oral presentation on zoom

How to Give a Presentation on Zoom? [A Step-by-Step Guide!]

By: Author Shrot Katewa

If you’ve never used Zoom, giving a presentation on it might seem a bit challenging. But, that’s a challenge we will have to learn to overcome as the world moves digital more and more day by day. The key question really is how to give a presentation on Zoom!

To give a presentation on Zoom, first, start by joining a meeting. Now open the presentation file on your computer and share the slides on Zoom using its “Share Screen” feature. You should test your camera, mic, speaker, and internet connection before you start with your presentation.

As easy as it may seem, some of you may need further detailed instructions. So, in this article, I will provide a step-by-step guide on things that you need to do in order to deliver a presentation on Zoom successfully! Plus, I will also share some tips that can help you ace your presentation on Zoom!

So, without any further delay, let’s get started!

Understanding the Zoom Application Interface

Before we understand the steps to give a presentation using Zoom, it is perhaps a good idea to acquaint yourself with the Zoom user interface first. If you are well-versed with it, then perhaps you may want to skip this section and click here instead.

Logging into Zoom

Although you can login to your account using zoom website too, but it is best to download and use the zoom app .

Once you have download the app, you will be prompted to login to your account. If you don’t have an existing account, you can either sign up or even login using your social account such as Google or Facebook. It’s actually quite simple.

If you feel that you don’t want to sign up or even use the social accounts for your meeting, you can choose to use “Sign In with SSO” option. SSO stands for single sign on and this allows you to sign in even when you don’t have an account with Zoom just once.

Zoom Home Screen

Once you’ve logged in, you will be taken to the home screen on Zoom.

There are a bunch of different things that you ca do with the home screen on Zoom. If you have been invited for a meeting, you will need to click on “ Join “. However, you will also need the meeting ID and the password for the meeting. If you don’t have the details, you will perhaps need to contact the person hosting the meeting.

You can also host the meeting yourself by using the “ New Meeting ” button. You can set a new meeting and invite others to join using this option.

Likewise, you can also schedule a meeting in the future using the “ Schedule ” option.

Furthermore, for changing the account related information, just click on your profile picture in the top-right corner of your window.

Lastly, there are several other detailed settings that you can tweak for your Zoom application. Almost all the other settings can be found in the “ Settings ” section by clicking on the “ Gear Icon “.

Zoom Virtual Meeting Window Interface

Once you are a participant in a virtual meeting, either by joining an existing meeting or by starting a new meeting, you will be greeted with an image similar to the one mentioned above.

On this screen, you will be presented with several different options. Some of the key functions that you will need to be aware of are as follows –

• Mute – Turning on the Mute or Unmute
• Video – Toggling between your Video
• Participants – Checking the names of the Participants
• Share Screen – to deliver a presentation (more on this later)
• Record – To record a meeting session
• End – Knowing how to end a meeting and exiting a call.

All the above functions will be visible on a small bar at the bottom of the window. If you are not able to see this option bar at the bottom, just hover over at the bottom part of your screen and all the options will appear .

Although there are other features that are also available for a zoom user or a participant, however, the aforementioned features should be good enough to deliver a presentation. These 6 features are at the very least something that you should be aware of.

How to Give a Presentation on Zoom (Step-by-Step)

Zoom has become a common tool for giving virtual presentations today. It is a widely used tool at conferences, meetings, and other events! If you are giving a presentation on Zoom for the first time, then perhaps you should be aware of a few things –

Here is a quick step-by-step guide on how you can give a presentation on Zoom:

Step 1: Install Zoom

Download and install the Zoom application to your desktop. To download the application, visit https://zoom.us/download and download the Zoom Client to your computer.

Step 2: Login to your Zoom Account

After installing the application, open it and log into your Zoom account. If you don’t have one, you can sign up for free using your email account.

Zoom also has options to sign in using SSO (Single Sign-On) or with your Facebook or Google account.

Step 3: Test Audio and Video Settings

Before you start or join a meeting, you will need to configure and test your audio and video settings.

To do that click on the gear icon on the Zoom application’s home screen. This will open the settings menu.

Now click on the “Audio” tab and select the microphone you are going to use. Try our different audio settings. After the microphone, select the speaker for audio output. If you can’t hear anything, try out another speaker source.

After configuring audio, click on the “Video” tab. From there, select the camera that is connected to your desktop. Tweak different video settings and find out what works best for you.

Step 4: Join or Schedule a Meeting

Now start a meeting by clicking on “New meeting”. You can also schedule a meeting on Zoom. To do that, click on “Schedule” and set up when you want to start the meeting. After completing the set-up, Zoom will give you a URL. Share it with the team members to join the meeting.

Or you can join a meeting by clicking “Join” on the Zoom client’s home screen. You can use a meeting ID or URL to join a meeting in Zoom.

Step 5: Open the Presentation

Once you have everything setup, you then need to prepare to show your presentation with your audience. To do that, open the presentation slides on your computer.

Step 6: Share Your Presentation

The last step in giving your presentation is to make sure that you share your presentation with your audience. To do that, click on “Share Screen” from the Zoom clients meeting window , select the screen where your presentation slides are open, and click “Share”. Now start presenting your slides to the audience.

Step 7: Stop Sharing to end the Presentation

One thing to know is how to end the presentation. To stop screen sharing, simply click on “Stop Share” located at the top of the screen . This option will only appear when you start sharing your screen.

How to Share a PowerPoint with Presenter View on Zoom?

To share your PowerPoint presentation slides with presenter view on Zoom, follow the steps given below:

Step 1: Open the Zoom App and Login

The first step really is to open the zoom app and login to your account.

Step 2: Join or Setup a Virtual Meeting on Zoom

Next, join the meeting. Remember, you need the meeting ID and password to join a meeting. Make sure you have requested for the details beforehand.

Step 3: Open Your PowerPoint Presentation

First step is really to open your presentation file that you want to present on the PowerPoint application.

Step 4: Put the Presentation in Presenter View

Now select the “Slide Show” tab from the top of the screen and click on either “From Beginning” or “From Current Slide” depending on your preference. This will open the slides in the “Presenter” view.

Step 5: Switch to the Zoom Application

Now, go to the Zoom application, start or join a meeting. While you are in the “Presenter” view on PowerPoint, press “ Alt+Tab ” to switch between applications in Microsoft Windows-powered computers. For iMac, use “Command+Tab” to move through open apps.

Step 6: Share Screen on Zoom’s Meeting Window

Once you are in Zoom’s meeting window, click on “Share Screen”, select the window where your PowerPoint slides are open in the presenter’s view, and click “Share”.

And that’s all you have to do in order to share PowerPoint with the presenter’s view in your Zoom meetings.

How to Share PowerPoint on Zoom Without Showing Notes?

There are two methods that you can use to share PowerPoint slides on Zoom without sharing your presenter notes. For the first method, you will need to have two monitors connected to your computer.

As for the second one, you can still share your PowerPoint slides on Zoom without sharing your notes (and you won’t need two monitors either). I’ve briefly explained both methods below.

Method 1 – Dual Monitor Method

In this method, you will be presenting your PowerPoint file on one monitor while looking at your presenter’s notes on the other one. Here’s how you can do that:

Step 1: First of all, open your slides on PowerPoint.

Step 2: Now join or start a Zoom meeting.

Step 3: Now click on “Share Screen” and select “Screen 1”. Then click “Share”. Here, “Screen 1” is your primary monitor.

Note: If you are not sure which one is your primary monitor, select where the PowerPoint file opened in.

Step 4: Now go to the PowerPoint application, click on the “Slide Show” tab, and from there click on “Monitor” and select “Primary Monitor”.

Step 5: Open the presentation file in the presenter’s view by clicking on the “Slide Show” tab and selecting “From Beginning” or “From Current Slide”.

If you have done everything correctly, participants will only be able to see the presentation slides while you have your presenter’s notes open on the second monitor.

In case you shared the wrong monitor on Zoom, click on “Screen Share” on Zoom’s meeting window, select “Screen 2” and click on share. This should fix your problem.

When you are sharing a screen on Zoom, you will notice a green border around that screen. This indicates which monitor you are currently sharing.

Method 2 – Sharing Portion of Your Screen

Follow the steps below if you have only a single monitor connected to your computer.

Step 1: Join or start a meeting on Zoom.

Step 2: Click on “Share Screen” and from the pop-up window select “Advanced”. From there select “Portion of Screen” and click on “Share”. This will give you a green border on your screen that you can adjust. Only the things that are inside this border will be shared on Zoom.

Step 3: Now open the presentation file in PowerPoint, and go to the presenter’s view by selecting “Slide Show> From Current Slide or From Beginning”.

Step 4: Adjust the size of the green border so that it only shows the presentation slides in the presenter’s view.

And that’s all you have to do. By doing so, your audience will only see the slides that you are presenting, but not your notes.

How to Show Yourself During a Zoom Presentation?

Ensuring that you are visible from time to time during a presentation can make it slightly more engaging and much more interactive. Here is how you can do that-

Step 1: First, start or join a Zoom meeting.

Step 2: Click on “ Share Screen ” and select the “ Advanced ” option. From there, select “ PowerPoint as Virtual Background ” and select the file you want for your presentation. Then click on “ Share ”.

Step 3: Make sure your video is switched on so that you are also visible to your audience. You can do that by clicking on “ Start Video ” on the Zoom Virtual Meeting Interface.

It will take some time for your slides to appear on the Zoom client. When it is done, participants will be able to see your face in front of the slides in Zoom. Make sure that your camera is connected to your computer and configured correctly.

This feature works best if you have a green screen behind you . If you have one, go to Zoom’s settings menu, select the “Background and Filter” tab and check “I have a green screen”. If you want to stop showing yourself during a zoom presentation, click on “Stop Video” on the meeting window and that will do the job.

Furthermore, you may sometimes want to show just yourself to the audience and not show the presentation at all. For that, all you need to do is simply click on “Start Video” in the Zoom Virtual Meeting Interface.

How to Record a Presentation on Zoom?

If you want to record your presentation on Zoom, you can do it easily. After joining or starting a meeting on Zoom, click on the “Record” icon located at the bottom of the meeting window. Once the recording starts, you can pause the recording or stop it whenever you like.

After the end of the meeting, the recorded video will be automatically converted into “.mp4” format and stored on your computer.

Tips for Giving an Awesome Presentation on Zoom

Giving a presentation in front of an audience is always a challenging task. Especially if it is online, many things can go wrong during your presentation. This is why I’m sharing some tips that can help you deliver an awesome presentation on Zoom. These are as follows –

1. Make a Professional Looking Presentation

There are several ways to make your presentation look really professional and high quality. One obvious method is to outsource your presentation to a specialised design agency! But, that can become really expensive depending on your budget.

Another (non-obvious) option is to use a PowerPoint Presentation Template! There are several high-quality and professional templates that you can get quite easily! In fact, using these Presentation Designs is quite inexpensive! You can download as many presentation templates as you want for as little as $16.5/month!

My favorite one is Agio PowerPoint Presentation template. It is perfectly suited to give a professional look to your presentation and yet it is quite quick and easy to use. Check out some of the images below –

Agio PowerPoint Presentation Template

Furthermore, make the presentation as simple and straightforward as possible. Do not confuse your audience with a network of colorful texts, graphs, or other contents.

Only use data and graphs that are relevant to your presentation. Also, the clever use of transition animations can make the slide appear much more engaging.

2. Check Your Equipment Beforehand

Whenever you are giving your presentation online, many things can go wrong. For example, your camera or mic may not function properly. Such interruptions will only make you a laughing stock in front of the participants.

Check your mic, camera, and speakers to find out whether they are working properly or not. Also, check your internet connection and your laptop’s battery level. If everything is ok, then you are good to go on with your presentation.

More Related Topics

• Change the Style of Your Bullet Points and Stand-out from the Crowd!
• 7 EASY Tips to Always Make your Presentations Attractive! (Even if You are a Beginner)
• How to Reduce the Size of Your PowerPoint File? The Perfect Method!
• Auto Create Your PowerPoint Slides using Design Ideas Feature!
• Main Features of PowerPoint! [I bet You DIDN’T Know These]

Credit to Cookie_Studio for the featured image of this article

The Ultimate Guide to Giving Virtual Presentations on Zoom

An irreverent and shockingly-actionable companion for anyone who wants to communicate to invisible audiences through a laptop screen.

I read a lot of “ultimate guides to X.” Most are not ultimate. Most aren’t even very readable. This is different. Oli Gardner has put together an extraordinary resource for both newcomers and experienced speakers. If you apply the tactics in this guide, I promise you’ll be among the best presenters online (or off) at your next engagement.

— Rand Fishkin. Co-founder & CEO, SparkToro.

