powerpoint presentation tips for zoom

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Communications

15 Tips for Engaging Zoom Presentations + Examples

Your next Zoom presentation is a week away. And your mind is racing.

What presentation software should you use?

What if the other attendees can hear your neighbor’s loud music?

Will they find your presentation boring?

Relax and take a deep breath.

You don’t have to figure out the answers to these questions by yourself. This guide will cover everything you need to know about planning and delivering engaging Zoom presentations without stress and anxiety!

After reading this article, you’ll be brimming with confidence and competence on your next Zoom presentation.

Table of contents :

The science behind your Zoom presentation anxiety

• Downloadable Zoom presentation checklist

Part 1: Tips on how to plan and prepare for your Zoom presentation

Part 2: tips during your zoom presentation.

• How to share your Piktochart slide deck on Zoom
• Present with ease on Zoom using Piktochart presentations

Before we get into all the other Zoom presentation tips, perhaps the most important is to deal with your Zoom presentation anxiety. And you’re not alone – anxiety over Zoom presentations is more common than you think . 

A  2021 paper  on why students have difficulties learning during synchronous presentations over Zoom found that 80 percent of the students polled experienced anxiety and trouble focusing during their virtual classes. But what causes this worry? In a peer-reviewed article, Professor Jeremy Bailenson, founding director of the  Stanford Virtual Human Interaction Lab , highlighted the  results of their research  and cited four primary reasons behind Zoom fatigue, stress, and anxiety:

• Your brain interprets excessive amounts of close-up eye contact during video chats as an “intense situation.”
• Like looking at the mirror, you become more critical of yourself as you see yourself on camera.
• Limited movements while you’re chained in your chair and table.
• Video chats require a higher cognitive load than face-to-face presentations. 

“You’ve got to make sure that your head is framed within the center of the video. If you want to show someone that you agree with them, you have to do an exaggerated nod or put your thumbs up. That adds cognitive load as you’re using mental calories in order to communicate,” shares Bailenson.

Finally, you have to consider tech troubles and presentation software fiascos, as well as dealing with the pressure of public speaking.

15 Zoom presentation tips and tricks to help you own the room like a pro

Now that you understand why Zoom presentations give you sweaty palms, let’s go through 15 actionable steps to prepare for the slides.

We created a checklist of the Zoom presentation tips so you can cross off each task.

Prefer video learning instead? Watch the video below.

The success of your Zoom presentation is the result of thoughtful planning and preparation.

Get ready for your online class, product webinar, or job interview on Zoom with the following pre-presentation tips:

1. Decide on the scope of your Zoom presentation

Before presenting on Zoom, ask yourself — what one particular idea or insight would you want your audience to learn from you?

“Defining the scope is the most critical step. What are the boundaries, what are the deliverables, what is the topic that you are covering?”, recommends Linda Parry Murphy , CEO of Product Launchers, Inc.

Trying to cover every subject will only make you more nervous.

Remember the Stanford study earlier about too much cognitive load as one of the reasons behind Zoom presentation anxiety?

Limiting the scope of your presentation can significantly reduce your cognitive load while keeping your audience focused on the key points.

2. Plan for the structure of your online presentation

It’s important to master the sequence and structure of your presentation as part of your preparation. Creating a framework guides the meeting participants so they understand what the data means, why it’s important, and what the implications are in this situation.

A solid structure in place also makes it easier to go back to what you’re saying. As a result, you will feel more confident because you can keep track of your talking points with a quick glance at your outline if you lose your train of thought.

Matt Abrahams, a lecturer in Organizational Behavior and author of Speaking Up Without Freaking Out , recommends the following examples of presentation structures that you can use:

• Past-Present-Future – review a process or share a timeline
• Comparison-Contrast – show the benefits of a certain idea, insight, product, or service
• Cause-Effect – explain the rationale behind a decision
• Problem-Solution-Benefit – motivate or convince your audience
• What?-So What?-Now What? – convince people to do a specific action after your presentation

Another simple presentation structure you can work on is to start with an introduction, the meat of your presentation where you can highlight 3 points, and wrap up with the summary and call-to-action.

3. Prepare your presentation visuals

Plenty of research and evidence shows that including images is more effective in getting your message across than written text or oral communications alone.

For instance, a captivating visual is  four times more effective  in conveying information than words alone. People remember 80 percent of what they see and do, compared to 20 percent through reading and 10 percent through hearing, respectively.

If your goal is to convince your audience during your Zoom presentation, you’ll also be delighted to know that using visuals can help you become more persuasive.

A Wharton School of Business research found that around a third of the audiences they polled felt that presenters who used visuals were more persuasive.

So remember that well-chosen images, even stock photos, can do wonders to augment your slides.

When making visuals for your presentation, use these questions as your guide:

• Is there an icon, illustration, or image that could represent your point in a more meaningful way?
• What types of diagrams , such as a timeline, flowchart, pie chart, arrows, or graphs, will help get your point across to your audience?
• Who are my target audiences? When choosing visuals for my presentation, are there certain cultural taboos or inappropriate humor that I should be aware of?

One more thing – consider using bullet points if you find slides with walls of text. They’ll be easier to digest without taking the focus away from you.

Present with ease (and minus the stress!) with Piktochart.

You don’t have to worry about how your online presentations will look like. Piktochart’s easy-to-edit templates will take care of the visual aspect for you.

4. Eliminate clutter in your surroundings

Staying in one place with no room to maneuver probably doesn’t spark joy for anyone. KonMari your environment by eliminating clutter on your desk and in the space around you. This means extra keyboards, unused notebooks, pens, food boxes, and books can go.

Eliminating clutter gives your brain the impression that there’s more room for you to move around during your Zoom event.

If the space you’re presenting in makes it difficult to clear off clutter, you could find a plain wall to present against. And if that’s not an option, you can use a clean virtual Zoom background . Keeping your surroundings out of sight means it’s out of mind for you and your audience; one less thing to worry about while presenting.

5. Do a tech prep

Presenting in Zoom while you’re at home or traveling is a technological wonder in itself. But technology can be frustrating at times too.

Spending some time optimizing your Zoom settings by clicking in the toolbar while you’re in a Zoom meeting. Under video settings, you’ll find a few options that can help with the visuals, such as focus assist.

Before your presentation, double-check the following:

• Make sure that your laptop, computer, lighting, headset, webcam, microphone, and internet connection are working. Have backup equipment if possible.
• Familiarize yourself with the Zoom app and other relevant software you’re going to use during the presentation.
• Close unnecessary browsers, applications, or software before the presentation. Turn off your laptop or desktop notifications. The goal is to optimize and speed up the device to have a smooth presentation.
• Prepare a PDF version of your presentation slides and have an extra copy of your presenter notes in case of technical mishaps with your slides. It also makes sense to have a short link to your presentation that you can share with the audience.
• Position your notes in the right spot so you know where to find them while presenting.
• Check Zoom settings and do a quick audio and video check.

6. Rehearse your presentation

After taking care of your surroundings and equipment, the next step is to prepare yourself.

Practicing your Zoom presentation in advance can help boost your confidence. Here are some tips to help you rehearse well for your presentation:

• Screen record yourself. Afterward, check your recorded video for technical issues, your body language, and whether or not your voice is audible or not.
• Practice with a family member or friend who can give feedback on any distracting nonverbal communication habits like too many hand gestures.
• Rehearse in the same room where you’ll be presenting. Use the same lighting, computer setup, and everything.
• Practice speaking to the camera, not your computer screen.

If you’re not used to face-to-face presentations, you could record your presentation and watch it back. I know, I know – it can feel so uncomfortable watching yourself. But a quick analysis will reveal if you use too many hand gestures, that can be distracting, and also if you need to reposition your camera so it shows your upper body while presenting.

The time has come for presentation day! You already know the ins and outs of your presentation, and you’ve practiced your Zoom presentation skills to a T. A couple of checks you can do before you start are:

• Make sure you’re in a quiet area to minimize any potential interruptions.
• Do a test call with a friend to check the internet connection and if you’ll stay connected.

