavy platform.

THE FUTURE OF PRESENTATIONS IN A VIRTUAL WORLD | EMERGING TRENDS RESHAPING PRESENTATIONS 11 any professional presenter. The Cliff Atkinson, renowned audio aspect is also important for communication expert and author, BUILDING a successful virtual presentation. trains presenters to become more PRESENTATION Check out Ken Molay’s side-by-side concise by writing haikus. This CAPABILITIES FOR comparison for a wide range of practice forces the presenters to strip microphones, complete with audio out everything but the essence of their THE FUTURE samples, to make the best choice for messaging. They drill down to the your needs. heart of a concept, allowing them to explain ideas in a way that an ▪ Good lighting – Lights should audience will understand and illuminate your face with no glare Given the trends and changing appreciate. dynamics in the presentation space, and no backlighting. (Windows can there are several “no regret” provide the best light source.) While haikus themselves would not likely be useful in presentations—the capabilities that presenters need to ▪ Thoughtful background – While idea of going through the content and develop in order to stay ahead of the there are many digital options for stripping out non-essentials is a key curve and continue engaging and virtual and blurred backgrounds, technique that is critical in a virtual delighting audiences. unless there is a green screen, the setting. quality tends to suffer, as hair and limbs can fade in and out with 1 Develop a Professional Setup movement. An eye-pleasing, real-life for Virtual Presentations background (e.g., a printed backdrop Our job is to teach someone Presenters must have a quality virtual like a bookshelf) is preferred. to how distill; how to take setup, including a home studio. This ▪ Solid connection – If possible, use complexity and make it foundation will give presenters the a hardwired internet connection to understandable. Lawyers a versatility to go from informal live improve the speed, quality, and streaming to highly professional reliability of your presentation. deal with complex ideas, so presentations. I tried at a conference to Below are must-haves for a quality have them write a haiku of setup: 2 Be Concise in Your Messaging their case, and within four ▪ External camera and microphone – Given shortened attention spans, a While some built-in presenter needs to make complex minutes, they got right to computer/monitor cameras can work concepts comprehensible. They the emotional heart of it. well, to really lean into virtual should distill ideas down to simple presenting, a standalone camera points using a few words or icons—or Cliff Atkinson positioned at eye level is critical for even poetry.

THE FUTURE OF PRESENTATIONS IN A VIRTUAL WORLD | BUILDING PRESENTATION CAPABILITIES FOR THE FUTURE 12 3 Amp Up Your Storytelling Presenters can also engage with trainings available online, including audiences in many non-technical from the Presentation Guild. In addition to concise messaging, a ways, including pausing the presenter must connect with the Delivering successful virtual presentation for questions, deliberately audience to create an engaging presentations does not need to be calling on people to invite them into the experience. This audience connection challenging. It’s about breaking the discussion, and using audience often stems from storytelling abilities, design and delivery down to simple members’ names regularly to keep which is why industry experts processes and techniques, which all everyone alert and engaged. recommend that presenters use a presenters can—and must—master to simple narrative to capture and Lastly, a solid delivery style is not only engage but delight audiences maintain their audiences. Only important. Honing delivery skills (via AI and keep up with the ever-rising bar of afterwards can animation, online coaching apps or otherwise) will also the digital age. engagement, and other production help elevate engagement. features be included to reinforce the overarching story. Experiment with New Tools The team at Duarte looks for designers 5 and Techniques While I value the highest who can be presentation coaches as quality of storytelling, well, since merely knowing good With the recent acceleration of virtual design principles is an insufficient presentations, current virtual platforms I don’t want anyone to feel differentiator in today’s labor market. are constantly increasing their feature so intimidated that they Designers must be able to listen to the set as more newcomers emerge in the client and shape the story with them, market. At the same time, new creative don’t think they could tell a drawing out key insights. Patti techniques for engagement are being story well. We have to Sanchez, CSO of Duarte, wants tested across various presentation break it down to simple presentation designers to be able to settings. say to speakers, “This is the storyline processes, simple The key for presenters is not to try I am seeing emerge as you’re everything new at once. Find a techniques, so that anyone explaining the design concept.” personal style and solid core set of can start and get better Peter Arvai, CEO of Prezi agrees, tools that works, then regularly noting that “the best part of presenting experiment with one or two new tools over time... is to help people expand their minds or techniques to constantly evolve and and empower them to make better see what’s ahead. Patti Sanchez decisions. Storytelling can lead to better decision making and create value for people.” Staying on the Cutting Edge of Virtual Presentations In many ways, virtual presentations Engage and Interact 4 have the same underlying principles as with the Audience in-person presentations, though with a Given the potential for distraction, it is much higher need to engage and critical to engage the audience more entertain the audience, as well as more regularly in a virtual setting than when digital tools available to do so. presenting in person. As outlined in Presenters should continually learn this paper, presenters can now use from their peers, experiment with new more online tools such as polls, tools and techniques, and leverage the surveys, and quizzes to interact with increasingly plentiful tutorials and audiences during presentations.

THE FUTURE OF PRESENTATIONS IN A VIRTUAL WORLD | BUILDING PRESENTATION CAPABILITIES FOR THE FUTURE 13 THE PRESENTATION GUILD

The mission of the Presentation Guild presentation skills and industry is to uncover opportunities to identify, challenges to the forefront. As a key define, and develop presentation partner for helping presentation skills. Working around the globe, we professionals stay on top of emerging are dedicated to simplifying trends and accelerate their capabilities information, providing everyone with into the future, the Presentation Guild clarity and the ability to express is composed of experts from across the themselves clearly too. wide presentation industry spectrum. The Presentation Guild promotes the This nonprofit trade association of presentation design and production professionals continues working industry as a profession, recognizes around the globe to elevate the quality the skills and expertise of presentation and understanding around creation specialists, and provides presentation design and delivery. To opportunities for members to expand learn more about the Presentation their knowledge and abilities. Guild’s mission and services, visit the website or email our Board of The Future of Presentations in a Virtual Directors. World whitepaper is part of the Presentation Guild’s effort to bring

THE FUTURE OF PRESENTATIONS IN A VIRTUAL WORLD | THE PRESENTATION GUILD 14