Best Practices For Video Conferencing

I've built a lot of slides in 9 yrs at Google. Here are 9 practical tips I've learned: 1/ 𝗔𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆𝗯𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴. Write your headlines first. Figure out your "flow." Don't flesh out your slides until you've nailed the storyline. This will save you hours of wasted effort later on. 2/ 𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲. Most people have way too many slides. Cut it down. The less flicking around you need to do, the more attention you'll get, and the sharper your message will be. 3/ 𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 "𝘀𝗼 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁" 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱. Most content is written with no bias towards action. They get presented — and then forgotten — since there's no implied next steps. Do the opposite. Think hard about your calls-to-action and articulate it well. 4/ 𝗗𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆. Writing chronologically means you're burying the lead. You'll lose your audience quickly. Always lead with the conclusion instead. 5/ 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀. Don't simply throw big numbers onto a slide and hope it'll impress. It won't work. Instead, help your audience out by thoughtfully benchmarking or indexing. 6/ 𝗗𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆. Slides make it easy to get away with lazy thinking. So you often end up with colorful boxes with generic buzzwords, or bullet points with incomplete thoughts. Avoid this trap. Challenge yourself to articulate complete thoughts while still achieving brevity. 7/ 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 "𝗱𝘂𝗵" 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁, 𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗹𝘆. Ask yourself if anyone would read what you wrote and go either "duh!" or "no sh*t!" If so, you're wasting people's time. Sharpen it until there's actual insight. 8/ 𝗕𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲. Your use of space always tells a story. Don't give disproportionate real estate to unimportant content. And vice versa. Otherwise you'll undermine yourself. 9/ 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 "𝗱𝘂𝗺𝗯" 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀. Avoid littering your slides with corp-speak. Be straightforward whenever possible. Of course, this doesn't give you the right to ignore numbers or engage in generic platitudes. It just means that you find the simplest way to anchor your audience. Then you can back it up with detail. __ 𝗣.𝗦. Looking to nerd out a bit more? Grab the 50-page playbook I built for free: 🎯 hernglee.gumroad.com It's what I wish someone gave me at the start of my career. So I built it! __ 👋 Hi! I'm Herng, and I write about my learnings as a strategy manager at Google. Follow for more tips! ♻️ Reshare this post if it can help others!

In a world where attention is fleeting and virtual fatigue is real, how can you successfully host online events? Here are 9 essentials to keep in mind: 1. Start with a Compelling Opening Your opening should grab attention, set the tone, build anticipation and give people a reason to stay. 2. Make Eye Contact Look directly into the camera to create a sense of connection. If you're using a teleprompter or script, keep it at eye level to maintain that engagement. 3. Mind Your Facial Expression People are paying close attention to your face. They can see when you’re smiling, or when you appear bored, upset, or frustrated. Be conscious of your expression. 4. Manage Your Energy Your energy drives the entire experience. If you seem disengaged or flat, your audience will tune out. 5. Build Emotional Connections Use personal stories, relatable examples, and analogies. These human elements help your message resonate on a deeper level. 6. Engage the Audience Make your audience part of the experience. Use polls, Q&A, or chat prompts to keep them actively involved. 7. Be Clear and Concise Attention spans online are shorter. Get to the point quickly, and use clear language. 8. Use Visual Aids and Multimedia Use images, short videos, graphics, and animations that support your message. However, don’t overload your slides with text. 9. Check Your Tech Setup Poor lighting, audio, camera quality, or an unstable internet connection can lead to frustration and reduced participation. Test in advance. Hope this helps. I’m Temi Badru, a professional event MC for physical, virtual, and hybrid events. I also train individuals and teams in public speaking and effective communication. #temibadru #voicesandfaces #eventhost #mc #moderator #speaker #events