Take note of the following tips and hacks to make your Zoom presentation engaging and anxiety-free during your webinar or talk:

7. Dress the part

Wear clothes that are appropriate for your presentation and audience. It also helps to be more mindful of your accessories and hairstyle. The outfits and accessories you wear during your Zoom meeting will speak volumes about you as a person.

For example, if you’re presenting to your coworkers, wear work clothes. If you’re pitching to a group of angel investors, wearing a tie can help convey that you’re serious and trustworthy. However, this may not be a good idea if you’re presenting to a group that is more open to change and tends to be more relaxed when it comes to conventional standards.

Another benefit of dressing the part is what you wear actually impacts how you think. Wearing formal clothes can improve abstract thinking and give you a broader sense of perspective, which is influential in helping you make better decisions.

8. Ditch the chair

Standing up when presenting in Zoom rather than sitting down helps you become more confident because you’re not hunched down on your chair.

Standing straight with your shoulders back also enables you to breathe easily, making your voice sound more powerful and confident. Finally, it allows you to move more and make explanatory gestures which is a charisma boost.

The more confident you appear in your presentation, the more confident you’re likely to feel.

“When your mind starts to feel more confident and powerful — it starts to see those challenging situations not as threats but as opportunities,” shares Harvard psychologist professor Amy Cuddy.

If you can’t stand up during your presentation, try to sit straight in your chair and back up your camera a little to show your upper body and not just your face.

9. Have a memorable introduction

National best-selling author and founder at Science of People Vanessa Van Edwards specifically recommends opening your presentation with IISSAAQQ to make it more memorable. IISSAAQQ stands for: 

• I cebreaker
• I llustration
• S hort story
• S tatistic or surprising fact
• A nalogy or metaphor

Bonus points if you can weave in humor with some background information with a relevant fact. Research found that more popular talks used humor 12.92 times, whereas less popular talks used humor only 3.92 times on average.

You don’t have to force a joke – humor could just be a play on words or surprising the audience with a funny image or meme that contrasts with a statement. Nothing breaks the ice better than laughter.

10. Look your audience in the eye (or rather your webcam)

Looking your audience in the eye is easier during face-to presentations than Zoom presentations. It can be a little tricky during online meetings because we tend to look at people’s faces on the computer screen. Maintain eye contact by looking into your webcam.

“A good idea is to lower the monitor camera a little so that you don’t have to tilt your head back to gaze up at it. If you can’t help looking at someone’s face on the screen instead of their camera, it helps to move the Zoom window to the part of the screen nearest to the camera so at least you’re looking at approximately the right place when you’re looking at their face,” shares Carol Kinsey Goman , Ph.D., executive coach and international keynote speaker.

You could treat the camera as if you were doing a face-to-face presentation. This way, it’ll be a bit simpler to hold eye contact with your audience when you’re not looking at your notes.

11. Think happy thoughts

Find ways to boost your mood before your presentation. Aside from helping you feel good (which in turn can boost your confidence), you’re also likely to smile often with happy thoughts. 

When you smile at your audience, they will also likely “mirror” your action and think happy thoughts. 

“Mirroring is relevant to our tendency to be empathetic. When I see you smiling, my mirror neurons for smiling fire up, and I get your state of mind right away. I feel it as you feel it. We need that mirroring in order to create a full empathic response to other people,” describes Marco Iacoboni , author of  Mirroring People  and UCLA professor. 

When you’re having a good time and sharing enthusiasm with your audience, they’ll reciprocate through their nonverbal communication. This means fewer folded arms and blank stares and more nodding along and smiles.

12. Delegate the chatbox

Have someone else take care of Zoom chat or manage the waiting room to keep you from being distracted. This person could be the meeting host, a colleague, or someone you trust who has your back during your presentation.

13. Engage your audience

A boring presentation is when there’s no interaction, and you’re being spoken at (hello, university lectures). You’ll be able to tell from everyone’s body language in the meeting room.

Make your presentation a two-way street. Here are some ways to encourage interaction and participation amongst your audience during your Zoom meetings:

• Ask questions. For example, if you’re presenting a team productivity software in Zoom, ask your audience about their top productivity problems at work. You can also use this time as an opportunity to transition to your next presentation slide.
• If you have a small audience, remember each person’s name and address them using their first names.
• Use visuals like illustrations, infographics, or a short video clip in your slide show. Tool recommendation : Use Piktochart Video to transform a long video into short clips.
• Use interactive quizzes while presenting online to change the pace and keep your audience engaged.

14. Talk like a human and avoid too much jargon

Alright, what does talking like a human mean in Zoom presentations?

For a start, avoid talking too much jargon and corporate speak. It makes you more relatable, keep your audience’s attention longer because your points will be easier to understand, and also helps you stand out from other presenters.

Just because you’re presenting in virtual meetings doesn’t mean you’re not talking to people. The only difference is you’re sharing your presentation in front of your camera instead of in front of the lecture room.

Next, improve your visual storytelling skills . Your presentation will be more memorable if you briefly share a story and pair it with visuals. Sign up for our free visual storytelling course . Check out the teaser video below.

15. Slow down

When you’re anxious and not too confident about your Zoom presentation, you’ll tend to speak fast, which in turn will make you more nervous. It’s a vicious cycle.

When presenting in Zoom, be mindful of your pace. Slowing down will not only take the edge off your nerves but also make you appear more confident.

Don’t be scared of pauses or gaps between your statements. Sometimes, you might need a sip of water to hydrate your throat. Other times, you could use the pauses as extra emphasis to drive key points.

Slowing down and changing up your talking pace will help you deliver an impactful presentation because you’ll have more control and be better able to drive the point home.

5 presentation examples and templates

To make presenting your Zoom presentation easy, here are some presentation templates and examples for inspiration.

Quarterly finance update

Have a big meeting coming up where you need to share sales performance and revenue figures? We’ve got you covered with this template.

It’s equipped with graphs where you can easily drop your revenue figures in and share performance with customizable graphs. There are also template slides for customer feedback and if your team is planning to introduce new processes.

Marketing strategy plan template

This marketing strategy slide deck is perfect if you’re onboarding a new client and want to walk them through your research, analysis, and proposed actions.

Group project

Presenting your collaborative project in a Zoom meeting to your classmates? Take the worry off so you can focus on sharing the results by using this science group project template .

Despite the name, you can use it for any kind of school or university project because the structure works for any type of research presentation. The template has slides for:

• Group introduction
• Your hypothesis/basis for the project
• Your theory
• How you tested the theory
• Key takeaways

Buyer persona template

The customer buying journey is always evolving, and you might need to present a case study to leadership or your team on recent findings. Our template makes it simple to share your customer’s story, as the template has slides for:

• The customer profile
• Motivations/goals
• Personal insights
• Responsibilities

Team update in the all-hands meeting

It’s common for managers, or project leads to update the company with their results in company meetings. In these cases, you might just need a single slide to share your progress.

This work breakdown structure template does the job, giving you space to share what your team’s objectives were, what the key results were, who was involved, and what the shipping date was for these goals.

How to share your Piktochart slide deck on Zoom 

Step 1 : On the Piktochart editor, click Share to get the link to your presentation. 

By default, your presentation is not publicly visible.

Step 2 : Copy and paste the link into your browser bar. Then, click the Show Presentation button. This will launch in fullscreen presentation mode, and now you’re ready to shine. 

Step 3: Click Share Screen on your Zoom account and choose the browser with the Piktochart link.

For a visual demonstration, watch the short tutorial below with detailed instructions.

Ready to deliver your presentation? 

That’s it for our Zoom presentation tips; now over to you.

You have a brilliant idea or insight to present, and you need to share them with your audience in your next Zoom presentation. It’s high time you nail it with the virtual presentation tips we outlined in this guide. 

Take Piktochart for a test drive  today and create your next presentation slide minus the stress using our free presentation maker .

