Setting the Emotional Tone When Presenting Virtually
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Presenting from a podium is much different than a TED Talk. In a similar vein, presenting online is different than being in front of a live audience. When presenting online, you are responsible for establishing the emotional tone and serving as the “spark.” A core task of a speaker is setting the best emotional tone. This means that you use yourself to alter the emotional state of individuals in the audience, moving them in the desired direction. Setting the emotional tone means that you are neither underwhelming nor overwhelming. Rather, you hit just the right tone for the group in front of you. For instance, an overly enthusiastic presentation to a group of engineers may miss the mark because they may expect a more formal, informative, balanced presentation. However, a typical engineer in front of a group of nurses could miss the mark as well.
So how do you know if you have hit the right tone? Look to the screens of your participants. Are they wide-eyed and smiling, or are their heads down and focused on something else? Are they laughing and enjoying their time, or do they look like they would rather be elsewhere? The data are in front of you ninety-nine percent of the time. Pay close attention, and if need be, switch up the energy by using humor, storytelling, a chat discussion, or small group interaction. Ryan Franks, a Senior Mechanical Engineer for Battery Reliability Testing and Industrial Acceptance, told us about a hack he uses to remind himself about setting and maintaining the correct tone. He said, “I affix a note near my camera that contained two reminder words, ‘act’ and ‘energy,’ to remind myself to do those things throughout the delivery.”
There are simple, tried and true ways to set the tone, even before you begin. We cannot express the importance of this enough—if you set a positive, energizing, and uplifting tone, you will win the audience over from the beginning. If you do the opposite, you will be digging out of a problematic situation as you try and win participants back. The following list provides you with some techniques for doing so.
Music – Scott always begins with music. If you choose to do this, are you playing some old-school Motown, or a Bach piece being played on the harpsichord? Each of these musical selections would set a different tone for the day. Scott always asks the first few people tuning in what they would like to listen to (and their answers could give you some clues about the audience members, or even the organization). On one occasion, a woman told Scott that she would like to listen to “TV theme songs,” and they laughed for a long time before that session began. Another time, a participant requested “Yacht Rock,” which is a genre that Scott had never heard of. In this instance, the participant’s answer and the music that was discovered had everyone in the session laughing. As you can see, music can set the tone for a session. It may not be appropriate for every occasion, but if you use music, think to yourself first: What tone do you want to set?
Smile (specifically, a Duchenne Smile) – A presenter’s smile is one meaningful way to set the emotional tone. However, there are multiple kinds of smiles. One is a fake smile, and the other is a Duchenne smile. What distinguishes the Duchenne smile is that it involves the eyes. In other words, the eyes light up as well, and the muscles around the eyes “crinkle.” Communications expert Larry Morrow calls this “smiling with your eyes.” A smile into the eyes of your participants even before you begin (e.g., while you are being introduced) can set a tone that will serve you well. Fake smiles and faked energy/enthusiasm are counterproductive, and participants will see through those easily and become disengaged.
Engage/Build Relationships – If possible, spend some time chatting with participants, so you have a chance to get comfortable, build relationships, and learn a little about them. Scott has had good fortune using this technique, and taking some time to chat casually provides you with data you can use during the presentation. In addition, you may learn a little more about the organization, its function, or participants’ hopes for the session.
The Screen – Participants can enter into a quiet room with a blank screen or log into a learning experience. One option is to have scrolling facts, data, statistics, quotes, cartoons, or visuals that help set the tone for the day. You could also give participants a task to help get them into the mindset; Scott once had a group “draw leadership” while waiting for everyone else to arrive. He used these in his intro, and it was fun and exciting because it gave the group a common starting point that he referred back to.
All of this comes down to one simple, but important question: What tone do you want to set? After all, you do not have long to make a first impression. Setting the right emotional tone requires design, intentionality, and skill.
We explore this topic and others in our book Captovation: Online Presentations by Design.