One great presentation can do what multiple applications can't. Over the years, my presentations have earned awards, speaking invitations, and opportunities I never applied for. Most recently, at MAA MathFest 2024, someone from the audience approached me and said: "Your talk was so engaging. You made such a complex topic accessible." On the spot, he invited me to speak to high school students in Chicago. Full expenses paid + speaker fee. Here is the framework I use every single time... (You might want to save this.) 1. Know your audience before you make a single slide → Kids? Public? Policy makers? Academics? → Your job is to design your talk to suit them. → Picture one person in the audience, let's call them "Bola." 2. Map out the entire talk first → Write the takeaway from each slide in one sentence. → Connect each slide logically to the next. → Ask yourself: Will Bola digest this information? 3. Ditch the jargon → Would Bola understand this? → If not, go back to the drawing board. → Use simple, plain English. 4. Make it visual → One message per slide. Big font. Bullet points. → Use visuals or illustrations instead of text (if possible.)  → The moment your audience starts reading your slides, you've lost them. 5. Practice as you build each slide → After creating each slide, ask: What will I say here? → This reveals what to add, remove, or fix as you go. → Once done, practice the full presentation again. 6. Never read off your slides during delivery → Deliver like you're telling a story. → Everything on screen is just supporting visuals. → Know your slides inside out. Keep eye contact. 7. Use your body language intentionally → Don't stare at the ceiling, ground, or stand frozen. → Your movement and energy speak louder than words. → This automatically communicates confidence and authority. Great presentations aren’t about showing how smart you are. They’re about making your audience feel something... curiosity, clarity, and inspiration. That’s what makes you memorable. And that’s what opens doors. --- PS: What's ONE thing that's helped you improve your presentations? PPS: Want to see this framework in action? Link to the Chicago talk is in the comments. ♻️ REPOST if this was useful. Thanks!

Regardless of how great your ideas are in your virtual sales pitch, webinar, or team meeting… People are most likely checking their email, browsing social media, or working on other things while you present. How can you prevent that and actually get your audience to pay attention? Here are 4 of the most powerful techniques we use for our own virtual training courses: 1. Win the first five seconds According to research from the University of Toronto, people need only five seconds to gauge your charisma and leadership as a speaker. In virtual environments, this first impression is even more critical. To establish instant rapport: - Keep your posture open and inviting (avoid fidgeting, crossed arms, and closed-off postures) - Use open gestures that welcome the audience into your space - Gesture with your palms showing at a 45-degree angle - Speak with clear articulation and energy from the very first word The quickest way to lose your audience? Starting with tentative body language that signals you’re unsure or unprepared. 2. Design your presentation for virtual viewing When designing slides, assume varied viewing conditions. Design for the smallest likely device and the slowest likely Internet speed. Make your slides accessible by: - Using larger fonts (24-32pt) - Applying higher contrast colors - Limiting each slide to ONE clear idea - Adding more space between lines when using smaller text - Stripping excess content (you can provide additional information in a separate document) 3. Vary your delivery Our research shows the optimal length for linear presentations is just 16-30 minutes, while interactive ones can maintain engagement for 30-45 minutes. People’s attention will go through peaks and valleys during that time, so try these techniques to keep their attention: - Vary your speaking pace (faster to convey urgency, slower to express gravity) - Use intentional pauses to let key points land - Adjust your vocal tone (lower pitch for authority, higher for approachability) - Shift between slides, stories, and data at regular intervals Each change helps reset your audience’s attention and signals importance. 4. Build in structured interaction Don’t make your audience wait until the end of your presentation to interact. According to our research, presentations that incorporate audience engagement through polls, chat responses, or breakout discussions maintain attention longer. For the highest engagement: - Use a variety of interaction types throughout your presentation - Incorporate breakout rooms for small-group discussions - Switch modalities regularly to keep it interesting Remember: In virtual environments, you need to recreate the natural engagement that happens in person. Your virtual presentation success isn’t measured by perfection…it’s measured by action. Master these techniques and your audience won’t just pay attention, they’ll respond. #VirtualPresentations #CorporateTraining #WorkplaceLearning

