Team Presentations Using Remote Members

You have probably heard it said that “necessity is the mother of invention.” Nowhere is that more true than in the way a lot of business presentations are being handled these days. With many organizations implementing major cuts in staffing and travel budgets in order to stay afloat in this tight economy, virtual meetings using some type of online remote meeting platform are becoming very popular. Inside this niche, there is also a hybrid type of meeting, where most people in the meeting are assembled in the same room, with one or two members of the presentation team joining via a platform like WebEx or GoToMeeting.

One of the most important benefits of this type of presentation is that it allows organizations to efficiently use the finite amount of time available from key staff members. For instance, it may not be too hard for a sales rep working within a particular territory to meet face to face with customers for an important sales presentation. However, what if you also need the participation of subject matter experts who are at the home office, 1200 miles away? And what if that same expert needs to support the presentation efforts of several teams during the same week, or even the same day?

The answer is the hybrid meeting process, which allows the expert to join the meeting via online platform, a process which might only take 30 minutes out of their busy day, rather than spending two days and a lot of money on travel costs. The expert could even support several meetings during the same day, adding extra value for each customer while saving the company a bundle.

However, the hybrid presentation will require some extra planning and practice. Here are few tips for getting the most of the hybrid meeting process:

1. Take great pains to thoroughly plan every aspect of the meeting. Remember, the remote participant will be “blind,” and can’t read the body language/eye contact with those in the room. For this reason, the agenda needs to be carefully planned out so that each member of the presentation team – those in the room and those joining remotely – are very clear about the order of events, who is doing what, and how it is going to be done.
2. Because hybrid meetings require the use of computer technology, it is critically important to arrive at the meeting early to set up the online link, test the signal, hook up the projector (for a presentation involving more than just a handful of people), load the PowerPoint slide deck, check the audio connection, and make sure everything is in excellent working order. You don’t want to start the presentation by apologizing for technology that doesn’t work.
3. Someone from the team who is in the onsite group should be designated as the leader of the presentation. It will be this person’s responsibility to direct the flow of the meeting, especially when it comes to giving “cues” to the person joining remotely.
4. These cues could be anything from clarifying or repeating a question that the remote person might not have clearly heard, to passing along a timely heads up to that person regarding things they can’t perceive visually, or transitioning the presentation to the control of the remote person. For instance:

• Passing the Presentation - “Now I would like to have Bob explain the benefits of xyx, Bob…”
• Communicating Customer Reactions - “Mr. Smith, I can see…."

5. The most important aspect of preparing for a hybrid presentation is deciding how to handle the inevitable Q and A at the end. This process must be handled smoothly, just as if everyone is in the same room, so make sure you:

• Create list of anticipated questions
• Design answers for each one
• Determine who will handle which questions
• Create a set of transition responses to hand the question off
• Rely on the leader in the room to relay cues as needed

6. Above all, you should rehearse every aspect of your hybrid presentation before you try to run it live, so that everyone can practice using the technology and responding to the cues. Here is the way a practice script could be laid out when practicing Q and A:

• Acknowledge the question: Thanks for that question, Bob.
• Tee up the person who will answer: I am going to let Nancy handle that one; she has a great perspective on that.
• Toss to Nancy: Nancy, would you like to explain this issue for Bob?
• IF, the person you are tossing to is the remote team member, restate the question during the toss: Nancy, just in case you didn’t get all of that, Bob asked _________________________. Would you like to go over this issue for him?
• IF the question requires the remote person to pull up a slide in the deck, that person should ask for the ball if they don’t have it. Make it smooth and simple. Don’t make a big deal out of.

If you plan and practice thoroughly, your audience will not notice any difference between the live presenters and the remote ones, and the presentation will be just as effective as a traditional, while saving your organization time and money.

Quick Tip of the Month - Develop a Key Word Outline

The last person to read out loud to you was probably your mother, and she was trying to put you to sleep! Reading your presentation word for word to your audience will have exactly the same impact on them. While it makes sense to start your preparation by writing your material out word for word, reduce your text to a set of key words as soon as you can. Use a key word for each point of your topic outline, and let that key word trigger the information you already have stored in your head regarding that topic. Speak conversationally and sincerely about that point, and then move on to the next key word. You and your audience will both stay awake for the whole presentation, and you will actually find yourself becoming more relaxed as you get your focus off of your speech and on to the act of sharing your thoughts with your audience.

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