Kyjean Tomboc is an experienced content marketer for healthcare, design, and SaaS brands. She also manages content (like a digital librarian of sorts). She lives for mountain trips, lap swimming, books, and cats.

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How to Ace Your Zoom Presentation: Tips for Successful Virtual Presenting

It’s your turn to speak during a Zoom social event in your company when your cat decides to make an impromptu appearance, climbing onto your keyboard and causing a flurry of emojis to flood the screen. Thankfully, everyone loved your feline co-worker and joked about the hilarious scene.

But what if it happens in a more meaningful setting, like a virtual sales pitch you’ve been looking forward to for weeks? You wouldn’t want to risk losing a client – and your job – just because a pet rains on your parade.

In this article, we will provide you with essential tips and tricks on how to ace your Zoom presentation like a pro. From preparing your visual aids and keeping your audience engaged to handling technical glitches with finesse, we’ve got you covered.

Table of Contents

Preparing Your Zoom Presentation

Tips for delivering a successful zoom presentation.

• How to Share PowerPoint on Zoom

Handling Technical Issues During a Zoom Presentation

Follow up after a zoom presentation.

Like in-person presentations, a successful Zoom presentation requires careful preparation to ensure you can send your audience the right message. Here are some tips to help you prepare presentations for Zoom.

Use Relevant Visuals

There are many ways you can present information besides plain boring texts. Sixty-five percent of humans are visual learners , so your audience might retain the information you share better if you present them in charts, graphs, images, or other visualizations.

You may use several types of visuals throughout your Zoom presentation, but make sure they are easy to understand in a virtual setting and are relevant to your subject.

For instance, if you present a new product, you may record a video demonstration highlighting its features. Using Zoom’s built-in video player, you can then embed the video into PowerPoint or play it during your presentation.

Use a Simple Presentation Template

A simple presentation template can help you create a cohesive and professional-looking presentation on Zoom. Choose a template that complements your content and aligns with your branding, but avoid overly complex designs that may distract your audience.

You may use a roadmap PowerPoint template or include an agenda slide to set the timeline of your presentation and provide an overview of the topics you will cover. Aside from it keeps the presentation flowing smoothly, it helps your audience orient their thoughts on what will happen in the meeting.

Make It Interactive

Just because you are the presenter doesn’t mean you have to do all the talking – you can let your audience speak too! One of the key aspects of delivering a successful Zoom presentation is to make it interactive and engage your audience.

Think of some icebreakers that will keep your audience involved. It can be a simple open-ended question or a poll to stimulate discussion. You can also use breakout rooms to facilitate small group interactions or collaborative activities.

Interactive presentations help to break the monotony of one-way communication and make your Zoom presentation more dynamic and engaging. Having no activities encouraging interaction makes losing your audience’s interest during virtual meetings easier.

Practice the Presentation and Timing

Aside from the content of your presentation, you also have to worry about the technicalities of presenting on Zoom, so having a dry run before the real thing is important to ensure a smooth delivery.

Practice your presentation multiple times before the event to ensure you are comfortable with the content, pacing, and timing. This will familiarize you with the Zoom platform and its features, such as screen sharing, chat, and breakout rooms.

You have a killer Zoom PowerPoint. Now it’s time to focus on delivering it effectively. Here are some Zoom presentation tips:

Use a Neutral Background

Your background in a Zoom presentation can impact how your audience perceives your professionalism and credibility. Choose a neutral background that is free from distractions and clutter.

If you have an office space at home, that will work even better. Pick from Zoom’s virtual backgrounds, preferably plain and clean. Make your background boring so your audience’s attention is drawn to you. Stay away from bed!

Dress Appropriately

Even though you may be presenting from the comfort of your home, it’s important to dress professionally for your Zoom presentation. It’s not bad to wear your usual duds when attending a casual game night with your team. But if it’s a formal setup, like a business proposal, you must suit up to invite success.

Dressing up smartly may improve your mood and confidence. In a 2014 study , two groups of male subjects were asked to put on business suits and sweatpants before engaging in a negotiation task. Those who dressed up obtained more profitable negotiations than the other group.

As a rule of thumb, avoid wearing loud colors or busy patterns that may distract your audience.

Keep an Eye Contact

Maintaining eye contact is essential in any presentation, whether in person or on Zoom. Making eye contact helps you connect with your audience and convey your message more effectively.

The common advice you’ll get to achieve this on Zoom is to look directly into the camera to create the impression of eye contact with your audience. We agree with these, but as the speaker, you also have to read the facial expressions of your audience and see how they react to what you are saying.

If you are using a desktop or laptop, the simplest solution to achieving these two is to reduce Zoom to a smaller window and place it directly below your webcam. This way, you can glance at their faces occasionally while keeping the illusion of eye contact.

Keep Your Notes Minimal

If you are an expert in the topic you are presenting, it would be best to ditch your notes during Zoom events. Constantly looking down at your notes can be distracting for your audience.

But if the need calls for it, make sure to keep your notes minimal and stick them in the right place. You can use a second screen or a tablet, or position your notes close to the camera to refer to them without breaking eye contact. This way, you can stay focused on engaging with your audience and delivering your presentation smoothly.

How to Share PowerPoint on Zoom (Step by Step)

How to present on Zoom? Once you understand what Zoom presentations are and the tips for Zoom presentations, it is time to give the presentation using Zoom. Let’s see this step by step:

Step 1. Open the PowerPoint file you want to present.

Step 2. Join the Zoom meeting and click on the Share Screen icon in the meeting control panel at the bottom of your screen.

[Optional] You can customize who can share their screen in the Zoom meeting. Click on the small arrow in the corner of the Share Screen icon and select Advanced Sharing Options.

Select Hosts Only or All Participants.

Step 3. Select the window you want to share – in this case, the one that contains the PowerPoint slide – and click on Share.

If you are playing audio or video within your presentation, make sure to tick Share sound and Optimize for video clip.

Step 4. Click on the Slide Show tab in the PowerPoint window and begin the presentation by selecting Play from Start or Play from Current Slide.

Step 5. To stop screen sharing of PowerPoint, hover over the meeting controls at the top of your screen and select Stop Share.

It’s not uncommon for technicalities to derail a live Zoom presentation – video, Wi-Fi, or audio may fail. But there are things you can do to prevent them, or at least minimize their impact on your presentation when they happen.

First, test your equipment before your presentation and make sure everything is in place. You can join a meeting test on Zoom to check your internet connection, camera, audio, and microphone.

You may also send a PDF copy of your presentation to the attendees before the meeting if sharing your screen won’t work. This will allow you to carry on as you or your technical team figures out the problem.

If the technical issues persist, you should have a good Plan B and be prepared to continue on a different platform like Google Meet. Send the alternative link with the meeting invitation and give clear action steps when technical difficulties happen.

Following up after a Zoom presentation is a crucial step in maintaining momentum and maximizing the impact of your presentation. For example, if you are selling a product, you can use a follow-up email to make the final push of your sales pitch.

Start your email by expressing appreciation for their participation and summarizing the key points of your presentation. Include any additional resources, such as presentation slides or a video presentation recording, to reinforce your message. Offer yourself as a resource for further questions or discussions, and encourage feedback or comments from your audience.

Here’s an example of a well-executed follow-up email for a Zoom workshop event:

Conducting a virtual presentation sounds overwhelming as you must consider technical aspects in addition to delivering your message and keeping it engaging.

Remember, there’s no such thing as overpreparing when you have bosses or potential clients to impress. Follow the tips in this article to nail your next Zoom presentation!

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How to Present PowerPoint Slides in Zoom

Got a presentation coming up? Here's how to share your PowerPoint slides in Zoom and engage your audience.

Preparing to present PowerPoint slides in Zoom for the first time can feel overwhelming. It's a different experience than face-to-face presentations, and naturally, you want to get it right. But don't worry, we've all been there, and we're here to help.