90% of a presentation gets forgotten. So how do audiences decide who's worth remembering? Let’s be honest. Most presentations are totally wiped from people's brains by the time they have their morning coffee the next day. Audiences don't do this maliciously. They do it because their brains are exhausted and trying to filter out the noise. I have sat through enough presentations and delivered enough myself to know one thing: Smart content simply isn't enough. If you don't pass the audience's silent filtering process, you become background noise. That process has three stages: 1️⃣ The Relevance Filter This is where people ask: "Why do I care?" ↳ Talk about their messy reality: Address the exact headache they were complaining about this morning. ↳ Stop zooming out: Nobody wants another 30,000-foot macro trend. Give them the ground view. ↳ Ditch the generic intro: Skip the long wind-up and dive straight into the problem they are facing right now. ↳ Keep it grounded: Use examples that make people nod along and think, “Yeah, I've been there.” ↳ Read the room: If the energy drops, drop your script and address the actual vibe in the space. Once people see your message applies to them, they move to the next filter. 2️⃣ The Resonance Filter This is where people ask: "Do I actually feel this?" ↳ Aim for the gut, not just the brain: Facts change arguments, but emotion changes how people behave. ↳ Lean into the friction: Don't just share a lesson. Share the stakes, the tension, and what went wrong first. ↳ Paint a mental picture: Use analogies that people can physically picture in their minds. ↳ Stop being perfect: People don't connect with flawless case studies. They connect with human slip-ups. ↳ Show the before and after: Paint a crystal-clear contrast between the current pain and the relief you're offering. Feeling something isn't enough. People also need to remember it. 3️⃣ The Retention Filter This is where people ask: "Can I actually repeat this later?" ↳ The 10-word boundary: If your main idea can't fit on a t-shirt, nobody is going to remember it tomorrow. ↳ Ruthlessly kill the fluff: Cut out the extra side stories that dilute your single biggest point. ↳ Give a next-day win: Give them one tiny thing they can literally test out tomorrow morning at 9 AM. ↳ Say it more than once: Don't be afraid to repeat your core catchphrase three or four times. Repetition builds memory. ↳ Make it visual: Give them a simple mental map or sketch that they can easily scribble down in their notes. Great presentations don't overload people with information. They give people something worth remembering. Which of these filters do you see speakers trip over the most? Let me know in the comments 👇 📌 If you want more leadership content like this guide: 1. Follow Lauren Murrell 2. Save the post. 3. Repost to your network. 4. Subscribe to: https://lnkd.in/eRMwPuYk

Ever notice how some leaders seem to have a sixth sense for meeting dynamics while others plow through their agenda oblivious to glazed eyes, side conversations, or everyone needing several "bio breaks" over the course of an hour? Research tells us executives consider 67% of virtual meetings failures, and a staggering 92% of employees admit to multitasking during meetings. After facilitating hundreds of in-person, virtual, and hybrid sessions, I've developed my "6 E's Framework" to transform the abstract concept of "reading the room" into concrete skills anyone can master. (This is exactly what I teach leaders and teams who want to dramatically improve their meeting and presentation effectiveness.) Here's what to look for and what to do: 1. Eye Contact: Notice where people are looking (or not looking). Are they making eye contact with you or staring at their devices? Position yourself strategically, be inclusive with your gaze, and respectfully acknowledge what you observe: "I notice several people checking watches, so I'll pick up the pace." 2. Energy: Feel the vibe - is it friendly, tense, distracted? Conduct quick energy check-ins ("On a scale of 1-10, what's your energy right now?"), pivot to more engaging topics when needed, and don't hesitate to amplify your own energy through voice modulation and expressive gestures. 3. Expectations: Regularly check if you're delivering what people expected. Start with clear objectives, check in throughout ("Am I addressing what you hoped we'd cover?"), and make progress visible by acknowledging completed agenda items. 4. Extraneous Activities: What are people doing besides paying attention? Get curious about side conversations without defensiveness: "I see some of you discussing something - I'd love to address those thoughts." Break up presentations with interactive elements like polls or small group discussions. 5. Explicit Feedback: Listen when someone directly tells you "we're confused" or "this is exactly what we needed." Remember, one vocal participant often represents others' unspoken feelings. Thank people for honest feedback and actively solicit input from quieter participants. 6. Engagement: Monitor who's participating and how. Create varied opportunities for people to engage with you, the content, and each other. Proactively invite (but don't force) participation from those less likely to speak up. I've shared my complete framework in the article in the comments below. In my coaching and workshops with executives and teams worldwide, I've seen these skills transform even the most dysfunctional meeting cultures -- and I'd be thrilled to help your company's speakers and meeting leaders, too. What meeting dynamics challenge do you find most difficult to navigate? I'd love to hear your experiences in the comments! #presentationskills #virualmeetings #engagement

