Tim Koegel - The Exceptional Presenter Goes Virtual: Take Command of Your Message, Create an In-Person Experience and Captivate Any Remote Audience

THE EXCEPTIONAL PRESENTER

TAKE COMMAND OF YOUR MESSAGE,
CREATE AN IN-PERSON EXPERIENCE AND
CAPTIVATE ANY REMOTE AUDIENCE

TIMOTHY J. KOEGEL

Published by Greenleaf Book Group Press
Austin, Texas
www.gbgpress.com

Copyright 2010 Timothy J. Koegel

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without
written permission from the publisher.

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Design and composition by Greenleaf Book Group LLC and Alex Head
Cover design by Greenleaf Book Group LLC
Illustrations by Tom Holtkamp

Publishers Cataloging-in-Publication Data
(Prepared by The Donohue Group, Inc.)
Koegel, Timothy J.
The exceptional presenter goes virtual : take command of your message, create an
in-person experience, and captivate any remote audience / Timothy J. Koegel.1st ed.
p.; cm.
ISBN: 978-1-60832-096-7
1. Business presentations. 2. Business communication. 3. Business presentations
Audio-visual aids. 4. Business communicationComputer networks. I. Title.
HF5718.22 .K64 2010
658.4/52/0285 2010929433

Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper

10 11 12 13 14 15 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

First Edition

To Chris, Vic, Steve and Theresa.

To everyone who helped me organize, research and write this book.

CONTENTS

THE TECHNIQUES IN THIS BOOK are designed to enable you to feel confident about presenting in any virtual presentation setting using any technology. If the technology changes, it doesnt matterand you shouldnt worry. The skills outlined in this book do not depend on the technology. They are fundamental communication techniques that can be applied to any virtual presentation. The challenges of presenting to a remote audience are often more daunting than presenting to an in-person audience. Virtual presentations are becoming more and more a part of our everyday communication. If you want to maximize your communication impact in the coming years then becoming an exceptional virtual presenter is not an option; it is a necessity.

The Exceptional Presenter Goes Virtual is a quick read and a quick reference. Every page of this book is relevant and every technique is actionable. You will be able to apply the techniques in this book immediately.

Visit www.theexceptionalpresenter.com for tips, suggestions and worksheets that will help to make all of your presentations exceptional.

THE NUMBER OF VIRTUAL PRESENTATIONS is growing exponentially. Improved technology, combined with the Perfect Storm of the heightened security risk and travel hassle since 9/11, the seemingly ever-present threat of and exposure to the latest pandemic and the global financial meltdown, has elevated virtual presentations as a practical, safe, efficient and cost-effective means of communicating with employees, customers, prospects, users and coworkers.

The rise in the frequency, versatility and availability of online communication has opened a huge cyber door of opportunity for those who take the steps to improve their virtual presentation proficiency.

If you already possess strong in-person presentation skills, this book will help you to transfer those skills to the virtual presentation world. If your in-person presentation skills are less than exceptional, this book offers you a second chance to elevate your communication prowess in a different venuethe virtual world. An additional bonus comes from using the techniques in this book: by learning how to organize and deliver virtual presentations with greater clarity and impact, you will simultaneously improve your in-person skills.

If you forget everything else you read in this book, remember these three principles:

1) A successful virtual meeting is a series of exceptional presentations, fused together by seamless transitions and delivered with passion and professionalism.

2) Your virtual presentation must be relevant, or it will be ignored. It must be engaging, or it will be forgotten. It must keep moving, or it will be abandoned.

3) You are the messenger. Technology can provide an endless supply of gadgets and bells and whistles to enhance your presentation, but ultimately it is your message and your delivery that will move the audience to take action.

The trouble with the future is that it usually arrives before were ready for it.

Arnold Glasgow

The use of online communication now extends far beyond the business meeting to almost any means of communication (for example, medical examinations, trade shows, conferences, interviews, tours, product demonstrations and training, among others). The following list appeared in my book The Exceptional Presenter and was included to illustrate the many places in which we can find ourselves presenting. Look at the list and check the venues in which we can now communicate virtually:

We can check every venue on the list. We have reached the point in time when, by simply carrying a camera or a microphone, we can present our information, ideas, solutions and data to someone, somewhere in the world.

As the technology evolves, we will find ourselves communicating virtually much more frequently. We will be asked to lead or participate in a range of remote communication settings.