In this article, we’ll guide you through the process step-by-step, so you can deliver your presentation with confidence and avoid awkward pitfalls. Let’s dive in.

Present PowerPoint Slides in Zoom by Sharing Your Entire Screen

One of the easiest ways to share your PowerPoint slide deck is by sharing your entire screen. Here’s how to go about it.

• Open your PowerPoint presentation.
• Start or Join a Zoom meeting . Knowing how to use Zoom like an expert makes this step easy.

When you hide the toolbar, it may appear as a minimized window in your taskbar. Click the window icon to reveal it when you’re ready to stop sharing.

• Press the Esc key on your keyboard to exit the slideshow after your presentation.
• Click Stop sharing .

Sharing your entire screen lets you seamlessly switch between your PowerPoint window and other windows while bringing your audience along. However, it has a downside—your audience will see sensitive details or notifications if they pop up.

Present PowerPoint Slides in Zoom by Sharing a Window

With this method, you share only your PowerPoint window, so your audience won't see other areas of your desktop, including popup notifications. Here’s how to get it done.

• Join the Zoom meeting.

Ensure your PowerPoint window is maximized and running in the background, or it won't appear under the Window tab.

• Click Stop sharing or Stop share when you’re done presenting.

This method is perfect for multi-tasking—that is, sharing your PowerPoint window while viewing your notes (in a separate document) or seeing what’s happening in Zoom.

Rock Your PowerPoint Presentation in Zoom Like a Pro

And that's a wrap! You now know all the key steps to present PowerPoint slides effectively in Zoom. Remember, you have two main options: share your entire screen when you need to switch between different windows during the presentation or share a specific PowerPoint window if you're multitasking and want to keep the rest of your desktop private.

Practice using these features before your next presentation, so you're comfortable and ready. Alongside this, using a whiteboard in Zoom can make your presentations more interesting.

Improve your practice.

Enhance your soft skills with a range of award-winning courses.

11 Essential Tips for Presenting on Zoom

January 24, 2022 - Dom Barnard

A boss unwittingly disguised as a potato during Zoom meetings, cries of “you’re on mute!” and guest appearances by kids and pets, are among the hilarious anecdotes attached to this hugely popular app.

However, it becomes serious when you need to make a good impression in a virtual meeting, job interview or presentation.

Zoom became a massively popular communications tool for business, education and social meetings during the Pandemic. In 2020, there were  485 million Zoom downloads , which is 30 times more than the year before!

Of course, some of the top Zoom presentations tips apply equally well to in-person or online delivery. Such as establishing your end goals, preparing a flowing framework and strong content, then practising your speech more than once. However, there are particular advantages and disadvantages to Zoom, to get the right results for presenting online.

These Zoom presentation tips will help grow your competence, confidence and success.

1. Put some trousers on!

One of the great things about Zoom presentations is there is a degree of informality and comfort.

You can dress just your top half smartly, have a hot beverage just off-screen, and do your best public speaking in familiar surroundings.

One of the worst things about Zoom presentations is …there is a degree of informality and comfort!

You can find yourself easily distracted, lacking in focus and slower in your responses.

The best way to present well on Zoom – when the stakes are high – is to create a wholly business-like environment and attitude. Use a space in your home or field location that’s as bland and clinical as possible, with no potential noise disturbance. Dress smartly from head to toe to create the best mindset.

Site your technology in front of you and imagine it’s a lectern and a set of multi-media tools in a meeting room or lecture theatre.

2. Use the superpower of data

While you’re using technology to communicate or collaborate, it’s common sense to optimise ways to enhance your presentations.

As part of your extensive preparation for important Zoom meetings, consider what documents, images and graphics to share, to add credibility and professionalism to your pitch. Or, simply to hold the attention of a Zoom audience from start to finish.

Familiarise yourself with the Share Screen option on Zoom, and the best ways of displaying videos during a Zoom call, including advanced share methods for online presentations.

There are good Zoom share screen tips here, including how to add a video to presentations on Zoom.

Zoom presentations with visual content are  43% more persuasive . Also, 90% of the information we process comes from visual input. So your Zoom presentation materials could be what gets you that job, funding or agreement.

3. Non-verbal communications tips for Zoom

Don’t assume that online presentations release you from many of the body language pitfalls and best practices. The opposite is true, as you need to focus on non-verbal cues even more.

If you deliver your Zoom presentation in a rigid, static and clinical way, you are missing out on some of the best ways to be successful in communications.

People respond to people. Effective communication requires warmth, authenticity and establishing a strong personal connection with your audience. Being robotic when presenting online won’t help you to succeed.

If this is an intense online meeting, then showing empathy can also increase the engagement and openness you achieve.

How do you communicate non-verbally on Zoom?

Without going over the top, be purposeful and slightly exaggerated in your body language. Sit straight and lean subtly towards the screen. Never away from it and certainly no slumping, crossed arms or chin/elbow leaning!

Smile, nod and keep strong eye contact, including showing your attention passing from person to person across a split-screen. Use hand gestures and show subtle movement in your upper body to add emphasis to key points.

4. Verbal communications skills

Zoom presentations also make it too easy to slip into a monotone voice or race through a presentation. You may even find the process of talking to technology – not live people – causes you to ramble, or get lost in your ad-libs or Q&A responses.

Make sure you articulate clearly, add emphasis when needed, and generally modify your tone regularly but logically.

Don’t be afraid to leave small pauses to drive a point home, or to take a deep breath while you construct your next point. If you look directly at the screen and hold eye contact, this ‘white space’ is perfectly acceptable.

5. Is everyone listening?

One of the most important presentation skills, in general, is reading the room. Is your potential boss or buyer looking bored? Are the panel of decision-makers getting confused? In contentious presentations, being able to spot your biggest dissenter from their non-verbal communication can help you shift your focus to winning them over.

It’s challenging to gain that sort of body language intel from online meetings. So, the best Zoom presentations compensate for that.

It can be as simple as adding more direct questions to your content and literally pausing regularly to ask your audience about queries or concerns. Make your questions open-ended, not a yes or no response.

“Let’s take a minute. What else do you need to know about that part of my presentation?”

Also, keep Zoom presentations succinct, flowing and animated. Your audience will drift away subconsciously if your delivery is pedestrian or you talk for too long without involving them.

Remember, attention spans are even shorter on technology!

Practice your video presentation and get feedback on your performance with  VirtualSpeech .

6. Opening Zoom presentations with pizazz

No, this doesn’t refer to grabbing your audience’s attention with a juggling trick or wearing your most colourful or glamourous finery.

How you start a Zoom presentation sets the tone. If you instantly engage their interest with a compelling opening, the attention and engagement last.

This should primarily be 100% clarity on the purpose of your presentation and the desired outcome. As well as establishing your credibility and methods to achieve the end goal.

Vague introductions and slowly revealing your key points drains your time and your audience’s attention.

What makes a good opening for Zoom presentations?

7. Icebreakers

You can’t shake their hand, but you can issue a quick, warm greeting and a short, relevant fact about yourself that helps them to warm to you.

8. Storytelling techniques

These work for a myriad of business communication tasks. Give a short (that word again) anecdote or illustration, to give context to your Zoom presentation. That could be about you, your product or the outcome you are requesting, for example.

9. Meaningful quotes in presentations

“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” – George Bernard Shaw.

Good quotes can work!

10. High impact fact

Another great opening for Zoom presentations is a little known fact or ‘behind the scenes’ secret that grabs attention. Did you know,  one-third of adults still sleep with a ‘comforter’  like a soft toy or blanket? (Not relevant to many presentations but it’s a memorable statistic that caught OUR attention.)

Wake your audience up with something they want to remember – and share with others – and they will be alert and ready to listen.

11. End Zoom presentations correctly

One last piece of advice on Zoom presentations. Don’t get so relieved when you get to the end, that you forget your call to action.

All communication should include an invitation of some kind, in clear language. What would you like your audience to do, now your Zoom time is over? Tell them that and thank them for your attention, with one last warm smile.