I’ve been thinking a lot about the 90 minute virtual meeting paradox. We spend the first 30 minutes on welcoming everyone and introductions, the next 15 on framing, and then a few people share thoughts. Then, just when the conversation gets meaningful, the host abruptly announces "We're out of time!” and throws a few rushed closing thoughts and announcements together. Sound familiar? We crave deep, meaningful, trust-based exchanges in virtual meeting environments that feel both tiring and rushed. It seems like as soon as momentum builds and insights emerge, it’s time to wrap up. Share-outs become a regurgitation of top-level ideas—usually focused on the most soundbite-ready insights and omitting those seeds of ideas that didn’t have time to be explored further. And sometimes, we even cite these meetings as examples of participation in a process, even when that participation is only surface level to check the participation box.  After facilitating and attending hundreds (thousands?) of virtual meetings, I've found four practices that create space for more engagement and depth: 1. Send a thoughtful and focused pre-work prompt at least a few days ahead of time that invites reflection before gathering. When participants arrive having already engaged with the core question(s), it’s much easier to jump right into conversation. Consider who designs these prompts and whose perspectives they center. 2. Replace round-robin introductions with a focused check-in question that directly connects to the meeting's purpose. "What's one tension you're navigating in this work?" for example yields more insight than sharing organizational affiliations. Be mindful of who speaks first and how difference cultural communication styles may influence participation.  3. Structure the agenda with intentionally expanding time blocks—start tight (and facilitate accordingly), and then create more spaciousness as the meeting progresses. This honors the natural rhythm of how trust and dialogue develop, and allows for varying approaches to processing and sharing.  4. Prioritize accessibility and inclusion in every aspect of the meeting. Anticipating and designing for participants needs means you’re thinking about language justice, technology and materials accessibility, neurodivergence, power dynamics, and content framing. Asking “What do you need to fully participate in this meeting?” ahead of time invites participants to share their needs. These meeting suggestions aren’t just about efficiency—they’re about creating spaces where authentic relationships and useful conversations can actually develop. Especially at times when people are exhausted and working hard to manage their own energy, a well-designed meeting can be a welcome space to engage. I’m curious to hear from others: What's your most effective strategy for holding substantive meetings in time-constrained virtual spaces? What meeting structures have you seen that actually work?

Executive Utterances — On Presenting The fastest way to lose a room is to start talking before you’ve said anything worth hearing. Whether you’re presenting to an audience of 1,000 or speaking to your own work group, the first words you choose determine whether your audience leans in or checks out. Over the years, I learned that fully scripted speeches kept me from connecting, reacting, and speaking with authenticity. What follows is the methodology I developed — a balance of structure, informality, and clarity that helped me become a more effective presenter. If there’s interest, I’m happy to expand on any of these in detail. For now, here are the principles that shaped my approach: * Grab from the Beginning Start with a powerful sentence or a question that sets an emotional stage the audience can’t turn away from. A recent example came from a presentation to law enforcement officers on child abduction: “At one of the most difficult moments in any parent’s life, they call you. You become their hope.” * Speak from the Inside Charles Dickens once wrote, “Make me see.” Facts and data are necessary, but they don’t move people on their own. Speak from inside the information — bring it to life, make it human, make it matter. Use slides or handouts for the heavier details but speak to the story behind those details. Americans love a story; give them one worth remembering. * Just Start When building your presentation, don’t obsess over the perfect beginning. Just start typing.Your first draft may look nothing like your final version — that’s a sign you’re refining your message, not a problem. * Read It Out Loud Read your notes out loud. Better yet, read them to someone you trust or have them read your notes back to you. You’ll hear clarity issues and pacing problems you won’t catch on a screen. * Block It Hand-draw two columns of blocks on a piece of paper: Column One: Break your presentation into sections, and label each with a few key words that will become your notes Column Two: Decide which supporting bullets, facts, or simple visuals that will become your slides or handouts and just note what will be in the slides. This creates flow and structure without forcing you into a script. Then start filling the blocks * Do Not Make the Slides Your Notes Slides support your presentation — they are not your presentation. Speak from your notes (large print, double-spaced), and let the slides reinforce what you’re saying. Never read from them; you can’t tell a meaningful story while narrating bullet points. A visual image such as a photograph, can be a great addition if it reinforces your opening theme or emotional hook. * Close Strong and Quick Tie your closing sentence directly back to your opening. Keep it short, powerful, and intentional — because once people sense you’re closing, their attention starts to drift. Start with something worth hearing, and you’ll keep the room until the very end.