What’s in the guide?

17 Chapters

29,584 words

84 Screenshots

Roughly speaking—and by that I mean super specific—the Ultimate Guide to Giving Virtual Presentations on Zoom contains six thematic parts, seventeen chapters, 29,584 words, eighty four precision-crafted interface screenshots to show you how to do cool things, high-production instructional videos full of fun, insights, marvellous techniques to marvel at, and did I mention that it’s twenty nine thousand, five hundred and eighty four words long?

Wait. If I add this paragraph to the number it’s actually 29,656. So, roughly speaking, it’s awesome.

This guide is actually free . I’m not asking for an email address. Helping you be a better presenter is my goal.

My only ask is that you consider sharing it with others, if you like the guide.

A few highlights from the guide

18 Zoom Features

Cool Zoom Features You Should Know About

Learn how to use the lesser-known features of Zoom for a more dynamic presentation.

7 Bad Techniques

Things to Avoid Doing in a Virtual Presentation

Learn the most common mistake in a virtual presentation and how to avoid making them.

13 Good Techniques

Definitely Do These Things When Presenting

With a few simple techniques you can drastically improve your chances of pulling off a successful virtual presentation on Zoom. And no, I don’t expect you to build an actual stage like I did, but you can at least put a plant in the background.

Your Talk’s Purpose

Create Experience Moments

A key trait of successful speakers is that they understand their personal brand. They know what they represent, how they want to be perceived, and what success looks for them. This leads directly into how we should be designing our talk experiences.

Presentation Structure, Story, & Flow

Learn how to craft a story arc by reducing your big idea to it’s simplest form and chunking it into structured elements.

40 Slide Design Tips

Slide Design Tips for Virtual Presentations

Take a deep dive into the art of presentation design in this incredibly actionable chapter that will elevate your skills overnight. And yes, there are forty tips in this chapter alone.

Real People

Virtual Audience Engagement

They may be invisible, but they’re still there, and they’re still real people who want to have a good time. Learn techniques for audience participation and five simple tricks to help maintain eye contact while presenting virtually.

Audio & Video

Create Professional Recordings of Your Talks

Learn the six elements of a great presentation recording. Plus techniques, tools, and lists of equipment you need to record professional high-resolution videos of your talks. It also covers editing in post-production, and how to add closed captions for enhanced accessibility.

6 Whoopsies

What to Do When Things Go Wrong

There are many things that can go wrong in a virtual presentation, most of them technical in nature. This chapter covers six serious issues, and offers creative solutions to turn a catastrophic and embarrassing moment, into a calm, collected, professional delivery.

5 Advanced Tips

Advanced & Creative Virtual Presentation Tips

Proxy hosts, shortlinks, customized meeting rooms, landing pages, and clickers, oh my. Enhance your expertise with these technical tips, and the best virtual speaking strategy of all—standing up.

23 Settings

Zoom Settings to Turn On or Off for a Successful Presentation

Zoom has a grand total of 301 settings—I counted them with my finger and brain—which can make it really hard to find a critical feature when it’s crunch time. This chapter breaks down the essentials and is your game-day checklist for success.

Intro Introduction to Virtual Presentations on Zoom

Chapter 1 18 Cool Zoom Features You Should Know About

Chapter 2 12 Things You Should Do in Your Zoom Presentation

Chapter 3 8 Things You Shouldn’t Do in Your Zoom Presentation

Chapter 4 Defining Your Presentation’s Purpose

Chapter 5 How to Define Your Talk’s Structure, Story, & Flow

Chapter 6 41 Slide Design Tips for Virtual Presentations

Chapter 7 6 Ways to Make Eye Contact With an Invisible Audience

Chapter 8 How to do Audience Participation in a Virtual Presentation

Chapter 9 How to Share Content during a Zoom Presentation

Chapter 10 How to Create a Stunning Video and Audio Recording

Chapter 11 Using Post-Production to Add Value to Your Zoom Recording

Chapter 12 How to Use Your Phone as a Beautiful Webcam

Chapter 13 What to Do When Things go Wrong in Your Presentation

Chapter 14 How to Ground Yourself and Get Ready to Present

Chapter 15 Advanced & Creative Zoom Presentation Techniques

Chapter 16 The Difference Between Zoom Meetings and Zoom Webinars

Chapter 17 23 Zoom Settings to Enable or Disable for a Smooth Presentation

Improve your practice.

Enhance your soft skills with a range of award-winning courses.

11 Essential Tips for Presenting on Zoom

January 24, 2022 - Dom Barnard

A boss unwittingly disguised as a potato during Zoom meetings, cries of “you’re on mute!” and guest appearances by kids and pets, are among the hilarious anecdotes attached to this hugely popular app.

However, it becomes serious when you need to make a good impression in a virtual meeting, job interview or presentation.

Zoom became a massively popular communications tool for business, education and social meetings during the Pandemic. In 2020, there were  485 million Zoom downloads , which is 30 times more than the year before!

Of course, some of the top Zoom presentations tips apply equally well to in-person or online delivery. Such as establishing your end goals, preparing a flowing framework and strong content, then practising your speech more than once. However, there are particular advantages and disadvantages to Zoom, to get the right results for presenting online.

These Zoom presentation tips will help grow your competence, confidence and success.

1. Put some trousers on!

One of the great things about Zoom presentations is there is a degree of informality and comfort.

You can dress just your top half smartly, have a hot beverage just off-screen, and do your best public speaking in familiar surroundings.

One of the worst things about Zoom presentations is …there is a degree of informality and comfort!

You can find yourself easily distracted, lacking in focus and slower in your responses.

The best way to present well on Zoom – when the stakes are high – is to create a wholly business-like environment and attitude. Use a space in your home or field location that’s as bland and clinical as possible, with no potential noise disturbance. Dress smartly from head to toe to create the best mindset.

Site your technology in front of you and imagine it’s a lectern and a set of multi-media tools in a meeting room or lecture theatre.

2. Use the superpower of data

While you’re using technology to communicate or collaborate, it’s common sense to optimise ways to enhance your presentations.

As part of your extensive preparation for important Zoom meetings, consider what documents, images and graphics to share, to add credibility and professionalism to your pitch. Or, simply to hold the attention of a Zoom audience from start to finish.

Familiarise yourself with the Share Screen option on Zoom, and the best ways of displaying videos during a Zoom call, including advanced share methods for online presentations.

There are good Zoom share screen tips here, including how to add a video to presentations on Zoom.

Zoom presentations with visual content are  43% more persuasive . Also, 90% of the information we process comes from visual input. So your Zoom presentation materials could be what gets you that job, funding or agreement.

3. Non-verbal communications tips for Zoom

Don’t assume that online presentations release you from many of the body language pitfalls and best practices. The opposite is true, as you need to focus on non-verbal cues even more.

If you deliver your Zoom presentation in a rigid, static and clinical way, you are missing out on some of the best ways to be successful in communications.

People respond to people. Effective communication requires warmth, authenticity and establishing a strong personal connection with your audience. Being robotic when presenting online won’t help you to succeed.

If this is an intense online meeting, then showing empathy can also increase the engagement and openness you achieve.

How do you communicate non-verbally on Zoom?

Without going over the top, be purposeful and slightly exaggerated in your body language. Sit straight and lean subtly towards the screen. Never away from it and certainly no slumping, crossed arms or chin/elbow leaning!

Smile, nod and keep strong eye contact, including showing your attention passing from person to person across a split-screen. Use hand gestures and show subtle movement in your upper body to add emphasis to key points.

4. Verbal communications skills

Zoom presentations also make it too easy to slip into a monotone voice or race through a presentation. You may even find the process of talking to technology – not live people – causes you to ramble, or get lost in your ad-libs or Q&A responses.

Make sure you articulate clearly, add emphasis when needed, and generally modify your tone regularly but logically.

Don’t be afraid to leave small pauses to drive a point home, or to take a deep breath while you construct your next point. If you look directly at the screen and hold eye contact, this ‘white space’ is perfectly acceptable.

5. Is everyone listening?

One of the most important presentation skills, in general, is reading the room. Is your potential boss or buyer looking bored? Are the panel of decision-makers getting confused? In contentious presentations, being able to spot your biggest dissenter from their non-verbal communication can help you shift your focus to winning them over.

It’s challenging to gain that sort of body language intel from online meetings. So, the best Zoom presentations compensate for that.

It can be as simple as adding more direct questions to your content and literally pausing regularly to ask your audience about queries or concerns. Make your questions open-ended, not a yes or no response.

“Let’s take a minute. What else do you need to know about that part of my presentation?”

Also, keep Zoom presentations succinct, flowing and animated. Your audience will drift away subconsciously if your delivery is pedestrian or you talk for too long without involving them.

Remember, attention spans are even shorter on technology!

Practice your video presentation and get feedback on your performance with  VirtualSpeech .

6. Opening Zoom presentations with pizazz

No, this doesn’t refer to grabbing your audience’s attention with a juggling trick or wearing your most colourful or glamourous finery.

How you start a Zoom presentation sets the tone. If you instantly engage their interest with a compelling opening, the attention and engagement last.

This should primarily be 100% clarity on the purpose of your presentation and the desired outcome. As well as establishing your credibility and methods to achieve the end goal.

Vague introductions and slowly revealing your key points drains your time and your audience’s attention.

What makes a good opening for Zoom presentations?

7. Icebreakers

You can’t shake their hand, but you can issue a quick, warm greeting and a short, relevant fact about yourself that helps them to warm to you.

8. Storytelling techniques

These work for a myriad of business communication tasks. Give a short (that word again) anecdote or illustration, to give context to your Zoom presentation. That could be about you, your product or the outcome you are requesting, for example.

9. Meaningful quotes in presentations

“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” – George Bernard Shaw.

Good quotes can work!

10. High impact fact

Another great opening for Zoom presentations is a little known fact or ‘behind the scenes’ secret that grabs attention. Did you know,  one-third of adults still sleep with a ‘comforter’  like a soft toy or blanket? (Not relevant to many presentations but it’s a memorable statistic that caught OUR attention.)

Wake your audience up with something they want to remember – and share with others – and they will be alert and ready to listen.

11. End Zoom presentations correctly

One last piece of advice on Zoom presentations. Don’t get so relieved when you get to the end, that you forget your call to action.

All communication should include an invitation of some kind, in clear language. What would you like your audience to do, now your Zoom time is over? Tell them that and thank them for your attention, with one last warm smile.

👀 Turn any prompt into captivating visuals in seconds with our AI-powered design generator ✨ Try Piktochart AI!

15 Tips for Engaging Zoom Presentations + Examples

Your next Zoom presentation is a week away. And your mind is racing.

What presentation software should you use?

What if the other attendees can hear your neighbor’s loud music?

Will they find your presentation boring?

Relax and take a deep breath.

You don’t have to figure out the answers to these questions by yourself. This guide will cover everything you need to know about planning and delivering engaging Zoom presentations without stress and anxiety!

After reading this article, you’ll be brimming with confidence and competence on your next Zoom presentation.

Table of contents :

The science behind your Zoom presentation anxiety

• Downloadable Zoom presentation checklist

Part 1: Tips on how to plan and prepare for your Zoom presentation

Part 2: tips during your zoom presentation.

• How to share your Piktochart slide deck on Zoom
• Present with ease on Zoom using Piktochart presentations

Before we get into all the other Zoom presentation tips, perhaps the most important is to deal with your Zoom presentation anxiety. And you’re not alone – anxiety over Zoom presentations is more common than you think . 

A  2021 paper  on why students have difficulties learning during synchronous presentations over Zoom found that 80 percent of the students polled experienced anxiety and trouble focusing during their virtual classes. But what causes this worry? In a peer-reviewed article, Professor Jeremy Bailenson, founding director of the  Stanford Virtual Human Interaction Lab , highlighted the  results of their research  and cited four primary reasons behind Zoom fatigue, stress, and anxiety:

• Your brain interprets excessive amounts of close-up eye contact during video chats as an “intense situation.”
• Like looking at the mirror, you become more critical of yourself as you see yourself on camera.
• Limited movements while you’re chained in your chair and table.
• Video chats require a higher cognitive load than face-to-face presentations. 

“You’ve got to make sure that your head is framed within the center of the video. If you want to show someone that you agree with them, you have to do an exaggerated nod or put your thumbs up. That adds cognitive load as you’re using mental calories in order to communicate,” shares Bailenson.

Finally, you have to consider tech troubles and presentation software fiascos, as well as dealing with the pressure of public speaking.

15 Zoom presentation tips and tricks to help you own the room like a pro

Now that you understand why Zoom presentations give you sweaty palms, let’s go through 15 actionable steps to prepare for the slides.

We created a checklist of the Zoom presentation tips so you can cross off each task.