The Ultimate Guide to Giving Virtual Presentations on Zoom

An irreverent and shockingly-actionable companion for anyone who wants to communicate to invisible audiences through a laptop screen.

I read a lot of “ultimate guides to X.” Most are not ultimate. Most aren’t even very readable. This is different. Oli Gardner has put together an extraordinary resource for both newcomers and experienced speakers. If you apply the tactics in this guide, I promise you’ll be among the best presenters online (or off) at your next engagement.

— Rand Fishkin. Co-founder & CEO, SparkToro.

What’s in the guide?

17 Chapters

29,584 words

84 Screenshots

Roughly speaking—and by that I mean super specific—the Ultimate Guide to Giving Virtual Presentations on Zoom contains six thematic parts, seventeen chapters, 29,584 words, eighty four precision-crafted interface screenshots to show you how to do cool things, high-production instructional videos full of fun, insights, marvellous techniques to marvel at, and did I mention that it’s twenty nine thousand, five hundred and eighty four words long?

Wait. If I add this paragraph to the number it’s actually 29,656. So, roughly speaking, it’s awesome.

This guide is actually free . I’m not asking for an email address. Helping you be a better presenter is my goal.

My only ask is that you consider sharing it with others, if you like the guide.

A few highlights from the guide

18 Zoom Features

Cool Zoom Features You Should Know About

Learn how to use the lesser-known features of Zoom for a more dynamic presentation.

7 Bad Techniques

Things to Avoid Doing in a Virtual Presentation

Learn the most common mistake in a virtual presentation and how to avoid making them.

13 Good Techniques

Definitely Do These Things When Presenting

With a few simple techniques you can drastically improve your chances of pulling off a successful virtual presentation on Zoom. And no, I don’t expect you to build an actual stage like I did, but you can at least put a plant in the background.

Your Talk’s Purpose

Create Experience Moments

A key trait of successful speakers is that they understand their personal brand. They know what they represent, how they want to be perceived, and what success looks for them. This leads directly into how we should be designing our talk experiences.

Presentation Structure, Story, & Flow

Learn how to craft a story arc by reducing your big idea to it’s simplest form and chunking it into structured elements.

40 Slide Design Tips

Slide Design Tips for Virtual Presentations

Take a deep dive into the art of presentation design in this incredibly actionable chapter that will elevate your skills overnight. And yes, there are forty tips in this chapter alone.

Real People

Virtual Audience Engagement

They may be invisible, but they’re still there, and they’re still real people who want to have a good time. Learn techniques for audience participation and five simple tricks to help maintain eye contact while presenting virtually.

Audio & Video

Create Professional Recordings of Your Talks

Learn the six elements of a great presentation recording. Plus techniques, tools, and lists of equipment you need to record professional high-resolution videos of your talks. It also covers editing in post-production, and how to add closed captions for enhanced accessibility.

6 Whoopsies

What to Do When Things Go Wrong

There are many things that can go wrong in a virtual presentation, most of them technical in nature. This chapter covers six serious issues, and offers creative solutions to turn a catastrophic and embarrassing moment, into a calm, collected, professional delivery.

5 Advanced Tips

Advanced & Creative Virtual Presentation Tips

Proxy hosts, shortlinks, customized meeting rooms, landing pages, and clickers, oh my. Enhance your expertise with these technical tips, and the best virtual speaking strategy of all—standing up.

23 Settings

Zoom Settings to Turn On or Off for a Successful Presentation

Zoom has a grand total of 301 settings—I counted them with my finger and brain—which can make it really hard to find a critical feature when it’s crunch time. This chapter breaks down the essentials and is your game-day checklist for success.

Intro Introduction to Virtual Presentations on Zoom

Chapter 1 18 Cool Zoom Features You Should Know About

Chapter 2 12 Things You Should Do in Your Zoom Presentation

Chapter 3 8 Things You Shouldn’t Do in Your Zoom Presentation

Chapter 4 Defining Your Presentation’s Purpose

Chapter 5 How to Define Your Talk’s Structure, Story, & Flow

Chapter 6 41 Slide Design Tips for Virtual Presentations

Chapter 7 6 Ways to Make Eye Contact With an Invisible Audience

Chapter 8 How to do Audience Participation in a Virtual Presentation

Chapter 9 How to Share Content during a Zoom Presentation

Chapter 10 How to Create a Stunning Video and Audio Recording

Chapter 11 Using Post-Production to Add Value to Your Zoom Recording

Chapter 12 How to Use Your Phone as a Beautiful Webcam

Chapter 13 What to Do When Things go Wrong in Your Presentation

Chapter 14 How to Ground Yourself and Get Ready to Present

Chapter 15 Advanced & Creative Zoom Presentation Techniques

Chapter 16 The Difference Between Zoom Meetings and Zoom Webinars

Chapter 17 23 Zoom Settings to Enable or Disable for a Smooth Presentation

Plan Smarter, Grow Faster:

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How to Be Effective and Keep Participants Engaged When Presenting Remotely

Posted august 23, 2021 by eleanor hecks.

Whether you’re doing a more traditional presentation via Zoom , giving a live interview, or conducting a webinar, the experience is very different from doing so in person. There won’t be a physical audience in front of you, and sometimes timing is extremely challenging to sync up — people often try to talk over others during conference calls. What’s more, it can be just as difficult to convey the appropriate emotions and body language, especially when just the top half of you — or sometimes even just your head — is visible.

It makes one wonder: What are some things you can do to prepare for the presentation or conference? Are there any tips you should keep in mind during the live event? What else should you know?

How to prepare your Zoom presentation

The planning phase is one of the most critical, as it’s where you’ll decide your topics, your major discussion beats, and where you’ll elaborate. You may not be using a teleprompter, but you will be creating a loose script. In addition, you’ll need to create the media that will go along with your presentation, which should be error-free, captivating, and on point.

Here are some tips to improve planning and design:

1. Design for everyone

While creating your media — the slides — understand that you are creating for a wide audience who will likely be tuning in from multiple devices and platforms. The media is going to look very different on a large, HD-ready computer monitor than it will on a smartphone or tablet. Design the content, images, and layouts so that they are compatible and friendly for all. Someone browsing on their phone should be able to see precisely the same information as someone on a laptop or computer.

Be sure to test out your presentation on different devices and resolutions. Also, try to remember that too much screen time can cause focus and stimulation problems in both children and adults. Try to limit the total presentation time, so that it’s accommodating for everyone.

2. Tone down the visuals

Yes, every presentation needs captivating visual content to go along with the text and audio. But you don’t want it to take away from the meat of the experience. It’s okay to use maps, charts, graphs, videos, photos, including stock images, GIFs, memes, and more.

Just don’t overdo it on a single slide. Try to keep it relatively confined so your audience doesn’t go into a stimulation overload. If they’re trying to read a ton of text, listen to you speak, and process several images — especially animated ones — things can get really hectic.

3. Get your area ready

On a live stream, everything around you is as much the star of the show as you. Figurines, pictures on the wall, and even clutter will all feature prominently unless you alter the background — which Zoom allows you to do. Be sure to tidy up your space before the event and remove anything from the frame that you don’t want your audience to see.

4. Brighten up the room

Webcams, even UHD cams, tend to work much better in bright conditions. If you haven’t already, open your blinds to let in some natural light. Test out the camera conditions beforehand to see whether it’s too bright, or not enough. If you’re using a laptop, you can move around your home to find the best spot.

Audiences should have a clear view of your face. Most importantly, they should be able to see when you’re speaking and what gestures you’re making.

5. Test your equipment

You can make a test call to a friend or family member, or just test out the equipment locally, but make sure everything is working. Check your audio and your microphone, be sure the video is clear and bright, check your internet signal and speeds, and ensure all equipment is plugged in and not running on battery power. You should be doing this as close to the conference or event as possible. It doesn’t help if you check out your equipment days in advance and then run into issues the day of.

