How to Present Remotely with Confidence

Snakes and roller coasters. These are the literal things of my nightmares. Slimy, slithery, twisty, loopy—these adjectives, for me, represent the fastest path to cold sweats. But for the majority of people, the most fear-inducing idea of all is speaking or presenting publicly. In fact, the National Institute of Mental Health reports that public speaking anxiety (known as glossophobia) affects about 73 percent of us!

I'm one of the lucky ones who's never really feared public speaking. But we've been presenting remotely these past several months. It's made me realize just how many tricks and tools that have enabled me to speak confidently in public are no longer available to me. Things like stages, microphones, and being physically present with an audience or a team—not to mention professional childcare!—have all served me well as a speaker.

Public speaking anxiety (known as glossophobia) affects about 73 percent of us!

And now, like many, I find myself presenting regularly by way of a variety of virtual meeting platforms. The game has truly changed!

I’ve heard from several listeners that presenting remotely with confidence—whether to your team, your whole company, a client, or a prospective employer—has become a challenge. So today I'll share a set of tips I’ve picked up in recent months. I hope you find them as useful as I have.

Set yourself up for success

If you’re still working remotely, as much of the American workforce is, there's a lot about your setting that you can’t control. You may be in a tiny apartment in a city full of background noise, or in a big house full of children and animals. And those are realities it's difficult to change.

Within the confines of any situation, you can do some things to dial up that professionalism factor and boost your confidence in the process.

But within the confines of any situation, you can do some things to dial up that professionalism factor and boost your confidence in the process. Here are the areas to focus on.

Internet connection

I don’t know much about technology. But I do know that certain spots in my house offer me a more stable internet connection than others. So, when I’m presenting anything, I claim an internet-stable room ahead of time, alerting my family to steer clear for that hour.

Physical environment

No one expects you to repaint or furnish a room. But do your best to declutter whatever is behind you so the visual chaos doesn't become a...

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