Prefer video learning instead? Watch the video below.

The success of your Zoom presentation is the result of thoughtful planning and preparation.

Get ready for your online class, product webinar, or job interview on Zoom with the following pre-presentation tips:

1. Decide on the scope of your Zoom presentation

Before presenting on Zoom, ask yourself — what one particular idea or insight would you want your audience to learn from you?

“Defining the scope is the most critical step. What are the boundaries, what are the deliverables, what is the topic that you are covering?”, recommends Linda Parry Murphy , CEO of Product Launchers, Inc.

Trying to cover every subject will only make you more nervous.

Remember the Stanford study earlier about too much cognitive load as one of the reasons behind Zoom presentation anxiety?

Limiting the scope of your presentation can significantly reduce your cognitive load while keeping your audience focused on the key points.

2. Plan for the structure of your online presentation

It’s important to master the sequence and structure of your presentation as part of your preparation. Creating a framework guides the meeting participants so they understand what the data means, why it’s important, and what the implications are in this situation.

A solid structure in place also makes it easier to go back to what you’re saying. As a result, you will feel more confident because you can keep track of your talking points with a quick glance at your outline if you lose your train of thought.

Matt Abrahams, a lecturer in Organizational Behavior and author of Speaking Up Without Freaking Out , recommends the following examples of presentation structures that you can use:

• Past-Present-Future – review a process or share a timeline
• Comparison-Contrast – show the benefits of a certain idea, insight, product, or service
• Cause-Effect – explain the rationale behind a decision
• Problem-Solution-Benefit – motivate or convince your audience
• What?-So What?-Now What? – convince people to do a specific action after your presentation

Another simple presentation structure you can work on is to start with an introduction, the meat of your presentation where you can highlight 3 points, and wrap up with the summary and call-to-action.

3. Prepare your presentation visuals

Plenty of research and evidence shows that including images is more effective in getting your message across than written text or oral communications alone.

For instance, a captivating visual is  four times more effective  in conveying information than words alone. People remember 80 percent of what they see and do, compared to 20 percent through reading and 10 percent through hearing, respectively.

If your goal is to convince your audience during your Zoom presentation, you’ll also be delighted to know that using visuals can help you become more persuasive.

A Wharton School of Business research found that around a third of the audiences they polled felt that presenters who used visuals were more persuasive.

So remember that well-chosen images, even stock photos, can do wonders to augment your slides.

When making visuals for your presentation, use these questions as your guide:

• Is there an icon, illustration, or image that could represent your point in a more meaningful way?
• What types of diagrams , such as a timeline, flowchart, pie chart, arrows, or graphs, will help get your point across to your audience?
• Who are my target audiences? When choosing visuals for my presentation, are there certain cultural taboos or inappropriate humor that I should be aware of?

One more thing – consider using bullet points if you find slides with walls of text. They’ll be easier to digest without taking the focus away from you.

4. Eliminate clutter in your surroundings

Staying in one place with no room to maneuver probably doesn’t spark joy for anyone. KonMari your environment by eliminating clutter on your desk and in the space around you. This means extra keyboards, unused notebooks, pens, food boxes, and books can go.

Eliminating clutter gives your brain the impression that there’s more room for you to move around during your Zoom event.

If the space you’re presenting in makes it difficult to clear off clutter, you could find a plain wall to present against. And if that’s not an option, you can use a clean virtual Zoom background . Keeping your surroundings out of sight means it’s out of mind for you and your audience; one less thing to worry about while presenting.

5. Do a tech prep

Presenting in Zoom while you’re at home or traveling is a technological wonder in itself. But technology can be frustrating at times too.

Spending some time optimizing your Zoom settings by clicking in the toolbar while you’re in a Zoom meeting. Under video settings, you’ll find a few options that can help with the visuals, such as focus assist.

Before your presentation, double-check the following:

• Make sure that your laptop, computer, lighting, headset, webcam, microphone, and internet connection are working. Have backup equipment if possible.
• Familiarize yourself with the Zoom app and other relevant software you’re going to use during the presentation.
• Close unnecessary browsers, applications, or software before the presentation. Turn off your laptop or desktop notifications. The goal is to optimize and speed up the device to have a smooth presentation.
• Prepare a PDF version of your presentation slides and have an extra copy of your presenter notes in case of technical mishaps with your slides. It also makes sense to have a short link to your presentation that you can share with the audience.
• Position your notes in the right spot so you know where to find them while presenting.
• Check Zoom settings and do a quick audio and video check.

6. Rehearse your presentation

After taking care of your surroundings and equipment, the next step is to prepare yourself.

Practicing your Zoom presentation in advance can help boost your confidence. Here are some tips to help you rehearse well for your presentation:

• Screen record yourself. Afterward, check your recorded video for technical issues, your body language, and whether or not your voice is audible or not.
• Practice with a family member or friend who can give feedback on any distracting nonverbal communication habits like too many hand gestures.
• Rehearse in the same room where you’ll be presenting. Use the same lighting, computer setup, and everything.
• Practice speaking to the camera, not your computer screen.

If you’re not used to face-to-face presentations, you could record your presentation and watch it back. I know, I know – it can feel so uncomfortable watching yourself. But a quick analysis will reveal if you use too many hand gestures, that can be distracting, and also if you need to reposition your camera so it shows your upper body while presenting.

The time has come for presentation day! You already know the ins and outs of your presentation, and you’ve practiced your Zoom presentation skills to a T. A couple of checks you can do before you start are:

• Make sure you’re in a quiet area to minimize any potential interruptions.
• Do a test call with a friend to check the internet connection and if you’ll stay connected.

Take note of the following tips and hacks to make your Zoom presentation engaging and anxiety-free during your webinar or talk:

7. Dress the part

Wear clothes that are appropriate for your presentation and audience. It also helps to be more mindful of your accessories and hairstyle. The outfits and accessories you wear during your Zoom meeting will speak volumes about you as a person.

For example, if you’re presenting to your coworkers, wear work clothes. If you’re pitching to a group of angel investors, wearing a tie can help convey that you’re serious and trustworthy. However, this may not be a good idea if you’re presenting to a group that is more open to change and tends to be more relaxed when it comes to conventional standards.

Another benefit of dressing the part is what you wear actually impacts how you think. Wearing formal clothes can improve abstract thinking and give you a broader sense of perspective, which is influential in helping you make better decisions.

8. Ditch the chair

Standing up when presenting in Zoom rather than sitting down helps you become more confident because you’re not hunched down on your chair.

Standing straight with your shoulders back also enables you to breathe easily, making your voice sound more powerful and confident. Finally, it allows you to move more and make explanatory gestures which is a charisma boost.

The more confident you appear in your presentation, the more confident you’re likely to feel.

“When your mind starts to feel more confident and powerful — it starts to see those challenging situations not as threats but as opportunities,” shares Harvard psychologist professor Amy Cuddy.

If you can’t stand up during your presentation, try to sit straight in your chair and back up your camera a little to show your upper body and not just your face.

9. Have a memorable introduction

National best-selling author and founder at Science of People Vanessa Van Edwards specifically recommends opening your presentation with IISSAAQQ to make it more memorable. IISSAAQQ stands for: 

• I cebreaker
• I llustration
• S hort story
• S tatistic or surprising fact
• A nalogy or metaphor

Bonus points if you can weave in humor with some background information with a relevant fact. Research found that more popular talks used humor 12.92 times, whereas less popular talks used humor only 3.92 times on average.

You don’t have to force a joke – humor could just be a play on words or surprising the audience with a funny image or meme that contrasts with a statement. Nothing breaks the ice better than laughter.

10. Look your audience in the eye (or rather your webcam)

Looking your audience in the eye is easier during face-to presentations than Zoom presentations. It can be a little tricky during online meetings because we tend to look at people’s faces on the computer screen. Maintain eye contact by looking into your webcam.

“A good idea is to lower the monitor camera a little so that you don’t have to tilt your head back to gaze up at it. If you can’t help looking at someone’s face on the screen instead of their camera, it helps to move the Zoom window to the part of the screen nearest to the camera so at least you’re looking at approximately the right place when you’re looking at their face,” shares Carol Kinsey Goman , Ph.D., executive coach and international keynote speaker.

You could treat the camera as if you were doing a face-to-face presentation. This way, it’ll be a bit simpler to hold eye contact with your audience when you’re not looking at your notes.

11. Think happy thoughts

Find ways to boost your mood before your presentation. Aside from helping you feel good (which in turn can boost your confidence), you’re also likely to smile often with happy thoughts. 

When you smile at your audience, they will also likely “mirror” your action and think happy thoughts. 

“Mirroring is relevant to our tendency to be empathetic. When I see you smiling, my mirror neurons for smiling fire up, and I get your state of mind right away. I feel it as you feel it. We need that mirroring in order to create a full empathic response to other people,” describes Marco Iacoboni , author of  Mirroring People  and UCLA professor. 

When you’re having a good time and sharing enthusiasm with your audience, they’ll reciprocate through their nonverbal communication. This means fewer folded arms and blank stares and more nodding along and smiles.

12. Delegate the chatbox

Have someone else take care of Zoom chat or manage the waiting room to keep you from being distracted. This person could be the meeting host, a colleague, or someone you trust who has your back during your presentation.

13. Engage your audience

A boring presentation is when there’s no interaction, and you’re being spoken at (hello, university lectures). You’ll be able to tell from everyone’s body language in the meeting room.

Make your presentation a two-way street. Here are some ways to encourage interaction and participation amongst your audience during your Zoom meetings:

• Ask questions. For example, if you’re presenting a team productivity software in Zoom, ask your audience about their top productivity problems at work. You can also use this time as an opportunity to transition to your next presentation slide.
• If you have a small audience, remember each person’s name and address them using their first names.
• Use visuals like illustrations, infographics, or a short video clip in your slide show. Tool recommendation : Use Piktochart Video to transform a long video into short clips.
• Use interactive quizzes while presenting online to change the pace and keep your audience engaged.

14. Talk like a human and avoid too much jargon

Alright, what does talking like a human mean in Zoom presentations?

For a start, avoid talking too much jargon and corporate speak. It makes you more relatable, keep your audience’s attention longer because your points will be easier to understand, and also helps you stand out from other presenters.

Just because you’re presenting in virtual meetings doesn’t mean you’re not talking to people. The only difference is you’re sharing your presentation in front of your camera instead of in front of the lecture room.

Next, improve your visual storytelling skills . Your presentation will be more memorable if you briefly share a story and pair it with visuals. Sign up for our free visual storytelling course . Check out the teaser video below.

15. Slow down

When you’re anxious and not too confident about your Zoom presentation, you’ll tend to speak fast, which in turn will make you more nervous. It’s a vicious cycle.

When presenting in Zoom, be mindful of your pace. Slowing down will not only take the edge off your nerves but also make you appear more confident.

Don’t be scared of pauses or gaps between your statements. Sometimes, you might need a sip of water to hydrate your throat. Other times, you could use the pauses as extra emphasis to drive key points.

Slowing down and changing up your talking pace will help you deliver an impactful presentation because you’ll have more control and be better able to drive the point home.

5 presentation examples and templates

To make presenting your Zoom presentation easy, here are some presentation templates and examples for inspiration.

Quarterly finance update

Have a big meeting coming up where you need to share sales performance and revenue figures? We’ve got you covered with this template.

It’s equipped with graphs where you can easily drop your revenue figures in and share performance with customizable graphs. There are also template slides for customer feedback and if your team is planning to introduce new processes.

Marketing strategy plan template

This marketing strategy slide deck is perfect if you’re onboarding a new client and want to walk them through your research, analysis, and proposed actions.

Group project

Presenting your collaborative project in a Zoom meeting to your classmates? Take the worry off so you can focus on sharing the results by using this science group project template .

Despite the name, you can use it for any kind of school or university project because the structure works for any type of research presentation. The template has slides for:

• Group introduction
• Your hypothesis/basis for the project
• Your theory
• How you tested the theory
• Key takeaways

Buyer persona template

The customer buying journey is always evolving, and you might need to present a case study to leadership or your team on recent findings. Our template makes it simple to share your customer’s story, as the template has slides for:

• The customer profile
• Motivations/goals
• Personal insights
• Responsibilities

Team update in the all-hands meeting

It’s common for managers, or project leads to update the company with their results in company meetings. In these cases, you might just need a single slide to share your progress.

This work breakdown structure template does the job, giving you space to share what your team’s objectives were, what the key results were, who was involved, and what the shipping date was for these goals.

How to share your Piktochart slide deck on Zoom 

Step 1 : On the Piktochart editor, click Share to get the link to your presentation. 

By default, your presentation is not publicly visible.

