Communicating in Electronic Environment

Following these simple tips can help you make your at-a-distance message just as (if not more) effective and interactive as a face-to-face presentation.
In the current economy, companies are trying to save money by reducing travel and per diem costs for training and business meetings. Synchronous e-learning and virtual meetings can help companies economize while retaining a personal touch, but it's crucial that people know how to communicate in the new environments.
The lack of some visual and aural cues requires that trainers and presenters revise their communication strategy. By following these simple tips, you can make your at-a-distance message just as (if not more) effective and interactive as a face-to-face presentation.
Preparation
1. Understand the various types of electronic communication tools, the features of specific products, and how to use the one you select. E-communication tools generally fall into one of four categories:
Conferencing with audio (teleconference)
Conferencing with audio and video (videoconference)
Collaboration with audio (interactive online environment with voice transmitted over the telephone or via voice over IP
Collaboration with audio and video (interactive online environment with audio and live video).
The best way to learn how to use an electronic communication tool is to attend a seminar by the company that makes it. Written guides are also usually available for download from the provider's Website or via snail mail. Once you understand the basics of how the tool works, play with it on your own. The more you know about a tool's features and functionality, the easier it will be for you to guide your audience.
2. As you're preparing your training or presentation materials, keep your audience in mind and know what information is crucial for them. Your presentation should last no more than one hour, including time for questions and answers. (Your audience's attention will stray after that time and they won't retain as much information.) If you have additional details to present, save them for another online session, distribute them via email or snail mail, or discuss them one-on-one.
3. Run through your presentation using the communication tool so that you're comfortable with it. Then, invite a few other people who won't be part of your audience to one or two test runs, and ask them to give you constructive criticism. Go through the entire program as a dress rehearsal.
4. As you invite audience members to the final event, include detailed instructions on how to register and join in and how to contact you. (Some collaboration tools will automatically send out instructions on how to join the meeting or training once audience members have registered.) Send out a reminder 24 hours prior to the event. (Again, some tools have an automatic reminder feature that you can turn on.)
5. If possible and necessary, ensure that audience members know what plug-ins they need and how to download them. You may also want to arrange a systems test before the meeting or training. (Some collaboration tools conduct these tests at the time of audience registration).
6. Ask your audience to join or log in approximately 10-15 minutes prior to the start of the event. That will allow you or your assistants to resolve any last minute technical problems. Also make sure that your materials are prepared and easily accessible. If you're sharing online applications, know where your files are and how they're labeled.
Presentation
1. Start on time.
2. Ensure that everyone can hear you and/or see you and vice versa. The best way to do that is to ask at the beginning of your presentation how everyone is doing. Remind audience members to speak up and send individual messages to them if you don't get a response. Most online collaboration tools have an instant messenger function that you can use. (For help in juggling presenting and checking in with your audience, see "Synchronous Team Teaching.")
3. Be clear. Review the meeting purpose and agenda at the beginning of the presentation. That will curtail audience members who might be tempted to go off on tangents. If you're using slides, be sure to include the purpose and agenda on the first slides of the presentation.
4. Include time for introductions, if appropriate. If your presentation is to coworkers who all know each other, introductions are not necessary. If your presentation is to an audience of 20+ people, and they will not be interacting, introductions are probably not necessary. But if you're conducting an online meeting or training with people who don't know each other but who will be collaborating, then introductions are definitely necessary. Remember to include the time needed for introductions on your agenda.
5. If you're using telephone conferencing, encourage audience members to refrain from making noise (for example, by typing) or to use the mute button. If an audience member must type or has a noisy office, he or she can put the telephone on mute and still hear you. Teleconferencing companies sometimes offer another option: You as the presenter can mute audience members who have called in until you want their participation. Ask your provider about this feature.
6. If you're using a collaboration tool with slides, make them the main focus and use handouts as backup and support. You can email the handouts to the audience after the event. If audience members want a copy of the presentation, they may be able to download it from the online collaboration tool's site. Of course, if you're conducting a video- or teleconference without a collaboration tool, an agenda and handouts for the presentation should be distributed beforehand.
7. If you're using application sharing programs, slides, or only audio, remember that your motions and expressions will not be seen. Use specific references, like "in the lower left corner. " If you're presenting using a whiteboard, highlight key points with an arrow or a box as you speak about them.
8. If you're using slides or sharing applications, keep in mind that all participants will receive screen updates at different speeds. Check once or twice during the presentation, but don't keep asking if people can see the new slide. Again, ask audience members to let you know if they're having problems.
9. Don't allow long moments of silence. Pregnant pauses might be dramatic in person, but they can be show stoppers online. If you're using slides, make sure they tell a story so you can talk through changing from one slide to another without any visible pause. In person, it would be apparent that you had finished all of the points on one slide and were moving to the next, but that might not be clear online.
10. Practice virtual hand-holding. Explain what you will be doing during the presentation. Especially for interactive activities like chat or polling questions, tell the audience what is going to happen before it happens and then again while it is occurring. For example, if you're conducting an interactive poll, explain to audience members at the start of the presentation that there will be interactive polling questions. Then, before each polling question, tell them it is coming up. When it appears, read the question and the possible answers and tell people how to record their responses. Then tell them how much time they have until you close the poll. This repetition might sound excessive, but it's reassuring for your audience members and increases their participation.
11. Engage your audience by directing specific questions to specific people if possible. Most collaboration tools provide a participant list in which the moderator can see the names of all the people online. This, along with polling questions, can help keep your audience interested and alert.
12. Be careful with intonations of sarcasm and humor. If audience members can't see you, they might misinterpret your meaning. That doesn't mean you have to eliminate humor altogether, but make sure it's clear that you're joking. Electronic communication enables wide diversity among audience members, but it also makes it more likely that someone won't get your sense of humor or even be offended by it. If possible, ask your test-run audience for their opinion of your humor elements.
Wrapping up
1. Keep an eye on the time. Stick to your agenda.
2. End the presentation promptly by starting to sum up 5 minutes before you end.
3. Allow time for questions and answers. Generally 10-15 minutes is enough. Don't allow one audience member to take control and ask questions related only to him or her. The best way to avoid this is to validate that person's question or comment and then add something like "but I believe this is something you and I should take offline. Please call or email me after the presentation, and I can give you my undivided attention. Does anyone else have any other questions or comments?"
4. Conduct an evaluation poll. (If your electronic communication tool offers this feature, learning how to set it up should be part of your training.) If the poll is done immediately following the presentation, your return on answers should be close to 100 percent. The results can help you fine-tune future presentations. To conduct an evaluation poll effectively, run it as you would interactive polling questions. (See #10 above.)
And finally, enjoy! If you're excited about the potential of electronic communication, your audience members will be as well.