Virtual Events: How to Look and Sound Your Best

A live event draws a crowd. A virtual one can reach the world. Virtual events lend themselves to all kinds of communication activities, but the most popular include marketing, training, and continuing education. And while the virtual event may occur in real-time, pre-recording your event presentations can give you more control to ensure your material is professional and consistently branded.

Here is what to consider when you want to look and sound your best when creating a virtual event presentation.

The most flexible way to create a pre-recorded presentation is to edit together your final video with a mix of full-screen speaker videos, full-screen slides, and picture-in-picture moments.

To do this, you can use Zoom or another video conference platform to record. Have your presentation on your screen (but do not share your screen) while another person on the meeting records a video of you speaking.

You can also purchase a set up to record on your phone versus your laptop if you prefer not to run the risk of internet speed issues while recording over a video conference call. This will provide better video and audio quality.

1. Find a quiet, well-lit place with a simple background to sit or stand in front of when presenting.
2. If you need a script or notes, be sure to sit a few feet from your laptop so that it does not appear like you are reading.
3. Plan what areas you may want to show full-screen slides and what areas you want the speaker full-screen. This can give the speaker moments that remove the pressure so that they can stay relaxed.
4. If you are using Zoom to capture your video, be sure that the person recording has set it to Active Speaker view.
5. If someone else is recording the meeting for you, right-click your video and select Hide Myself so that your video is not distracting.
6. Have a glass of water ready and waiting.

1. Don’t just dive into your presentation. Start with a greeting and be yourself. A little small talk makes you more authentic.
2. Be sure to pause now and again. There’s no need to rush.
3. Speak loud and clear.
4. Have a team member watch you present to give you tips, catch mistakes, and to look for system bandwidth issues while recording.
5. No one is perfect, so expect to do multiple takes. In between each, hold up a white piece of paper for a couple of seconds to make it easy to distinguish them when reviewing the video.
6. If possible, have someone use a stopwatch on their phone and write down the time of the best takes.