Step 2 : Copy and paste the link into your browser bar. Then, click the Show Presentation button. This will launch in fullscreen presentation mode, and now you’re ready to shine. 

Step 3: Click Share Screen on your Zoom account and choose the browser with the Piktochart link.

For a visual demonstration, watch the short tutorial below with detailed instructions.

Ready to deliver your presentation? 

That’s it for our Zoom presentation tips; now over to you.

You have a brilliant idea or insight to present, and you need to share them with your audience in your next Zoom presentation. It’s high time you nail it with the virtual presentation tips we outlined in this guide. 

Take Piktochart for a test drive  today and create your next presentation slide minus the stress using our free presentation maker .

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• Presentation Design

Zoom Presentation Tips for an Effective and Professional Online Meeting

Camille del Rosario

So many of us have transitioned to a work-from-home setup. We’ve pretty much gotten used to the reality of “going to the office” remotely — but still, it’s hard to shake off the culture shock of giving presentations and holding meetings online.

Zoom is one of the most widely chosen platforms for video conferences because of its simple user interface — you just “enter” a “room” full of people and take part in the conversation. Sounds easy enough, right?

But in the past year or so, we’ve seen a lot of Zoom fails — mostly relatable, but sometimes unforgettably embarrassing.

From people forgetting to unmute themselves before speaking to children or puppies showing up in the middle of an important meeting … the possibilities are, unfortunately, endless.

But while Zoom fails can be a great way to lighten up a conversation, it’s not ideal when they happen during your presentation. Here are a few Zoom presentation tips to help you create an effective and professional online meeting.

How to Prepare for Your Zoom Presentation

We can all agree that virtual presentations are a challenging new landscape. But with the right preparation and techniques, you’ll be well on your way to holding a successful Zoom presentation that drives your point home and leaves a lasting impression on your listeners.

The best way to avoid mistakes — and epic fails — is by simply anticipating them. Design, preparation, and even your desk set up all play an important role.

Design a Stunning Presentation

Before you start trying to navigate the Zoom platform and send invites to your audience, first things first: you need to create your presentation . And if you think that this is an easy task that just requires slapping some text on a plain white PowerPoint background, think again.

How your presentation slides look can make or break your entire talk track and spell the difference between your audience listening to you or getting distracted with something else. You can check out some of the hottest presentation design trends for inspiration. Meanwhile, here are some tips on designing a stunning presentation:

Keep it Simple and Straightforward

Because your talk is virtual, you need to fight harder to keep your audience focused on you and not their Slack feed.

In a virtual setting, the best practice is to keep your slides simple and minimalist. Avoid too many elements that can make your audience dizzy. Remember that they’ll be viewing your slides from their computer screens, so you don’t want to use colors and text that can strain the eyes.

Use large text so your viewers don’t have to squint to read your slides. And minimize the amount of text — never require your audience to read too much, because they should be watching and listening to you more.

Choose Your Visuals Carefully

Keeping it simple doesn’t mean you can’t add visuals to your presentation. Visual cues such as illustrations, graphs, charts, and images play an important role in keeping your audience engaged and allowing them to understand your message better through image association.

There are many types of visuals that you can incorporate into your slides. Among these include:

• Charts & Graphs. Information in charts and graphs is much easier to understand than plain enumeration. Help your audience understand numbers and statistics better through data visualization.
• Maps. Just mentioning or writing down a location is forgettable and uninteresting. Using a map can make relevant locations more memorable.
• Videos. Videos should be used sparingly, because remember, your presentation itself is already a complete audiovisual presentation. Use short clips that will help explain a point, provide instructions, or give background information about your topic. When adding a video to your deck, use only one video per slide.
• Icons & Illustrations. Often, you can reduce your word count by replacing them with easy-to-associate icons instead. Plus, they look great!
• Stock Photos. You can emphasize your information with stock photos or use full-screen images as backgrounds. Make sure all stock photos are high-quality and relevant to your topic.
• GIFs & Memes. If you want to add a lighthearted and fun nature to your presentation, you can consider adding relevant GIFs and memes. Cool motion graphics can catch the attention of your audience. But don’t overdo the memes — stay professional and keep to the point.

Be careful not to flood your slides with too many visuals to avoid distracting your audience. Also, add only visuals that are relevant to the topic or that provide value. If the visuals are unnecessary, it’s best not to include them at all.

Q: How can I add interest to a boring presentation?

A: You can make your presentation more engaging for your audience by following the best design practices and implementing them in your deck. Use visuals that are striking, embrace data visualization, and use less text.

It will also help to practice your delivery and speak in a friendly and captivating manner. Your speaking speed, intonations, and tone of voice all matter when it comes to keeping your audience engaged. Also, make your presentation more interactive and involve your audience in the conversation.

Q: How can I make a Zoom presentation more interactive?

It’s much harder to make your presentation more interactive when you’re alone in a room and talking to people on your computer — but it’s not impossible. And it all starts with your presentation slide design .

Some interactive elements that you can add include:

• Animation. You can incorporate animations into your deck in the form of slide transitions or animating each bullet point to appear one after the other. The latter also helps keep the focus on each important item.
• Links. Slides can be more dynamic with links. You can set up specific slides to lead to other elements, another slide, to an external web page, etc.
• Hover effects. Hover effects can give dramatic suspense before you reveal certain key points or answers to interactive quizzes. By programming hover effects, boxes in your slides can disappear to reveal text or images when you move your mouse above it.

Do Your Homework

Zoom is popular because it’s not too demanding on your internet connection and — most importantly — it’s pretty easy to use. But that’s not to say that you don’t need to take some time familiarizing yourself with them.

Zoom has various features that you have to be familiar with finding, enabling, or disabling to suit your presentation and preferences. It’s understandable for beginners to be overwhelmed — but don’t be. All you have to do is a bit of research.

Learning how to properly use and maximize Zoom beforehand can go a long way in turning a meeting from a yawn-inducing, error-filled meeting to a professional and effective presentation. Here are some keyboard shortcuts you may need to use:

• Muting your audio: ALT + A for Windows/ PC; CMD + CTRL + A for Mac
• Pausing your video: ALT + V for Windows/ PC; CMD + CTRL + V for Mac

Plan Thoroughly

Adequate planning is key to a successful Zoom presentation. You need to consider various matters beforehand, such as your schedule, your team’s schedule, where you’ll be holding the presentation, the materials that you need to prepare, if any.

Make a checklist of every non-negotiable thing that you need come presentation day and tick off items one by one as early as possible. Planning can help you ensure that you won’t encounter any problems, and if they do, you’ll be able to solve them easily and quickly.

Set Up Your Desk and Background

Your presentation is likely to be recorded — in fact, it better be, so that absent (or absent-minded) teammates have the chance to watch it again later. But remember, everything that is captured by your camera is noticeable. Any faux pas can be replayed! Your background can make or break your ability to keep your audience focused on you and the topic you’re discussing. So build it wisely.

Set up a desk in an area with a clean background that doesn’t have too many elements or potential distractions. Positioning yourself in front of a clean, solid wall is a good option.

But you can also allow your backdrop to add interest or facilitate your story. For example, a shelf of relevant awards can support your authority and professional acumen.

On the other hand, a nature-oriented background — like a window overlooking your garden or the trees in your background — can create a calmer impression that won’t intimidate your audience. (With a setup like this, though, just avoid placing yourself against the light!)

If you can’t find a spot with a good enough background for your presentation, Zoom has a selection of backdrops that can be integrated into your video. However, the downside here is that they don’t always detect your features well, which risks a low-quality appearance.

Check Your Presentation Equipment

The last thing you want is for your equipment to malfunction during your presentation. This is not only awkward — it’s also disruptive and unproductive. Check your equipment at least a day before your scheduled presentation. On the big day, enter the Zoom meeting room early and test out your equipment again.

Here’s a list of the things you need to check on:

• Internet connection. A lagging video or audio can be frustrating for you and your audience. A tried-and-tested strong connection is good on its own, but having a backup connection is a great bonus.
• Laptop performance and battery life. Empty your recycle bin and do a quick performance check. If you’re on a laptop, you also need to make sure your battery life can last until the end of your presentation. Better yet, keep it plugged in and charging.
• Camera placement. Enter your Zoom presentation room before everyone else arrives to find the proper camera placement. It should be at eye level so your audience will see your face — not any higher or lower.
• Working audio and video. Audio and video problems are more common than ideal in Zoom presentations. You can test these by starting a Zoom test meeting or opening the Zoom app and going to the audio and video settings.

Use a Quality Microphone

The built-in microphone on your laptop or PC can work for regular day-to-day meetings or team huddles. But for important presentations, you might want to look for better-quality options.

Built-in mics tend to make your voice sound muffled and distant, which can be a challenge when delivering important points. A high-quality external microphone that can deliver the best sound and allow your audience to hear you better and more clearly — so consider investing in one.

There are mics that can be plugged into your laptop’s USB port and set as the audio source. Getting noise-canceling headphones may also be a good idea for interactive presentations so you don’t have trouble hearing your audience’s questions or clarifications.

Take Precautions for Potential Interruptions

As much as possible, don’t hold your presentation in a public place, such as a cafe or restaurant. You want to minimize distractions and potential interruptions.

Go to a quiet area, lock the door, and instruct your housemates not to disturb you for the next hour or two. Be aware of any scheduled maintenance or renovation activities in or around your building.

Aside from physical interruptions, your laptop or computer notifications can also disrupt your meeting. Turn off or mute all notifications. In macOS, you can set your laptop to “Do Not Disturb.” On a Windows PC, toggle on “Focus Assist.”

Put Your Notes in the Right Place

For online presentations, it might not be a good idea to have hand-written or printed notes to serve as your guide. This can cause you to lose eye contact with your audience when you look way from your screen too often. Here are some ideas for note placement:

• Written, printed out, or in a separate window outside Zoom. Use real sticky notes or your system text editor for your cheat sheet. Place the notes on your screen without obstructing Zoom’s UI so that you can keep your chin up and face your listeners while glancing at your guide.
• On a second monitor. Use a second monitor to present your slide decks to your audience, while being able to glance at it every time you need to.
• In-app features. You also may want to consider using the Presenter View feature on PowerPoint and Google Slides, which privately displays your next slide without you having to click on it. This is visible only to you and not your audience, allowing for a smooth transition between topics.

Or better yet, show off your command for the subject matter by skipping the external notes! Create your presentation slides in a way that helps you remember your points for discussion.

Wear a Professional Outfit

If you think you can get away with wearing formal attire on your upper body and not changing out of your pajama bottoms, think again. We’ve seen too many epic Zoom fails where people absentmindedly stand up during the meeting and reveal that they’re not completely dressed!

Wear appropriate and professional clothing, like a well-pressed shirt and some actual pants. Not only does this help you appear more credible and professional, but it also gives you the confidence to deliver your presentation, whether or not your teammates see the whole outfit.

Q: How do I look more professional in my Zoom presentation?

A: The night before your Zoom presentation, scour your closet for your best business attire and lay it out. A collared polo and slacks work best, but smart casual outfits can also work, depending on the theme of your presentation (and your workplace culture).

We know it can be tedious to go the extra mile dressing up when you’re just at home. But think of this Zoom meeting as if it was being conducted in person. Dress to impress — your audience will appreciate it.

Q: What is the best color to wear in a Zoom meeting?

A: Computer screens can show colors differently, which is why it’s important to pay attention to the color you wear to your presentation. As a general rule, choose a shade that contrasts well with your background — a light shirt for a dark background, or a dark shirt for a light background.

You also want to avoid loud patterns and prints as this can make your video look cluttered and distracting. But bold, deep, or bright colors can be an impactful and positive statement — for example, a striking red, a glamorous fuchsia, or a brilliant turquoise.

Rehearse Your Presentation to Get Ready

Rehearsing your speech is different from memorizing it entirely. You don’t want to sound like a robot. The most interactive and memorable presentations are natural, authentic, and open to audience participation.

Presentation rehearsal is more about internalization than memorization. Deliver your presentation in front of a mirror, or perhaps to a friend or family member, to get a better sense of how your speech will flow.

You (or your practice audience) might be able to catch important oversights in your presentation — things you need to mention, issues you need to address, or technical information you need to elaborate on further.

Focus on practicing your tone of voice, the pace of delivery, and body language. Research thoroughly about your subject matter — try to be more knowledgeable than your audience so that you can answer relevant questions. On the day of your presentation, you’ll be able to say with confidence, “I can do this! I’ve done it before.”

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Deliver on the Day Of: How to Present Your Zoom Presentation

Of course, preparation is just the first step of the presentation process. There are still a few things you need to do on the day of your presentation. Below is a list of the best practices you should remember and apply when delivering a speech via Zoom.