People do not like to encounter technical errors. For instance, when a page’s load speed increases by just 1-3 seconds, the bounce rate also increases by 32% . A 5-second increase boosts that bounce rate to 90%. So, the longer it takes to set up your presentation and get things moving, the more likely it is that people will tune you out or leave altogether.

6. Rehearse

Practice in front of a mirror, or hop on a call with friends and family and allow them to provide feedback. Never go into a presentation unprepared, especially if you’ve never given one before via Zoom or anywhere.

7. Create a checklist

A checklist is always a good way to review what you need to get done before an event or activity. Professionals use them to avoid costly mistakes , and you should be taking inspiration from that.

Try to remember every small detail or requirement that you need to complete before the presentation. You can even create a multi-tier checklist that deals with before, during, and after the big event.

Hosting the Zoom presentation

So, you’re all ready for the big event? Now, it’s time to make sure everything goes smoothly during your presentation. Here are some helpful tips.

1. Speak plainly

It helps if you write the script or guidelines similar to how you will be presenting, however, you should speak plainly and enunciate as much as possible. Unless the subject matter explicitly calls for it, try to avoid industry or specialized jargon. That will also mitigate how much you need to explain or move off-topic. Furthermore, it ensures your entire audience can follow along, regardless of skill level or expertise.

2. Minimize potential interruptions

You can’t control what happens on the other end of that presentation, but you can certainly control things on your side. Try to mitigate potential distractions as much as possible. Put your phone on silent. Wear headphones so there’s no audio echo or distortion. Close your door or isolate yourself so no one comes in to interrupt. You might also consider turning on Do Not Disturb mode on your computer to pause notifications during the meeting.

3. Keep your materials handy

Two points. First, you want to keep your notes or script handy so that if you get stuck you can continue with little to no pause. Second, those materials should be in a place that has you facing the camera. If you have a document up on a monitor, for example, you don’t want to be glancing sideways all the time to read what’s next.

Situate the screen and camera so they’re at the same angle, so you’re constantly looking at the camera while you read. It’s a lot easier to do with a laptop because the camera is usually in the top bezel. With a desktop, you might have to move your display(s) around, or reposition your webcam. If you’re using a phone or tablet, you should have those propped up on a stand or tripod to keep them stable.

4. Dress to impress

Dress just as you would if you were paying a visit to the office or making a presentation in public. Put on the whole outfit too, and not just the shirt, because you never know what’s going to happen. If the camera falls, you don’t want it to expose that you’re just wearing underpants along with that collared shirt.

5. Have your media ready

It’s a simple tip, but a crucial one. Have your slides and other media ready to go and queued up for sharing. Don’t wait until the presentation to get things in order. You should be able to swap to the necessary screen, share the content, and go. Have all hyperlinks, videos, and interactive elements prepared beforehand, as well.

6. Pause for effect and questions

After each major beat, pause for a moment to allow your audience to ask questions, raise concerns, or ask for you to reiterate the message. This is much more difficult when you’re dealing with a large audience, but most Zoom meetings are relatively intimate with a local group.

7. Pay attention to chat

Alongside every Zoom event or meeting, there is a live chat window that can sometimes be forgotten if you’re busy focusing on your presentation. Don’t neglect it. Your audience may be asking more questions, providing valuable feedback, or even pointing out something wrong — like your mic cutting out.

8. Record your presentation

Make sure you’re recording the presentation to reference later, not just for everyone else but for yourself too. It allows you to rewatch the feed to review questions and commentary, and also to perceive your mannerisms and dynamic content. You can use that information to build a better presentation later.

9. Leverage the Zoom tools

There’s a host of tools you can use with Zoom , including screen sharing, annotations, live polling, and much more. Incorporate them into your presentation whenever possible, and don’t forget they exist! They can help make the experience more fun, engaging, and memorable.

10. Keep it interesting

It’s easy when you’re talking, especially about dull subjects, to lose your audience. One way to keep them invested and interested is to add the occasional “boom” moment. It’s an impactful instant, like a shocking statistic, joke, or alarming point, that ties together everything you’ve been talking about up until that moment.

The follow-up

After the presentation is completed, don’t make the mistake of thinking your work is all done. The first thing to do is make the media and the recording of the presentation available so that anyone who wants to can go back and review the experience.

Next, you need channels in place to collect feedback. People will have follow-up questions and concerns, and they may want you to clarify certain points. Also, you’ll want people to share their experiences. What did they enjoy? What did they dislike? How could you have improved as a presenter? Don’t be too scared to ask these questions, as they’ll help improve your Zoom presentation skills.

Finally, consider wrapping it all up with a nice bow by giving away free content or materials to those who attended the event, like a free e-book written by you or your colleagues, or a promo code to your storefront.

With these ideas in mind, you’ll be ready to knock your next Zoom presentation or remote meeting out of the park!

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Eleanor Hecks

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10 Secret Zoom Tips for Masterful and Stress-Free Online Presenting

Zoom Tips that will Save Your Online Meeting (and your sanity)

Unless you were lucky enough to live in a remote tropical cave for the first half of 2020, there’s a high probability that your work environment was somewhat impacted by the Coronavirus lockdown extravaganza.

As a work-from-home employee and entrepreneur with over 10 years of presenting online under my belt, this transition didn’t really affect me (other than taking me off the road for exotic speaking engagements ).

But based on the rapidly growing subculture of epic Zoom fails , it’s clear that this drastic change in our meeting environment has resulted in more than a few series of unfortunate events.

It’s a challenging — and hilarious — new landscape, from employees being forced to dial in from bathrooms and basements, to extricating flung spaghetti from your hair by tiny bored humans, to partners walking up to your desk in their skivvies.

Not to mention my personal favorite: a boss irreversibly transforming herself into a potato for the duration of her online team meeting.

Luckily, Zoom has risen to the occasion with a slew of new features to help alleviate the brewing frustration across the remote corporate landscape. And, these features are not all immediately obvious.

So in addition to my 3 tips for surviving online presenting from home podcast episode, I’ve gone deep with this list of the most helpful Zoom tips, tricks, and settings that will help you keep your online meeting (and your sanity) on track. We’re gonna do this countdown style:

My Top 10 Most Useful Zoom Tips for Sane Online Presentations

The settings you’ll see listed here are located in either your Zoom desktop app preferences , found here:

…or in your Zoom.us web account settings , where you’ll need to access your account in a browser here:

#10: Present your slide deck using a second monitor

Ok, so this first tip isn’t a Zoom tip, per se. But presenting my slide decks using dual monitors was a game-changing move in my virtual meetings because it enabled me to use my favorite PowerPoint feature: Presenter View.

Presenter View (available in PowerPoint and Google Slides) allows you to privately display your current slide, your next slide, your Speaker Notes, and a storyboard of future slides. You also get a prominent clock and timer to stay on point.

This is an incredibly valuable feature while presenting in an online environment because it prevents you from getting distracted with remembering your next slide, or having really awkward transitions when you didn't see the next slide coming.

Presenter View allows you to stay present with the content on your current slide and smoothly transition to the next one…and even build some anticipation along the way!

But if you only have one monitor for your online meetings, the audience will see all of that too, which completely defeats the purpose.

If you use dual monitors, you can set Zoom to share your full-screen presentation deck to the audience while your second monitor displays Presenter View only to you :

To do this, you would plug in a second monitor, activate Presenter View in PowerPoint (or Google Slides), and then select the presentation application window that shows your deck full-screen . Here you can see the full-screen version of my slide deck to the right of Presenter View:

So, dig up that gaming monitor your teenager abandoned after upgrading his Fortnite battlestation or find a super cheap unit online. Your online presentation ante will be forever upped, trust me.

#9: Turn off audio, video, and the notification chime when you and your attendees join the meeting

When I’m presenting online during a meeting, I like to dial in a few minutes early to get everything set up. But because I live in a busy home, sometimes my background environment isn’t completely settled.

Keeping audio and video off upon entry allows you to get your home presentation environment under control while prepping your slides.

