With the new normal that everyone’s living in today, even meetings and business operations had to adapt and shift. By now, a lot of industries may have already gotten used to the shift of remote operations. A part of this shift also necessarily includes using online video messaging resources such as Zoom.
Yes, you may already know the basics such as operating it, how to keep your noise to a minimal, what headphones are best to use, and even what to wear. But, one of the most striking challenges along this line has to do with keeping your audience engaged. People often immediately feel drained and bored during these Zoom meetings, simply because you lack the more engaging face-to-face discussions.
If you’ve been struggling along this line and you wish to learn more about it, here are some Zoom networking tips you can apply, so you can foster better engagement with your online audience.
1. Break Monotony by Showing Short Video Clips
No one wants to listen to just one person talking the entire hour straight. If you were at a face-to-face meeting or conference, you’d see that your speaker will try their best to give breaks by showing short but interesting video clips. As you carry on with your online discussion, you should do the same, too.
Showing short video clips is a good way to switch the participants to another voice and sight. That way, if they have already started to get bored, they can switch back to their interest. You don’t want to have an online audience that’s just looking at you, but are no longer able to internalize and understand what you’re trying to say, because they’ve started to get bored.
For example, you may want to show videos that reinforce the point that you’re trying to say for enhanced grasp and clarity. If you need help along this line, agencies like Reldesk can give you the best insights on using spreadsheets, and other tools so you can foster better interactions not just with your team, but even with your customers, online.
2. Maximize Your Presence
When conducting online meetings, it’s not really a matter of what gadget it is you’re using. This is an advantage of remote working where you can hold, and be in a meeting wherever you may be. You can use your phone, laptop, computer, or any other handheld device you may have. What matters the most here is how you position your gadget so that your presence is maximized.
If your camera’s placement is placed against the comfort eye zone of your audience, then you’re never going to get them engaged with you successfully.
These are some common mistakes you’ll want to avoid:
– Your gadget’s placement is making your audience having to look up, or downward the whole time, just to be on eye level with you;
– Your lighting is very distracting;
– Your voice is too low, or too loud.
An effective way for you to remedy this is to do a regular check as to how you look on gallery view. Take a moment to compare your image with that of others on your team.
3. Create a Resource Box Every Segment
If you’re having an internet-based seminar or meeting, a way that you can learn how to keep your audience engaged in the discussions is by creating a resource box at the end of each segment. This means giving your audience the right resources, so they can also catch up with your discussions and follow with the flow.
In physical conferences, handouts are usually given so the audience have their personal notes. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t do the same during your online meeting.
Some common examples of these resources include:
– Videos
– Photos
– Podcasts
This keeps your audience engaged while giving them an opportunity to get more information that is of interest to them.
4. Use the Chat Feature on Zoom
Making the most of the chat feature is commonly used by vloggers to interact with their audience. This is apparent during Facebook or YouTube live sessions.
With Zoom, you can do this too. On the sides, you’ll find an area where you can type and send messages to anyone in the team, as you chat with each other. Utilize this sometimes, especially during breaks. It can get very boring when only one person is talking the entire time. So, give your participants a water or snack break, where they can also sit in front of their gadget and chat with you.
Chatting is another effective way to keep your audience engaged, as you’re fostering a one-on-one interaction, even in a room with multiple online meeting participants.
For example, this is where you can ask your audience to enter their questions, if they’ve got any. Then, give yourself time to respond to these in the most comprehensive manner possible. Also, you can be the one to throw interesting questions to your audience, so they’ve got no choice but to actually actively participate and not just sit through the meeting. Your goal is to ensure that your audience is active and involved in the discussion.
5. Highlight the Most Important Information
Talking in a remote setting puts you in a position where you’ve got to learn how to start with, and focus on the more important pieces of information. This can help you avoid talking too much about information that would have otherwise been too lengthy. Plus, you’ve also got to ask yourself whether or not your audience can really understand what you’re trying to talk about, especially because you aren’t in a physical meeting setting.
It’s easier for the audience to participate in a conversation when the topic of discussion is interesting, so choose topics that are of interest to your audience.
6. Double Check Your Background
Ask yourself, what are you trying to communicate with your background? Is it too distracting, such that the focus of your audience is now on your background rather than on the point you’re trying to say?
As much as possible, always keep your background plain and simple. Make sure that even when you’re at home, you ask everyone in the house with you to avoid passing by your back. Otherwise, your audience is just going to feel even more distracted.
The key is for you to communicate professionalism with your background. Make your background work to your advantage, and not the other way around.
Conclusion
These are just a few tips on how to keep your audience engaged during your seminars, meetings, and other online conferences. Once you get the hang of these, you’ll find that there are also so many more ways that you can keep yourself engaged. That way, your conversations can flow effortlessly and your discussions are also more successful. Practice these techniques and experiment until you have a system that works.