“Spotlight” Your Video

By default, Zoom displays the video window of whoever is speaking. While this is beneficial in team huddles to put a spotlight on the speaker, it’s not ideal for presentations.

In this case, you are the key speaker, so you need to set your meeting room to display only your screen throughout the entire presentation.

You can do this by spotlighting your screen — a built-in Zoom feature. Once you’re in your meeting, go to your video window, click the three-dot menu icon and select “Spotlight Video.”

“Make Eye Contact” by Looking Into the Camera

It can be more difficult to maintain eye contact in an online presentation because, well, you technically can’t do that.

Everyone you’re talking to shows up on a little thumbnail in different parts of the screen. Naturally, our eyes gravitate towards the eyes of the person we’re talking to, just like in real life.

But the dynamic is a little different in a Zoom meeting. When you look at your audience’s individual boxes in a Zoom meeting room, you actually appear to be looking down on the screen. And that’s not a good thing if you want to keep your listeners engaged.

A little bit of adjustment is required here: Train yourself to look straight at your built-in or external camera while speaking. Even if you can’t see the faces of your audience, they know that you’re “looking” at them and maintaining eye contact.

Start With an Ice Breaker

You’re about to give a helpful, valuable, informative presentation. But before you start, you want to set the tone of your presentation first. And the best mood to start with is, of course, a positive one.

Your first few words are the most important parts of your entire talk. It will take less than five seconds for your audience to decide whether you’re charismatic, powerful, interesting, and overall worth listening to. So you want to get that good energy going as early as possible.

Lighten up the energy in the meeting room with a little icebreaker. Here are some ideas you can get inspiration from:

• Tell a joke.
• Reveal a shocking fact or statistic.
• Ask a question.
• Use interesting props.
• Show a captivating visual.
• Start with a quote.
• Tell a short story.

Engage Your Audience Frequently

You’re not in an empty conference room — you’re in an online meeting, and as the speaker, you’re competing with the different real-life distractions that each of your audience members may have, wherever they are.

So now and then, your audience may need a little extra help getting their focus back during your presentation. Take a short break every five to 10 minutes and use the opportunity to check in with their audience. How are they doing? Do they have any questions? Start a conversation that will prompt them to think or provide their own input.

Q: How do I engage with my audience in a Zoom presentation?

A: To engage your audience during your presentation, you can ask them questions, tell a story, or encourage them to share their thoughts about the previous topic. You can also design your deck in a way that captures attention every one or two slides by breaking them apart with engaging videos or animations .

Don’t Forget to Record Your Presentation

Everyone in the Zoom meeting will be able to gauge how well you did — except you. It’s a good idea to record your presentation so that you can rewatch it and spot points for improvement. You can also send the recording over to the attendees in case they need it as a resource.

Remember to save the chat log in case there are members who prefer to ask their questions using the built-in chatbox. The chat history usually gets deleted after the meeting, but it may contain valuable information that you can refer back to in the future.

To automatically save the chatbox, go to your Zoom settings and access the “In Meeting (Basic)” tab. Hover to the Chat section and toggle on the setting for automatically saving in-meeting chats.

Ready to Ace Your Next Zoom Presentation?

Holding a presentation on Zoom is a new and often challenging experience. But with these tips in your arsenal, we have no doubt you’ll ace your presentation and provide real, actionable value to your audience!

For more information about perfecting your next online presentation, check out this article about presentation do’s and dont’s .

And if all this seems like a lot of work … well, we kind of agree. On top of everything you have to do as a presenter, you also need to come up with beautiful, on-brand slides. Worry not — Design Pickle is here to help. With Design Pickle’s Presentation Design services, you can impress your colleagues (and yourself!) with engaging, well-designed presentation designs.

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Presentation Do’s and Don’ts: What You Need to Know

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CAUSE AN EFFECT

Blog on science communication

How to give a professional presentation in Zoom

You have a presentation scheduled in Zoom – a common sight since 2020. But as it’s a pretty new phenomenon, you’ve probably seen it done badly more often than not (we certainly have..). How can you avoid that from happening to you? Don’t worry: The Online Scientist is here to help.

Use our tips and tricks to avoid the most common blunders when presenting in Zoom, and to enhance the success of your online talk! If you get comfortable with it, you will probably enjoy presenting online just as much as you do in an auditorium full of people.

Design a clear and beautiful presentation

Just like with any other presentation, the success of a Zoom presentation starts with the preparation. This is so basic and important that we’ve written an entire book on the subject: Cause an Effect . Were you planning to design slide after slide with bullet points that you’re going to read out loud? If so, we can almost guarantee that your audience sneaks off to check Twitter or the news. Use the tips from our book to come up with a good story and nice slides without too much text. Or: present without PowerPoint slides if you can.

Prevent accidental faulty clicks

No, this is not about your audience clicking away from your presentation. This is something that could happen to the best of presenters: instead of clicking the right arrow for the next slide, you click on the END button that takes you to the end of your slide deck. Awkward! A solution for this is to use a remote control for your presentation, even when you’re at home (we like this remote control by Logitech for example). It ensures that you don’t have to rely on your keyboard, and that gives peace of mind when you’re telling your story.

Be up to date and unavailable

Make sure that you’re up to speed technically: install the latest Zoom update in time for your presentation. But then, close all the tabs of your browser and other software running on your computer: an e-mail pop-up or calendar notification is not very professional…

Same goes for your phone: put it in flight mode, so you can’t be distracted nor disturbed during your talk. Finally, take care not to select the time of your Zoom meeting for any deliveries!

Put your phone on silent, and close all other programs.

Check your Zoom settings

Take your time to explore all the settings in Zoom – maybe you’ll run into something useful (and no.. we’re not talking about that feature that gives you blue lips, new eyebrows or a Santa hat). Useful functionalities are background noise reduction, lighting effects for your camera, or whether or not you want to enter any Zoom call muted and with camera turned off to see if it all works. By the way, it might be good to do this periodically, because new and handy features are added all the time.

Test your audio and video

This is also quite basic: your presentation will be better if people can see and hear you properly. Thankfully, you can test your audio and video quite easily on the Zoom website: https://www.zoom.us/test

Make sure bad audio or video can’t distract from your story

Are the webcam, speaker and microphone you have in your laptop of sufficient quality? Maybe it’s possible to increase the quality of your audio or video by using an external webcam and/or microphone. If you have online meetings more regularly, a headset, lavalier microphone or even a studio microphone might be an investment to think about. If you’ve heard more than once that you should speak louder during online meetings, then definitely take this into consideration.

Check whether you’re presenting during a meeting or a webinar

If you’re invited to present but don’t organize the meeting itself, it’s good to check the format of the event. Is it a Webinar (during which you have no interaction with the audience besides the chat function) or is it a Meeting (during which the audience can participate actively)?

Furthermore, it’s good to check how the event is set up. Is there a waiting room so that everyone enters the meeting simultaneously, or do people enter whenever they join the session? In the latter case it’s good to have a first slide up that shows information about the meeting. Another question is who will take care of the questions in the chat? Are you doing that yourself? Or do you interact with the meeting host who does it for you?

Which options for interaction are there? Is the chat turned on? Will there be break-out rooms? Does the audience have access to hand raise, reactions, annotations or whiteboard? It would be a waste if you’re counting on a whiteboard, and the setting isn’t turned on.

Change your Zoom screen name

Another thing you can change in the settings. Nobody is logging on to see ‘Karen’s iPad’ speaking! For extra clarity you could add “Speaker” behind your name to make sure people know right from the introduction who you are and that you are the one presenting.

Change your name! Nobody wants to see a presentation by ‘Karen’s iPad’

Arrange proper lighting

Find two lamps, preferably lamps that you can adjust the brightness of, and that provide diffuse light. Put them on either side of your laptop or camera, or, if you only have lamps with direct light, aim them at the wall you’re facing while presenting. This setup will ensure that you are well-lit from two sides, without sharp contrasts or shadows. An easy alternative option is to turn up the brightness of your second screen; this will also light up your face a little (tip if you do this: find a yellowish website or image to show on that screen, so the light will be softer than a bright white Google Search homepage for example).

Put your camera at eye level

As you can see above, it looks odd if you’re looking down at everybody while presenting. It’s not a very flattering angle for your (double) chin, and your background will only be interesting to ceiling fans. If you put your webcam at eye level you look at your audience and not down on them – not just unflattering but also not a nice sensation for the viewers. Even better is the next tip:

Present standing up!

Your energy levels are much higher when you are standing up to present. Consider the opposite: can you imagine doing a live presentation from a chair? It’s not professional nor engaging to watch a slouched speaker. Be inventive: if you don’t have a standing desk, shelves or cupboard, put a crate, stool, block or stack of books on your desk and put your laptop on top of it! But don’t forget the tip about eye level. If you’re not able to present standing up, you can boost the energy level of your talk by using your hands.

Present standing up for a high-energy presentation.

Check your internet connection

You’re trying to wrap up your talk with a closing statement that sweeps everybody off their feet, but….your connection falters. What a waste of momentum! To prevent this, it’s best to connect your computer using a cable instead of WiFi. If this is not an option, free up your connection by making sure your housemates aren’t using Netflix, putting your phone in flight mode, and turning off WiFi-heavy appliances.

Clean up your room!

Any speech can lose some of its luster when there’s a pile of dirty laundry in the background. Our rooms are not spotless – we’re only human – but when we present, we look for flattering angles not just for ourselves but also for the room. We turn the camera towards a wall, where we’ve created a little scene with plants and a colorful painting. An entirely white wall may seem ideal, but we think it’s a bit boring. A featureless wall reminds us of a badly designed dorm room, which is not what you want to associate with the star of the meeting! Nothing wrong with a bit of smoke and mirrors… But:

The ideal background is one that doesn’t distract from your talk.

Do you have pets? Make sure they can’t just come in (or scratch the door for ages trying to get you to open the door). A goldfish might be the only exception to this rule (do trim its nails beforehand).

Pros and cons of virtual backgrounds

If it so happens that you’re presenting from your daughter’s room in front of pink unicorn wallpaper, a virtual background might be something to consider. Zoom has a few backgrounds available, but so does Canva . Or perform a search for copyright-free “Office backgrounds” on Unsplash or Pexels . Do check if the setting doesn’t end up providing a very unnatural perspective; it looks a bit strange if you’re not sitting behind a table, but in front of it:

Don’t pick a tropical island or NASA photo as virtual background – unless you actually are a surfer or astronaut (respectively).

Watch out though: virtual backgrounds have one MAJOR disadvantage. If you’re not sitting in front of a green screen or very uniform background, or if the lighting is insufficient, then it will look very strange if you move your hands. Just look at the video below. If you use your hands as much as we do during a presentation, it’s not really an option without distracting your audience.

Dress to impress (like a professional)

Wear your nicest clothes, it’s as simple as that. We don’t get that many opportunities to show our best side anymore, so it’s most likely a welcome break from the eternal sweatpants/onesie situation. Show off that power-suit, that nice dress, the excellent jacket! It helps to choose clothes that contrast with your background. Go easy on the jewelry though, because dangling earrings, necklaces or a bracelet scraping the desk scan make quite the ruckus (especially if your microphone is also on there).

Share the right window (the most common mistake)

By now, you have probably encountered a presentation during which the speaker made the error of not sharing the PowerPoint Slide Show, but the editing window including the notes. It’s quite sloppy and – worse – distracting. Besides that, it made the slides smaller on screen and therefore harder to read.

How to prevent this? When you go to Zoom and select ‘Share screen’, you see all your open tabs and windows. This is where it often goes wrong: you accidentally select the PowerPoint presentation without it being in presenting mode.

So, make sure you put your presentation in presenting mode FIRST (using F5 or F8 or a similar button). Then go to Zoom and share your screen. If you do it like this, you see three options for PowerPoint (as shown below). There is a subtle difference: one is your editing window, one shows the presentation notes, and one is called PowerPoint Slide Show . This last one is the right one; it shows your presentation in its entirety.

Organize your windows and screens

When you turn on your PowerPoint presentation mode, it automatically maximizes your PowerPoint window to fullscreen. But then you don’t see Zoom anymore, so the chats and participants are hidden and you can’t see what everyone’s doing. This can be very annoying if you’re not prepared for this.

It’s good practice to organize your windows and screens so that they are next to each other (you may have to make the windows smaller for this). Do this right after you start to share your screen, perhaps during the introduction. This allows you to simultaneously see your presentation including notes, the participants’ video (or yourself if you like), and the chat. Now you have a complete overview of all that is important!