To mute your audio and video when joining an online meeting:

• Open your Zoom desktop application and go to Preferences >> Video.
• Under Meetings, check the box labeled “Turn off my video when joining a meeting” .
• While you’re there, check the box next to “Touch up my appearance” under My Video, which provides a subtle and delightful airbrush effect to your skin. I was shocked to see how many search engine searches there are for “how to look good on Zoom”. There you go, insta-smooth!
• Next, go to the Audio menu.
• Make sure the setting that says “ Mute microphone when joining a meeting ” is checked.

How to turn off everyone else’s video and audio upon entry:

• Go to Zoom.us in a browser >> Your Account >> Settings (you won’t find this in your desktop application).
• Under In Meeting (Basic), look for the Scheduling section.
• Toggle both the Host Video and Participant Video setting to OFF.
• Scroll further down the menu to Mute Participants upon Entry and toggle this to OFF as well.

Now you can rest assured that if you or your attendees dial in with a rogue child screaming and running naked behind your chair, you have time to shuttle them out of the room without causing an online scene. (True story, not mine.)

I also suggest disabling that cheery “Ding dong!” entry notification for attendees, especially for larger meetings with a formal presentation.

Hearing when someone joins is useful for small or 1:1 meetings, and absolutely exasperating for quarterly business readouts and department-wide town halls.

To do this, go to your Zoom web account settings and toggle the “Sound notification when someone joins or leaves” setting to OFF.

#8: Appoint someone else to monitor the Waiting Room and take notes

The sudden explosion in quarantine Zoom meetings gave rise to an unintended consequence: Zoom bombings. Suddenly, meetings around the globe were unintentionally — and unfortunately, intentionally — interrupted by people who do not belong in those meetings.

So, Zoom implemented the “ Waiting Room ” by default to prevent would-be bombers from wreaking online meeting havoc. When someone attempts to join your meeting, they show up at the top of the Participant window with a blue button labeled “Admit”.

The downside of this feature, however, is that if you’re not watching the Participant window while you’re presenting online, people will get stuck in virtual limbo.

This happens a lot because attendees frequently lose their internet connections and try to rejoin. Trying to monitor the Waiting Room while staying focused on your slides is a recipe for distraction disaster.

That’s why my Zoom tip is to appoint an attending colleague to stay vigilant on the Waiting Room and admit attendees so you can stay laser-focused on your presentation.

You can appoint the same person to take detailed notes during your meeting, a strategy I recommend in my Data Presentation + Storytelling Boot Camp course. This way you can feel confident that no important questions, concerns, or follow-ups are missed while you’re dropping your brilliance on your online audience.

#7: Spotlight your video when you’re sharing your screen

If you’re presenting online with a slide deck, it’s helpful to keep everyone’s screen locked onto your screen.

This will ensure that attendees stay focused on your slides or videos and aren’t getting distracted with spying on the hottie from Email Marketing.

During the meeting, roll over your own video window to show three dots and click Spotlight Video.

Note: You must be either the Host or a Co-Host in order to Spotlight screens. This is a powerful feature, so wield it wisely.

#6: Automatically save the Chat Log

When the Host ends a Zoom meeting, the Chat history is completely lost unless you take measures to save it. It’s vital for follow-up that important questions and comments don’t get lost.

Zoom can automatically save your meeting chat logs in your web account settings under In Meeting (Basic):

• Go to the Chat section >> Auto saving chats
• Toggle the very concise “Automatically save all in-meeting chats so that hosts do not need to manually save the text of the chat after the meeting starts” setting to ON.

NOTE: This Zoom tip also saves all messages sent privately, so make sure your audience knows that before they make secret virtual dinner date plans during your meeting.

#5 Know whom you’re messaging in Chat

Many people don’t seem to know yet that when you message someone privately or they message you privately, your next message will be sent directly to that person . I can’t tell you how many times people have sent me private messages intended for other attendees or the whole group.

Depending on the message’s subject matter, this can get embarrassing quickly.

Be mindful of whom you’re about to message by keeping your eye on the prompt above your Chat message window. If the word (privately) is in red, you’re about to send a private message to whomever is in the dropdown.

You’re welcome.

#4: Use Zoom keyboard shortcuts outside of Zoom

There is an smorgasbord of Zoom keyboard shortcuts to make presenting online go more smoothly. I highly recommend getting acquainted with the ones you may find most useful.

But none of them are available if you are actively presenting from PowerPoint, Google Slides, a dashboard tool or a website.

Zoom gives you the option to enable “Global Shortcuts”, which are tremendously helpful for controlling audio while you’re in other windows.

You'll find this Zoom setting in your desktop application preferences and the Keyboard Shortcuts menu. Click to enable all of the shortcuts available:

This feature is especially important if you’re going to use the three most killer Zoom keyboard shortcuts in the world, starting with…

#3: Quickly mute your audio and video

Often meeting hosts neglect to mute the whole meeting and struggle with relaxing ambient noise from the participants like construction, potato chip munching, or in my case, bored kids buzzing around our property on ATV's like giant mutant bumblebees.

So I’m mindful to go on mute anytime I’m not speaking, and the fastest way to do this is with the following keyboard shortcut:

To mute your audio:

• For Windows / PC: ALT – A
• For Mac: CMD – CTRL – A

And if you want to pause your video:

• For Windows / PC: ALT – V
• For Mac: CMD – CTRL – V

Even faster than those, however, is the ability to…

#2: Temporarily unmute yourself

If I could marry a Zoom keyboard shortcut, this one would be The One. As an attendee, I can’t count how many times I’ve been randomly called upon to chime in while on mute like everyone else.

Cue snapping to attention, scrambling for my mouse, trying to aim and click accurately on the Unmute button, and fumble through my response. No more, I say!

All you need to do to temporarily unmute yourself is press and hold the SPACE key. Then release to go back on mute. That’s it. Seriously.

Make sure this shortcut is activated in your Zoom desktop settings:

The only downside of this killer Zoom trick is that now, someone who wasn’t really paying attention won’t be able to rely on ye olde “Uh, sorry I was on mute” delaying excuse.

And last but not in the least of least of Zoom tips…

#1: Mute everyone at once (except the Host)

Bar none, this Zoom keyboard shortcut is the MOST useful and MOST underrated of Zoom tips.

When you’re presenting online to an audience of 10, 20, or 70, the last thing you want to have to do is individually mute every participant while making everyone wait.

Nor do you want to keep reminding everyone with, “Guys, I’m hearing some background noise / possessed children / circus music right, can y’all please mute?”

No, no, no. Very disruptive and distracting, which is the kiss of death during virtual presentations.

Here are the keyboard shortcuts for muting all attendees in one fell swoop:

For Windows / PC: ALT – M

For Mac: CMD – SHIFT – M

Note that this does NOT put you, or the host, on mute.

I guarantee that these final three Zoom tips will help you shave minutes of frustration and awkwardness off of your online meetings.

Keep Your Audience on Point with these Zoom Tips

To make these Zoom tricks easier to remember for everyone, you can paste all of this information into the Zoom chat window at the beginning of the online meeting like so:

Hey everyone! Thanks for joining today. Here are a few quick tips to make participating as smooth as possible:

• Open the Participants and Chat windows to see important instructions and information.
• If you have a question or comment, please use the Raise Hand feature by hovering over your name in the Participants window.
• If you message someone privately or they message you, remember that unless you change it, you will message them back directly.
• Note that we are recording this meeting and all messages sent through Chat for reference later.

Throw in an emoji or two to gain their attention and add some personality. Giving this information to your attendees in an organized manner like this will do wonders for your reputation as a virtual virtuoso.

Here is a list of a zillion more helpful Zoom keyboard shortcuts by OS if you wish to attain Zoom Black Belt status.

Download a Free Zoom Tip Cheat Sheet and Meeting Kickoff Script

Now, I realize this is a lot to remember, so I’ve created a few resources for you to keep handy at your desk for every meeting.

