Mastering Virtual Engagement: Captivate and Connect Like a Pro

How do you engage clients virtually?
It's something that we’re asked a lot.
The reality is: it's tough.
It sometimes feels like having to spend so much of our time communicating online goes against our natural instincts. That perhaps we’re not designed for this.
Yet, it’s a huge part of most of our daily worlds.
So, there’s little point railing against it.
But if you do find it hard, you’re not alone.
(Read or watch - your choice!)
Why’s it so challenging?
Let’s take a look at delivering a presentation.
You’ve got some slides. When those slides are up, quite often you can’t see anyone. Or maybe you can just see a little square with your head presenting in the corner. At most you can see a couple of other people who happen to have switched their cameras on.
That’s the thing. Most audiences that you’re presenting to, don’t actually have their cameras switched on. With webinars, quite often, the platform doesn’t even enable them to. They’re also muted. So even when you do come away from your slides, you can’t see anyone. And it can feel like you’re communicating in a black box. It can feel lonely.
It begs the question: What are people doing? And you don't have any control over that.
There are more distractions.
People could just have you on in the background as they do another bit of work.
They could be doing some exercise, having a bit of breakfast - maybe they’re not even there! They’ve logged in to “show” that they turned up. But maybe they’re not even at the screen. Is anyone there? The paranoia can set in.
And all of the time, as you're trying to have a genuine conversation with your audience, you're brought into this slightly more technical, above the shoulders space. You’re sat at the computer. This space isn't the most conducive for building a genuine connection.
So, it's tough.
-- It's more mentally exhausting both for the speaker and the people listening.
-- There are more distractions for your audience
-- They have a shorter attention span in this space.
So what do we do?
Well, the fundamentals of great communication will be the same regardless of the context.
Here’s a reminder of some essential advice that we give in relation to public speaking:
You’re enough. It's absolutely crucial that you're authentic if you're looking to build a genuine relationship.
It's not about you. It's about them. Right from the moment that you're looking to put your content together. Think about serving their needs.
Care more. Find a way to connect with your content on a deeper level and find what's going to really resonate for your audience.
Know why. Be really clear about how you want your audience to think, feel or act as a result of you sharing what you have to share.
It's just a conversation. Take the pressure off - go and have it.
All of this stuff absolutely applies when looking to engage online.
But it is harder.
It’s less organic.
Often the interaction happens less naturally. So, it requires us to be more intentional in planning how we're going to stimulate that interaction, in advance.
So this is our guidance:
Our Top 6 Tips for engaging audiences virtually
1- Make it shorter
Given the fact that we have shorter attention spans, there are more distractions and we find it exhausting being online, make them be online for less time.
It's very rare that somebody will say, “I'll tell you what, that webinar was good, but I wish it was half an hour longer.” We have to acknowledge the fact that people are spending a lot of the time on their screens. So take that into account and make it shorter.
2- Screens on
If it's at all possible, encourage people to have their screens on and set that expectation in advance.
That will give them a chance to have a shower, put some respectable clothes on and tidy up in the background.
In all seriousness, though, it sets that expectation that they’re going to be involved.
3- Come away from the slides
Think of it much more as a conversation punctuated, where necessary, with some targeted slides as opposed to it being a slide deck where you occasionally check in with them.
That will stop people from just passively listening.
4- Multi Channel Interaction
This is really important. Let people know that they can speak up if that's possible and they're not muted. Think about being explicit that they can speak up and interrupt any time. If you do, make sure you factor in time for that to happen.
So you might want to reduce the amount of content that you share.
At the same time, be aware that not everybody will necessarily want to speak up. So, be explicit about the other ways that they can interact with you. Whether it's via the chat function, the Q&A, launching polls or simply being clear that you’ll be sticking about for 10 minutes at the end to answer questions.
5- Use breakout rooms
That will allow people to engage with your content right away in a more intimate setting. It also gives you the opportunity to drop in, sense check and give them some guidance.
6- Use practical exercises
Plan exercises that get your audiences applying your content practically right away. It guards against people passively listening and forces them to engage on a deeper level.
So, how do you engage audiences virtually?
Well, it can be hard.
We need to accept that. We need to embrace it.
Communicating online is less organic.
So, whilst those fundamentals for exceptional communication (shared at the beginning of this piece above) have to be the place to start, we do have to be more intentional in preparing an inclusive, safe space for our online audiences to interact in advance. That’s where the 6 tips shared just above will help you elevate your engagement levels.
By Chris Wickenden 19.07.2024