Make use of the handy features in PowerPoint and Zoom

Since you can’t use a real laser pointer when presenting online, you could use the laser pointer function in PowerPoint instead. You can even highlight text, or write in your presentation while you’re presenting. Keep in mind though, that if you think you really need a laser pointer to do your presentation, the real problem could be that you have too much text or data crammed on your slides…

Note that highlighting, pointing, and writing in your presentation is also possible in Zoom. If you have shared your screen, you see the “Annotate” function in your view. If you unfold that, you see all kinds of options to draw or write on the screen, or to highlight information. In the example below, you see how you can use stamps to put little hearts in your presentation. And your audience can do this too! It’s a really nice feature to use in interactive exercises (for example: use those heart stamps to vote for a correct answer or favorite design). It’s a great way to keep your audience engaged too.

Interactive presentations are appreciated more!

Plan for low-threshold interaction

Tell your audience at the beginning of your presentation whether you have time for questions at the end. Do you prefer interaction at the end? Remind them during your presentation that they can put their questions in the chat. This puts your audience at ease because they know you will deal with their questions, and also allows you to get going with the questions right away when you’re ready, instead of awkwardly waiting for the first question to pop up.

If you prefer to have more feedback, you can ask the participants to react during the presentation using the available icons (clap, thumbs up, heart, smile, etc). Compared to a live talk there is very little visual feedback to go on otherwise, so this might be good to have, but to be honest it can be distracting too.

Another kind of reaction can be found in the “Participants” menu: f.i. Yes/No replies, hand raise, thumbs up/down, coffee break icons. You can use these for creative moments of interaction to keep your audience attentive (though actual coffee might work better sometimes)

Wrap up with a call to action

What do you want people to do after your presentation? Do you want them to follow you on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram? Do you want them to use a hashtag? Do you have a book, workshop or course you want them to purchase? Whatever it is – let them know!

So, NO slide with that 3D guy with the red question mark (or his confused Clipart colleague – you know who we mean!). It doesn’t add anything for anybody. If you have a round for questions, put your name, social media handles and/or website on screen, so that participants have the time to write it down.

At the end of the day (or presentation), what do you want people to do or remember? End with that!

If you have a presentation that you give more often, and you know from experience that there are more questions than time to answer them, you can give your audience a hand-out PDF afterwards. In the hand-out you can put the most frequently asked questions with answers. It’s also good practice to share a website on which you collect all the tips and resources from the presentation. Announce this at the beginning, so that participants don’t have to take notes. Note: it’s not advisable to share the slides from the presentation, because they were (or shouldn’t be) designed as hand-out, but as a visual support for your spoken words.

Why Zoom is (or can be) so much nicer than a live presentation

If you consider the options, online presentations using Zoom are a really nice development. You have your notes at hand, and you can set it up so that you feel most comfortable and supported. You also have more options for interactivity online, and it also provides a lower threshold for those who are uncomfortable in the spotlight; they can just ask a question in the chat. It allows for people from all over the world to see you speak, and you can do it from the comfort of your own home. We don’t all relish in the attention of being center-stage in a huge auditorium… Although the downside is that the informal drinks afterwards are much better in person.

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With some thoughtful reflection and minor modification, student presentations can be as valuable online as they are in person. In deciding how to modify your assignment for remote teaching, it is key to reflect on what you hoped to assess about your students' learning through their presentations in the first place. Were you looking to evaluate how they make an argument in a new form, conduct research, work together in a group, and/or learn to use visuals? You may have had many objectives for your assignment. You still might be able to fulfill all of them; however, you may need to consider modifying or removing one of them if it would be difficult to include all of them in one assignment. (E.g. given that it is difficult for students in disparate locations to present together, it may be worth asking whether it is more important for students to demonstrate their ability to work together to prepare the presentation, or to make an argument on the spot. If you want to assess both, do you need to modify your assignment to have some individual components and some group components?)

Below we suggest three ways to incorporate student presentations into a remote class: (1) live via Zoom ; (2) pre-recorded via Zoom ; and (3) narrated slide decks . (It is also possible to have students submit pre-recorded presentations via Canvas’ media recording function, but we find this option to be less effective than the other three options presented here.)

Live Presentations in Zoom

• courses in which all students have reliable access to the internet and are comfortable with Zoom functions such as screenshare.
• attempting to reproduce the interactivity or spontaneity of live presentations in a classroom.
• assessing/providing feedback on students’ ability to present (and possibly field questions) "live."

Pre-recorded Presentations in Zoom

• presentations that do not rely heavily/exclusively on slides (although a student can use Zoom to record a presentation that includes a slide show).

Here's one way to have students give pre-recorded oral presentations (with or without accompanying visuals) using Zoom. If students are presenting using a slide deck, it may be easier to have them record their presentations directly into Powerpoint and submit those.

1. How to record a student presentation

Students can use Zoom ( harvard.zoom.us ) to create a permanent link that can function as a sort of "private video studio"; any time they go back to their Zoom account and click on the link, it will start a solo "meeting" that is recorded until they either stop the recording or leave the meeting. This is a great way for them to record themselves giving a presentation which they can share with others, in any of their courses. Your students will have all of the capabilities that any Zoom meeting host has—for example, they will be able to share a slideshow or other piece of media from their screen while they talk. Here’s how they can do it:

• Navigate to harvard.zoom.us and login. They should see the button to “Schedule a new meeting” right near the top of the screen. They should select that option. 
• They can name the meeting anything they like—maybe something like “My personal recording studio”—and leave the description blank.
• Continuing onward, they should ignore the “When,” “Duration,” and “Timezone” prompts, and skip right to the checkbox for “Recurring meeting.” They should turn that on.
• In the “Recurrence” dropdown menu, they should select “No Fixed Time,” which will cause all of the date and time information to disappear—that’s good, and means they have succeeded in creating a link that they can re-use again and again.
• Skipping further down the page, they can ignore many of the other options, but they should make sure that “Video” is set to “on” for the host, and that “Audio” is set to “Both.” (These are probably their default options.)
• Finally, make sure that they check the last checkbox, “Record the meeting automatically,” and choose “In the cloud."
• After making their selections, they should click “Save.”
• Now, whenever they visit the “My meetings” page within harvard.zoom.us , they’ll see “My personal recording studio” at the top of the list and can use it to record themselves for any reason, including your presentation.
• While recording, they can speak to the camera, share a slideshow or other media while they talk, etc. Whenever they are sharing something on your screen, the resulting recording will capture what they are sharing fullscreen and overlay the student as a talking head in a small window in the upper righthand corner. Encourage your students to try a quick dry run and then watch the video (see the next step, below) to think through how they want to use (or not use) slides/images/sound in your presentation.
• Whenever they make a recording, the resulting video will automatically appear in their account within a few minutes to an hour after they finish, and they’ll be able to access it by clicking on “Recordings” in the left-side menu in harvard.zoom.us . They can watch it there to make sure they are happy with it; if not, they just need to go back into their “studio” again and re-record. They can delete recordings they don’t want to use (or just leave them there—there’s no penalty to having lots of recordings in an account). (They can also change the beginning and ending time of their presentations using the editing tool in Zoom, though we would recommend that instructors not overemphasize these kinds of polishing touches in assessing the clarity/sophistication/creativity/etc. of the presentation itself.)
• When it comes time for them to share their videos, they will be able to do so through a secure link. More on that next.

2. How to share a presentation with teaching staff

You and your teaching staff will need to let your students know how you would like to receive access to their recorded presentation—whether by email, uploading to Canvas, etc. Your students will be able to share their presentations through any of those methods by sharing a secure link. Students can retrieve that link by:

• Navigating to the “Recordings” page in the left side menu of harvard.zoom.us , and identifying the video they’d like to share with you.
• To the right of the video, they’ll see a “Share” button. They should click that.
• In the dialog box that pops up, students will need to make sure to turn on “Share this recording” and select “Only authenticated users can view.” They should leave the other options turned off.
• Students should look for the link for their recording toward the bottom of the gray box. Once they find it, they should highlight it with their mouse, and copy it.
• They can share that link by pasting it into an email, Canvas, etc.—however you’ve asked to receive it. That’s it!

3. How to share a presentation with peers / generate asynchronous discussion

As the instructor, you can choose to give students individual feedback on the recordings they share with you. But you can also choose to share them with your class and to create opportunities for peer feedback by using the same link through which students shared their videos with you. You might, for example, create a Canvas discussion forum for each student presenter, paste the link for the respective student’s video in the prompt (which will lead Canvas to embed the video right in the page), and encourage their classmates to watch their presentation and leave feedback or questions in the discussion forum.

Narrated Slide Decks

• Projects where students were already asked to create slide decks.
• Presentations where the slide deck matters more than seeing the student talk about the slide deck (this format can be helpful for students who have had difficult participating synchronously and/or using their camera).

It is relatively easy for students to record over a PowerPoint presentation. They can insert an audio file on each page by selecting the “Insert” tab and then the “Audio” icon. Students can also create narrated presentations that include slide transitions. Microsoft offers useful advice on how to record a presentation with slide transitions and narration. (N.B. Students could use Google Slides, but they would have to pre-record the audio, which they could do using their phone or Quicktime if they have a Mac.)

If your students are creating a presentation with transitions, here are some tips for recording:

• To pause recording, use the option from the menu bar
• To record narration on your last slide, you need to advance to the black screen that tells you the slide show has ended before ending the recording
• PowerPoint will not record while slides are transitioning so it can be helpful to build in a pause before transitioning to the next slide
• If you have transitions between the slides, you may need to change them so they do not truncate your audio recording

You can use similar strategies to those described in the section on pre-recording presentations in Zoom to share the recordings and create discussion.

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Presenting Via Zoom

What’s the same.

Many of the principles of good presentations will carry over to the online format. For example, excellent presentations should still:

• Provide relevant information
• Be well organized
• Keep your audience engaged
• Use visual aids that rely more on images than text
• Use visual aids that are a supplement, not a replacement for the verbal presentation. 

Even with a mediated presentation, the way you present information is important along with the content you are presenting. Your verbal and nonverbal delivery matter.

What is Different?

Audiences can engage with speakers differently.

You can use chat windows and discussion spaces to get more instantaneous feedback from audiences. You can also more easily provide supplemental resources by giving links.

Organization becomes even more important

Because the audience is not physically present and they clearly have an electronic device in front of them, it’s easier than ever for them to get lost. Be extra deliberate in providing a roadmap for your organization and then referring back to that road map can help keep people on track.

Your environment is more adjustable

You have more control over the environment than you would in a classroom. Be sure your background is as professional and simple as possible to avoid distractions. Use adequate lighting. While the ideal is to have lighting from three sides (one above, two that are more to the front and side), being sure you can be seen and that there is not a light source (window or lamp) directly behind you will be sufficient. Light sources directly behind you tend to put you in shadows. 

You also have more flexibility about how you are seen. Ideally, you will position your camera and yourself so that you are visible from approximately the waist up and take up the majority of the screen. If possible, stand up for the presentation as you would in class. If you cannot stand up for some reason, be sure you are in a stable chair that doesn’t roll or spin to reduce the chances you will make distracting movements.

Technology is vital

Even more so than a presentation that requires you to use PowerPoint, presenting via Zoom has the potential to expose problems with technology. Be sure to  test all of your equipment before your presentation begins. (Here is more information on support and technology tips from LITS.) 

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5 ways to make zoom presentations engaging and irresistible.

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Dry. Dull. Boring. Exhausting. Painful. Waste of time. Forgettable. Those are the words and phrases that came up when I asked people this question: What word would you use to describe the Zoom Presentations/webinars you attend?

And it’s true, most webinars are likely to be uninspiring … and forgotten shortly after you attend them. They aren’t wildly engaging, and their impact on your success is likely minimal. One thing that impedes their ability to wow is that they aren’t very different from other meetings you attend online. Also, those who create and deliver online presentations neglect the importance of understanding the medium. Online presentations have to do a lot more work to captivate you simply because:

• The screen is a poor substitute for a real person standing in front of you
• The temptation to multitask is heightened
• Participating by yourself reduces the energy and emotional connection
• Other things we watch on these very same screens—from Netflix to YouTube videos—have very high production value

To counteract the challenges that this medium imposes, consider these five enhancements:

1. Sizzle from the start

If your opening is similar to the one from the meeting your audience attended an hour before your presentations, you’ve already lost them. You need to make it clear from the moment you kick off that this is going to be different. Fun. Engaging. Valuable. Interesting. First impressions are so important. Now that everything has moved online, your presentation is being lumped into the five other meetings and events that your audience is participating in each day. You need to dazzle your audience from the very first second of your presentation. Make your start surprising, and your viewers will sit up from their slouch and take note.