93% of communication impact comes from nonverbal cues. In our virtual-first world, your nonverbal signals speak volumes about your leadership. After analyzing hundreds of executive interviews, I've identified 8 nonverbal signals that dramatically impact trust in virtual meetings: 1. Open Palms Visible hand gestures with open palms signal honesty and openness.   ✅ According to anthropological research, showing palms has been a universal trust signal across cultures for millennia. 2. Eye Contact Looking directly at the camera when making key points creates connection.   ✅ Most leaders look at faces on screen instead, missing this critical trust signal. 3. Head Nodding Deliberate nodding while listening demonstrates active engagement. ✅ This small gesture signals respect for others' ideas. 4. Upright Posture Sitting tall with shoulders back conveys confidence and attention. ✅ Poor posture subtly communicates disinterest. 5. Authentic Background A personal yet professional environment signals transparency. ✅ Research suggests artificial backgrounds can create psychological distance. 6. Facial Animation Natural expressions that match your content demonstrate genuine engagement. ✅ Flat expressions create disconnect. 7. Frontal Orientation Facing the camera directly communicates full presence and attention. ✅ Angled positioning suggests divided focus. 8. Mirroring Subtly matching others' pace and tone creates unconscious rapport. ✅ This established psychological principle works even through screens. The most successful leaders don't just focus on what they say. They strategically manage how they appear. Which of these trust signals could you strengthen in your next virtual meeting?

Imagine you've performed an in-depth analysis and uncovered an incredible insight. You’re now excited to share your findings with an influential group of stakeholders. You’ve been meticulous, eliminating biases, double-checking your logic, and ensuring your conclusions are sound. But even with all this diligence, there’s one common pitfall that could diminish the impact of your insights: information overload. In our excitement, we sometimes flood stakeholders with excessive details, dense reports, cluttered dashboards, and long presentations filled with too much information. The result is confusion, disengagement, and inaction. Insights are not our children, we don’t have to love them equally. To truly drive action, we must isolate and emphasize the insights that matter most—those that directly address the problem statement and have the highest impact. Here’s how to present insights effectively to ensure clarity, engagement, and action: ✅ Start with the Problem – Frame your insights around the problem statement. If stakeholders don’t see the relevance, they won’t care about the data. ✅ Prioritize Key Insights – Not all insights are created equal. Share only the most impactful findings that directly influence decision-making. ✅ Tell a Story, Not Just Show Data– Structure your presentation as a narrative: What was the challenge? What did the data reveal? What should be done next? A well-crafted story is more memorable than a raw data dump. ✅ Use Clean, Intuitive Visuals – Data-heavy slides and cluttered dashboards overwhelm stakeholders. Use simple, insightful charts that highlight key takeaways at a glance. ✅ Make Your Recommendations Clear– Insights without action are meaningless. End with specific, actionable recommendations to guide decision-making. ✅ Encourage Dialogue, Not Just Presentation – Effective communication is a two-way street. Invite questions and discussions to ensure buy-in from stakeholders. ✅ Less is More– Sometimes, one well-presented insight can be more powerful than ten slides of analysis. Keep it concise, impactful, and decision-focused. Before presenting, ask yourself: Am I providing clarity or creating confusion? The best insights don’t just inform—they inspire action. What strategies do you use to make your insights more actionable? Let’s discuss! P.S: I've shared a dashboard I reviewed recently, and thought it was overloaded and not actionably created