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2. Banish the bullet

If the slides you’re presenting have more than 15 words on them (I challenge you to have 12 or fewer), you’re adding an extra helping of the ingredient called boring to your webinar. Bulleted slides are not effective for inspiring people or engaging them in your content. If you have information you want to share that requires the use of lots of words, make it available as a supplemental resource. Nothing says “it’s time to tune out” like a slide with 10 bullets on it. Think tantalizing tweet, not wordy whitepaper. When you do display words, use 32-point font or greater on every slide. This provides two huge benefits: First, it ensures you can’t get too many words on the slide. And second, it makes it easier for participants to see. Your slides are small on the devices of your audience members—especially if they’re using their phone.

3. Fluctuate the format

When you’re delivering a presentation online, you have to deal with one major challenge that’s much less prevalent in live sessions: the temptation to multitask. When you’re physically in a room of people, they’re less likely to answer an email while you’re presenting. But when you’re delivering online, it’s almost an invitation to multitask; after all, the device they’re watching you on has all these other tools to keep them busy: email, Instagram, instant messaging. That’s a lot of competition. To keep people from checking out other things on their device, you need to keep things dynamic. The best way to do this is to vary the way you convey your content. Move between stories, information, data, models, formulas, lists, etc. In fact, change the content format every two to four minutes to keep things dynamic and magnetic.

4. Heighten the humanity

If you’re delivering a presentation from a stage, it’s automatically more visceral and emotionally compelling. When you’re beamed onto someone’s laptop or phone thanks to the power of the internet, your humanity is diluted. The screen they’re watching you on serves as a scrim to suppress your scintillating style. To counteract that, you need to amp up the energy, double the empathy and exaggerate your expressions. Just don’t overdo it. You don’t want to seem like a parody of yourself like this.

5. Maximize the media

You’ve heard that a picture is worth a thousand words, and according to Gartner Research, one minute of video is worth 1.8 million words. When you use rich media, you make your presentation more persuasive and potent. And you make it much more visually interesting too. So as you build your presentation, ask yourself: Where can I replace words with pictures and video? Then go through it again when it’s done and ask the question again. Your audience will thank you for replacing the 26 letters of the alphabet with meaningful, magnetic media.

You need to be more deliberate when you deliver a virtual presentation if you want to have real impact on your audience. When you build and deliver your presentation with these five elements in mind, you’re sure to stand out, make your mark and add a giant deposit to your personal brand bank.

William Arruda  is a founder of  CareerBlast  and co-creator of  BrandBoost  - a video-based personal branding talent development experience.

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Oral Presentation & Zoom Guidance for Presenters

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Thank you for presenting at the 2021 TWS-WS Annual Meeting!   All oral presentations for concurrent sessions will be pre-recorded, and must be uploaded by FRIDAY, JANUARY 15, 2021.   

How to Make a Video Presentation:

You will have 15 minutes max for your video presentation.   To give your talk, you will start a Zoom meeting with yourself as the only participant.  You may sign up for a free Zoom account at www.zoom.us . You will share your screen, and open up your PowerPoint presentation file.   This will allow for your slides to appear full screen with a picture of you/or your camera shot in the upper right hand corner.  Click the record button.   When you have finished your presentation, you will stop recording and “end” the Zoom meeting.  The video file will be exported to your documents folder as an mp4 file. Max video file size 200 mb.

Upload to your Whova Speaker Page:

• Register for the meeting  by Monday, January 11, 2021 ( and please mark your calendar for the week of February 1-5 to attend the 2021 TWS-WS annual meeting.)
• Login credentials will be emailed in late-December, along with instructions for uploading your presentation(s) to your speaker page in the Whova Event platform.  Please upload video file(s) and any supporting materials in PDF by end of day Friday, January 15, 2021.
• All presentations will be available to meeting registrants for advance, on-demand viewing starting one week before the meeting begins and for 6 months following the conference. Video files will be available for viewing in the Whova app, and will not be downloadable.
• By uploading your presentation to the Whova speaker page, you give TWS-WS the rights to upload/distribute the presentation to 2021 TWS-WS attendees through the Whova Event Platform.  
• Login to the Whova speaker platform using your personal and unique URL.  Edits may be made anytime!
• You may update/edit/add your affiliation; your bio and profile photo.
• Session 1 – Your talk has been placed in a session at a particular date/time.  Note your talk is on demand so this date/time is not important, except that some people are overwhlemed by on demand files and it’s considered best practices in a conference to use “drip content” where on demand files are listed in a schedule that people can follow if they prefer.
• In the documents session, upload any handouts that you’d like to share.  (PDF format, 10MB max file size.)  Do not add your abstract as we already link to it automatically!  Our file storage space in whova is limited.
• Please also upload your video presentation in this section.  (MP4 format, 200MB max file size.)
• Session 2 – The moderated discussion session:  Please do not upload any documents or videos in this section.  We will do a panel discussion and will not screenshare.
• You may also add discussion topics, publications, url’s to articles, and any social media information you’d like to share.  This is all optional though the discussion topics would be very helpful for engaging meeting participants virtually!
• Be sure to hit “SAVE” to make sure your information gets added, and you’ll also have to click “no” in the blue box so you don’t get added to Whova’s list for the save to be permitted.

Live! Real! Synchronous! Moderated Session Discussions:  

In addition to submitting pre-recorded talks, oral presenters participate in a live, moderated Q&A discussion among presenters within their session.  These panel discussions will be held Monday through Friday from 3:30 to 4:30pm (Pacific Time) during the week of the 2021 Annual Meeting.  The exact date and time of a presenter’s panel discussion will be listed in their abstract acceptance email. You will join by clicking on the link in the Whova Virtual Platform for this session and once you’re logged in to the meeting our Tech Staff will promote you to a Panelist role.  

Concurrent Session Guidelines:

Powerpoint slide design tips:.

• Whether you’re just starting out or looking to improve, this informative (and likely humorous) mini-workshop recorded last year will provide you with information and tips for presenting your research work to your peers. Instructor Jon Hooper provides demonstrations on how to give an effective presentation….and how NOT to. Link to video
• Please minimize file sizes by resizing files with photo editing software, or compress images. in PowerPoint, add pictures by clicking Insert>Picture>From File rather than copying and pasting images into your presentation.
• We recommend using only 2 font sizes on slides. 36-48 or larger for titles, and 24-30 or larger for text. Use only standard fonts or correctly embed additional fonts.  For emphasis, select bold or italics, color, or shadows. In graphics with one or two words, using “art fonts” for emphasis will work if separated from quantities of body of text. Complex font styles may cause loss of the “punch” you intended. You can’t fail using Arial or Times for the body of text. Font size should be large enough to be visible for approximately 40 feet (to the last row of seats in the room)
• As seen at previous meetings, complex charts, tables, and graphs are rarely effective.
• Be sure you have permission to use data and present information and that you properly reference sources as appropriate. Please be sure to add any necessary disclaimers to your poster or oral presentation (such as whether data presented is preliminary or proprietary) given the potential for the files to be screen captured in the virtual format.  For example, you could add the following disclaimer to your presentation:   “Please do not cite this presentation/poster. Instead refer to the references cited or contact the authors ”
• A good guide is no more than 8 lines of text per slide…10 max
• Line spacing on slides should be at least 0.85
• Use upper and lower case mix for body text, large blocks of upper-case text is difficult to read
• There should be a good contrast between background and text or graphic.  Using a picture as the entire background can be problematic. If using a picture as a slide background, watch for split areas of light and dark (ex. bright sky and dark ground areas in the same photo). This presents a problem for arranging text. If using a solid color background, most of these problems will not exist for you. The background color gray is one of the most difficult colors to contrast with. Light colors such as soft yellows and pinks used as text, points, or lines on graphs do not project well when enlarged (In fact, they usually do not show up unless on top of a dark background). Line weights and direction arrows need to be heavy enough to be seen without overpowering the image.
• Red text on blue and vice versa
• Red text on brown and vice versa
• Red text on green and vice versa
• Don’t use too many slides (one every 15 seconds) or too few (3-5 in a 20-minute presentation). A good rule of thumb is to use about one slide for every 1 to 2 minutes of your presentation.   It’s also good to vary the length that you project each slide.

Tips for Recording – to make sure you look and sound your best:

• Setup a quiet location, silence nearby devices.  Record 10-15 seconds of silence to make sure there is no ambient noise.
• Avoid areas that have an echo.  Rooms should be fairly small with items for sound dampening such as carpeting, curtains, furniture.
• Good headset, earbuds or airpods with microphone close to mouth BUT away from direct line of mouth to reduce “pops.”  Avoid using default built-in microphone on computer. Laptop speakers and microphone can create feedback, which lowers the audio quality.
• Set your computer monitor to the highest resolution possible (1920×1080 or higher preferred) by going into the “display” settings on your computer.  There should be  a setting for “display Resolution” usually with a dropdown menu of different dimensions.  Pick the one that says “1920×1080”.  Or if there is a setting with higher numbers, choose the highest number possible.
• Don’t put lights or windows behind you.  The biggest light source should be behind the camera to ensure your face can easily be seen.
• Make sure the background is not too busy.  The audience should be focused on you.
• Wear solid colors, patterns don’t work well on camera.  Avoid accessories that make noise.
• Position yourself slightly off center – the brain finds this more appealing to watch.  Ensure your camera angle is in the center of your face.  Make eye contact with the camera.
• Stand up if possible – you will feel more confident and energized.  If you must sit, make sure to sit up straight and keep your face lifted.
• Slow down – control the cadence of your speech and enunciate your words.
• Record a practice run – are your words clear, loud enough, is there inflection in your voice?  
• Practice, practice, practice – do a full practice of your entire presentation before you record.  You will be more comfortable with the camera and this will give you a more natural recording.  

Instructions for Joining a Zoom (Webinar) for Oral Technial Session Panel Discussions :

• Please install any Zoom updates prior to joining the meeting, to ensure that your system is up-to-date with the latest software updates and security patches. (Zoom updates come out regularly so make sure to update the morning of your panel discussion.)
• Hardline internet connection recommended, but if unavailable, a strong Wi-Fi connection.
• You will join by clicking on the link in the Whova Virtual Platform for this session and once you’re logged in to the meeting our Tech Staff will promote you to a Panelist role.  
• Please log on to your webinar session no later than 30 minutes prior to session start in order to check-in, test connections, microphones, and cameras. All times listed on the agenda are Pacific Daylight Time.  If you have not used Zoom for meetings or webinars, we recommend taking the time to familiarize yourself with the layout, screen sharing options, troubleshooting tips, and best Zoom practices (i.e., ensuring firewall or security settings are not preventing you from accessing Zoom) prior to your recording and/or live session. You can also sign up for a free Zoom account which is handy for practicing your presentation, and getting it recorded into an mp4 file.  
• Make sure your headset is plugged in and that both your mic and headset are tested to be working properly prior to joining the Zoom meeting.
• The moderator will ask questions and will specifically address them to panelists by name to avoid more than one person answering at the same time.
• If you are not speaking, mute your microphone to prevent it from picking up background noise while other speakers are talking.
• Make sure that while you are logged in with us that you are not competing for internet bandwidth with other household members. Shut down all non-essential applications.

Instructions for Plenary, Keynote and Diversity Forum Presenters:

• Please login to your meeting a half hour before it is scheduled to begin so we can check your audio, video and slides.  We will also make sure you are familiar with how to share your screen.    If you have a video to play, the file will need to be sent to us in advance and we will make sure it plays properly.
• We will send you messages in chat to tell you when it’s nearly time for you to turn your camera on. When it is time for you to begin your presentation, you will hear the meeting host introducing you, and we will send you a message asking you to now share your screen (click on the small green button with the black arrow facing up that is in the middle of the bottom of your Zoom screen).  You will NOT need to share your screen if you do not have any slides or anything else to share visually. Just remind us, if we erroneously ask you to share your screen, that you do not have anything to share. You will also need to make sure your video camera is turned on by clicking on the VIDEO button at the bottom of the screen.  Screen sharing tips:  Mac users, make sure you are in Do Not Disturb mode; When screen sharing close all your other windows so you don’t accidentally share something private, and make sure the files you are sharing are on your harddrive and not on an external drive.  Move your mouse arrow out of the screen so it doesn’t appear on the screen.  You can click the three dots on the right side of the screen sharing tool bar to hide it, and hit “escape” when you want to bring the toolbar back.
• When it is time, we will text you the message “YOU ARE NOW PRESENTING” at which point the audience will be able to see you and your slides, if you have any.
• While presenting, please don’t be shy about looking directly at your webcam. When you do that, you are essentially making eye contact directly with us, your viewers. That will be much better received by the audience than if the webcam gets limited or no eye contact.
• Please note that we will be with you at all times, ready to help if you need anything. The most important thing is to try to relax and enjoy delivering your presentation – that makes a huge difference. Please let us know if you have any questions. You can reach us on the following mobile phones if you encounter any difficulties and are having trouble communicating with us through Zoom.

Text Candace Renger if you have any difficulties during the program:  510-684-8590

How-To Geek

How to screen share a powerpoint presentation in zoom.

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Why You Need a Longer Password

The internet is not forever, so it's time to preserve what you can, youtube is losing the war against adblockers, quick links, grant access to share screens in zoom, screen share a powerpoint presentation in zoom.

No matter where you work, meetings all have one thing in common: PowerPoint presentations. If you use Zoom, you can easily present your slideshow to the participants by sharing your screen . Here's how it's done.

If you're the host of the Zoom meeting , you'll be able to share your screen without issue. However, if you're joining a meeting that you aren't the host of, you may need to request permission from the host to be able to share your screen.

As a general rule, we recommend that hosts disable the screen-share feature for participants by default for security reasons . If you aren't the host of the meeting, be sure to reach out to the host in advance to request permission to share your screen during the Zoom call. Hosts can always enable the feature during the call, but it's always good to be a step ahead.

If you're the host of the meeting and someone is requesting permission to share their screen during the meeting, click the up arrow next to "Share Screen" at the bottom of the window.

In the menu that appears, click "Advanced Sharing Options."

The "Advanced Sharing Options" window will appear. In the "Who Can Share" section, click the bubble next to "All Participants."

All participants in the meeting can now share their screen.

To screen share your PowerPoint presentation, go ahead and open the PowerPoint presentation that you would like to present. However, before you put the presentation in Slide Show view, you'll want to share your screen. At the bottom of the Zoom meeting window, click "Share Screen."

If you're using a single monitor, you will immediately start sharing your screen. If you're using dual monitors , you'll need to click the screen that your presentation will be shared on. In our case, that will be "Screen 2."

To begin sharing that screen, click "Share" at the bottom-right corner of the screen select window.

You're now sharing your screen. Now, in Microsoft PowerPoint, select the "Slide Show View" icon in the bottom-right corner of the application.

From here, deliver your presentation as though you were standing in front of a live audience.

If you are giving a big presentation through Zoom, you're not going to just jump straight into it. You may need to speak to the audience a bit before sharing your screen. If so, here are a few tips on how to look better on your Zoom call .

How to Record a Presentation on Zoom | Easy Step-by-Step

It’s time to start capturing better recordings and transforming your Zoom presentations into fresh content opportunities. There’s so much that you can create. 

By learning how to record presentations on Zoom and achieve better audio and video quality, you can take control of your production strategy. You can capture Zoom recordings that allow you to clearly communicate important concepts and ideas with an audience. You can create video materials for use in training, marketing, communication, and more! 

Want to record your Zoom presentation but not sure how to start? We’ve put together this helpful step-by-step guide to help you along the way. Here’s everything you need to know about Zoom presentation recording. 

Can you screen-record a presentation on Zoom?

You can easily use Zoom’s screen-share feature and recording capabilities to capture a presentation. To record on Zoom, you’ll have to host the presentation meeting, or you’ll need special permissions. 

If you’re a participant and don’t have permission, then another option is to use external software. You can use your device’s in-built screen recording tools or another screen recording software platform to record Zoom presentations. 

Using a non-native recording tool to capture Zoom content can have some drawbacks. These recordings are likely to achieve a lower overall quality. In your final recording, the sound may be crackly, and video resolution may be low, reducing your content’s professional value. 

How to easily record a presentation on Zoom

Recording a presentation on Zoom is easy when you know what you’re doing! In fact, as a presentation host, you can quickly and easily set up recording without ever leaving the Zoom app.

To get started with your Zoom presentation recording, follow these simple steps. 

Step 1: Open your Zoom account, and navigate to the ‘ Settings’ menu. Here, select ‘ Recordings’ , and ensure that ‘Local recordings’ are switched on. 

Step 2: Next, navigate to your home screen and launch a call by pressing the ‘New Meeting’ button. If prompted, select ‘ join with computer audio’ , or choose another microphone. 

Step 3: Before you begin, import and/or open any presentation materials you’ll need, such as slides or images. You can easily share presentation materials by using the ‘Share Screen’ option and selecting the relevant tab where your materials are located. 

Step 4: Check that you are unmuted . If you need to record video of yourself, ensure that your webcam is switched on, and select ‘Start Video’ from the bar menu at the bottom of your screen. 

Step 5: Ensure that everything you need for your presentation is working correctly before beginning your recording.   When you’re ready, select record from the bar at the bottom of your screen. 

Choose whether to do a Zoom local recording on your computer, saving your recording to your desktop, or record to the cloud, recording to your Zoom account.

Step 6: Start your presentation, and work through your materials while Zoom records. 

When your presentation is complete, press ‘ Stop Recording’ , and then press ‘End’ and ‘ End meeting for all’ to close off the recording. 

Step 8: Once your Zoom meeting has ended, locate your recorded files. If you chose to save files locally on your computer, you’ll find them on your desktop or in your device’s documents folder. If you recorded to the cloud, you’ll receive an email when your files are ready.

Step 9: Edit, trim, or refine your recording on your video editor of choice. Then prepare to share it as a training resource, marketing asset, or something else.

How to record a presentation on Zoom as a participant

Generally, speaking, Zoom’s in-built recording tools allow meeting hosts to capture the call.

If you’d like to record a Zoom presentation as a call participant, you’ll need to obtain permission from the host of the call, or you’ll need to be invited as an alternative host. You’ll then be able to use the app’s standard recording tools. 

As a standard Zoom participant, it is unfortunately not possible to record content. In this case, it’s best to ask the call host to record content for you. Another option is to use external recording software. 

To record your Zoom presentation using an external screen recorder, follow these steps:

Step 1: Choose your software system.

Step 2: Launch your Zoom meeting, and set up your presentation.

Step 3: Follow your software’s instructions to record your screen.

Step 4: Once your presentation is complete, stop your recording and save your files.

Is Zoom your best option for recording a presentation?

Zoom offers great native recording features that can help you easily capture presentation content. However, that doesn’t mean that Zoom is the best recording tool on the market.

In some instances, Zoom recordings can be prone to low recording quality. This may compromise your professionalism, and make it difficult to see or hear your recordings clearly. This is usually because Zoom relies on internet connection for recording. If you have connection problems your resolution suffers. It’s also worth knowing that Zoom doesn’t offer separate video or screen-share tracks which limits your editing flexibility.

If you want to explore Zoom alternatives, there are plenty of great ones to choose from, with some tools offering a range of extra features and functionalities that will help you produce better presentations than ever before. 

We have a full guide on Zoom alternatives . Although, with recording files unaffected by your internet connection, and with high-quality resolution, Riverside is a risk-free bet. 

“Riverside is far better than Zoom for recording interviews.” - Seth Godin , author, entrepreneur and marketing leader.

Recording presentations with Riverside

Riverside offers a seamless presentation recording experience. This video recording software is best for high-quality audio and video, captured from any location. It’s got all the remote recording tools you need, and with a built-in editor plus separate tracks of your screen, video and audio, post-production becomes much easier. 

Riverside features and functionalities include:

• Studio-quality results, offering up to 4K video resolution and 48kHZ audio quality
• Local video and audio recordings which means everything is captured directly on your device and unaffected by unstable internet connection
• Separate screen, audio, and video tracks for each participant, providing better editing control  
• Up to 8 participants in one recording and up to 1,000 audience members
• Cloud storage, including automatic uploading, so that you can save time and keep files secure 
• User-friendly interface that anyone can use, regardless of skill level
• Desktop and mobile software versions, helping to record content anytime, anywhere
• Native editing tools for customized logos and backgrounds plus automatic audio fine-tuning
• Text-based video editing so you can create professional content as easily as editing a text transcript
• Magic Clips tool for turning your long-form recordings into multiple short clips at the tap of a button

To start experiencing all these benefits and more, start recording on Riverside!

How to record a video presentation with Riverside

Ready to give Riverside a try for your next recording? Follow these simple steps to get started. 

Step 1: Create a Riverside account , and start your journey. 

Step 2: Go to your Studios dashboard, and select ‘ + New Studio’ at the top right of your screen. Name your studio, and choose ‘Audio & Video’ as your recording type. 

Then you can either choose to adjust settings by selecting ‘Continue set up studio’ or you can select ‘Enter Studio’ to get recording. 

Step 3: On the next screen, check that you are joining as a host, and verify your chosen camera and microphone options on the right side of your screen. Select whether or not you’re using headphones. Then press ‘ Join Studio’ .

Step 4: If you haven’t already, invite your remote guests. 

To do this from the studio, simply select ‘ Copy link ’ or ‘Invite by email’ on the right Invite People tab.

If this doesn’t appear or you’d like to add more guests later on, select ‘ + Invite’ from the right Studio dashboard.

Step 5: Next, you can start preparing your presentation. 

At the bottom of your screen, use the menu bar to select ‘Share’ . Then select the open tab or window on your device where your presentation materials are located. 

Step 6: Once you’ve set up these details, select ‘Record’ from the bar menu at the bottom of your screen, and start recording your presentation. 

Step 7: Throughout your recording, use the ‘Mark Clip’ button to mark sections of your recording that stand out and could be used later to create short-form videos. 

Step 8: When your presentation is complete, press ‘Stop’ to end the recording. 

Step 9: Once the files have finished uploading, go to the right side of your screen, select ‘View recordings’ . 

Step 10: Here, use the ‘ Edit & create clips’ button to access Riverside's in-built editing tools. When you’re ready, choose ‘Export’ to save and download your recorded content.

You can also download your files as separate tracks for your own editing. To do this, don’t select Edit, but select the files you want to download and press ‘ Export’ . You’ll also have the option to download files directly into a Descript or PremierePro timeline-suitable format. 

Step 11: Prepare to share your presentation recording as part of your training process, marketing strategy, or something else entirely. 

FAQs on how to record a presentation on Zoom

Are you still wondering how to record a presentation with ease? Here are our answers to a few of our most frequently asked questions. 

How do I record myself presenting slides?

The good news is that you can easily capture your slides as part of your presentation recording! The simplest way to achieve this is by opening your slides in a separate window or tab on your device. Then you can use Zoom’s screen-share feature to record those slides, selecting the destination tab and sharing your screen for the duration of your call. 

Can you record a Zoom session if you are not the host?

Unfortunately, Zoom is not designed to allow call participants to record content. If you’re not the host of your call, you’ll need to request hosting or recording permissions from the person who is. Alternatively, you can ask the call host to record on your behalf or use external screen recording if you have the consent of other participants.

How do you record a presentation with camera?

You can integrate webcam footage as part of your presentation recording simply by using Zoom’s native video capture tools. However, if you are screen-sharing to present with slides, these will dominate the screen, with your video only taking up a small portion of the audience’s view. 

An alternative is Riverside, which records content on separate tracks so you can capture video and audio in full, then edit as required. 

Are you looking for an easy, intuitive way to record your next presentation? Record with Riverside , and capture all your content in high-quality seamlessly.

Kendall Breitman

leads Riverside's community. She has over ten years of experience in television and video production for places like NBC and Bloomberg News. You’ll find Kendall on our webinar, where she shares her expert insights on content production, branding, and more.

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Teaching with Technology

Recording a video lecture of yourself with zoom and powerpoint slidedeck.

There are two different ways to record a video lecture of yourself and your PowerPoint slidedeck using Zoom.

Picture-in-picture View instructions

Video overlay View instructions

If you want to record your screen and PowerPoint without your video image (similar to an audio podcast, but with a visual component of your slides), follow these instructions .

Note: Before doing any recording, make sure to prepare your slidedeck to make room for the video image of yourself, so that your video image won't be overlaid on top of any text or images. Sometimes drawing a rectangular box on each slide helps to "save" a space for your video to go. 

• Open the Zoom app and your PowerPoint file. Close all other files and applications.
• In Zoom, click “New Meeting” (orange icon); make sure your microphone and camera are on.

• Go to PowerPoint and launch your slideshow.
• At the bottom Zoom toolbar, choose Record, then choose “Record on this Computer” from the menu that pops up. Your lecture is now recording. Note: if you don't see the Record button, you may need to click on the "More" button in the Zoom toolbar, and then choose the "Record on this Computer" option.
• Start your lecture. Advance your slides with the right arrow key; return to a previous slide with the left arrow key.
• When you are finished, click on the "Stop Recording" button in the bottom Zoom toolbar.  Note: if you don't see the Stop Recording button, you may need to click on the "More" button in the Zoom toolbar, and choose the "Stop Recording" option there.

• Trim the beginning and ending of your video (if needed) using QuickTime or another video editing tool, then upload your video to Ensemble, Reed’s media server.

Want to do more? Read how to annotate your PowerPoint slides with Zoom .