To download a keyboard shortcut cheat sheet with all of these ultra-useful Zoom tips — plus my invaluable Meeting Kickoff Superhero Script for how to engage your audience during an online presentation — click below to request your free copy:

And if you’re a team leader who’s ready to watch their team absolutely nail presenting online, book a call with me to create a customized training solution for successful and seamless online presentations and meetings.

Final Thoughts on Zoom Tips to Make Online Presenting Sane Again

I hope you'll find these tips for presenting remotely with Zoom helpful in these unique circumstances. In the dubious words of some ancient Persian dude, this too shall pass…sort of. While we will go back to work in full force one day, it will probably never look quite like the way it did before.

That’s because this extraordinary period in human history has set a precedent for companies to reevaluate their resistance to telecommuting. As a result, they will likely offer hybrid arrangements to their increasingly global workforce.

So, remote working is here to stay, and the most impactful thing you can do as a virtual presenter is empower yourself with Zoom tips like these to knock your next online meeting out of the park.

Or the broom closet, if that's your thing.

PS – Since remote work is the way of the future, you can look for your next role over at Jooble .

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Check out my Effective Data Presentation Quick Start Guide.

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How to Give a Presentation on Zoom? [A Step-by-Step Guide!]

By: Author Shrot Katewa

If you’ve never used Zoom, giving a presentation on it might seem a bit challenging. But, that’s a challenge we will have to learn to overcome as the world moves digital more and more day by day. The key question really is how to give a presentation on Zoom!

To give a presentation on Zoom, first, start by joining a meeting. Now open the presentation file on your computer and share the slides on Zoom using its “Share Screen” feature. You should test your camera, mic, speaker, and internet connection before you start with your presentation.

As easy as it may seem, some of you may need further detailed instructions. So, in this article, I will provide a step-by-step guide on things that you need to do in order to deliver a presentation on Zoom successfully! Plus, I will also share some tips that can help you ace your presentation on Zoom!

So, without any further delay, let’s get started!

Understanding the Zoom Application Interface

Before we understand the steps to give a presentation using Zoom, it is perhaps a good idea to acquaint yourself with the Zoom user interface first. If you are well-versed with it, then perhaps you may want to skip this section and click here instead.

Logging into Zoom

Although you can login to your account using zoom website too, but it is best to download and use the zoom app .

Once you have download the app, you will be prompted to login to your account. If you don’t have an existing account, you can either sign up or even login using your social account such as Google or Facebook. It’s actually quite simple.

If you feel that you don’t want to sign up or even use the social accounts for your meeting, you can choose to use “Sign In with SSO” option. SSO stands for single sign on and this allows you to sign in even when you don’t have an account with Zoom just once.

Zoom Home Screen

Once you’ve logged in, you will be taken to the home screen on Zoom.

There are a bunch of different things that you ca do with the home screen on Zoom. If you have been invited for a meeting, you will need to click on “ Join “. However, you will also need the meeting ID and the password for the meeting. If you don’t have the details, you will perhaps need to contact the person hosting the meeting.

You can also host the meeting yourself by using the “ New Meeting ” button. You can set a new meeting and invite others to join using this option.

Likewise, you can also schedule a meeting in the future using the “ Schedule ” option.

Furthermore, for changing the account related information, just click on your profile picture in the top-right corner of your window.

Lastly, there are several other detailed settings that you can tweak for your Zoom application. Almost all the other settings can be found in the “ Settings ” section by clicking on the “ Gear Icon “.

Zoom Virtual Meeting Window Interface

Once you are a participant in a virtual meeting, either by joining an existing meeting or by starting a new meeting, you will be greeted with an image similar to the one mentioned above.

On this screen, you will be presented with several different options. Some of the key functions that you will need to be aware of are as follows –

• Mute – Turning on the Mute or Unmute
• Video – Toggling between your Video
• Participants – Checking the names of the Participants
• Share Screen – to deliver a presentation (more on this later)
• Record – To record a meeting session
• End – Knowing how to end a meeting and exiting a call.

All the above functions will be visible on a small bar at the bottom of the window. If you are not able to see this option bar at the bottom, just hover over at the bottom part of your screen and all the options will appear .

Although there are other features that are also available for a zoom user or a participant, however, the aforementioned features should be good enough to deliver a presentation. These 6 features are at the very least something that you should be aware of.

How to Give a Presentation on Zoom (Step-by-Step)

Zoom has become a common tool for giving virtual presentations today. It is a widely used tool at conferences, meetings, and other events! If you are giving a presentation on Zoom for the first time, then perhaps you should be aware of a few things –

Here is a quick step-by-step guide on how you can give a presentation on Zoom:

Step 1: Install Zoom

Download and install the Zoom application to your desktop. To download the application, visit https://zoom.us/download and download the Zoom Client to your computer.

Step 2: Login to your Zoom Account

After installing the application, open it and log into your Zoom account. If you don’t have one, you can sign up for free using your email account.

Zoom also has options to sign in using SSO (Single Sign-On) or with your Facebook or Google account.

Step 3: Test Audio and Video Settings

Before you start or join a meeting, you will need to configure and test your audio and video settings.

To do that click on the gear icon on the Zoom application’s home screen. This will open the settings menu.

Now click on the “Audio” tab and select the microphone you are going to use. Try our different audio settings. After the microphone, select the speaker for audio output. If you can’t hear anything, try out another speaker source.

After configuring audio, click on the “Video” tab. From there, select the camera that is connected to your desktop. Tweak different video settings and find out what works best for you.

Step 4: Join or Schedule a Meeting

Now start a meeting by clicking on “New meeting”. You can also schedule a meeting on Zoom. To do that, click on “Schedule” and set up when you want to start the meeting. After completing the set-up, Zoom will give you a URL. Share it with the team members to join the meeting.

Or you can join a meeting by clicking “Join” on the Zoom client’s home screen. You can use a meeting ID or URL to join a meeting in Zoom.

Step 5: Open the Presentation

Once you have everything setup, you then need to prepare to show your presentation with your audience. To do that, open the presentation slides on your computer.

Step 6: Share Your Presentation

The last step in giving your presentation is to make sure that you share your presentation with your audience. To do that, click on “Share Screen” from the Zoom clients meeting window , select the screen where your presentation slides are open, and click “Share”. Now start presenting your slides to the audience.

Step 7: Stop Sharing to end the Presentation

One thing to know is how to end the presentation. To stop screen sharing, simply click on “Stop Share” located at the top of the screen . This option will only appear when you start sharing your screen.

How to Share a PowerPoint with Presenter View on Zoom?

To share your PowerPoint presentation slides with presenter view on Zoom, follow the steps given below:

Step 1: Open the Zoom App and Login

The first step really is to open the zoom app and login to your account.

Step 2: Join or Setup a Virtual Meeting on Zoom

Next, join the meeting. Remember, you need the meeting ID and password to join a meeting. Make sure you have requested for the details beforehand.

Step 3: Open Your PowerPoint Presentation

First step is really to open your presentation file that you want to present on the PowerPoint application.

Step 4: Put the Presentation in Presenter View

Now select the “Slide Show” tab from the top of the screen and click on either “From Beginning” or “From Current Slide” depending on your preference. This will open the slides in the “Presenter” view.

Step 5: Switch to the Zoom Application

Now, go to the Zoom application, start or join a meeting. While you are in the “Presenter” view on PowerPoint, press “ Alt+Tab ” to switch between applications in Microsoft Windows-powered computers. For iMac, use “Command+Tab” to move through open apps.

Step 6: Share Screen on Zoom’s Meeting Window

Once you are in Zoom’s meeting window, click on “Share Screen”, select the window where your PowerPoint slides are open in the presenter’s view, and click “Share”.

And that’s all you have to do in order to share PowerPoint with the presenter’s view in your Zoom meetings.

How to Share PowerPoint on Zoom Without Showing Notes?

There are two methods that you can use to share PowerPoint slides on Zoom without sharing your presenter notes. For the first method, you will need to have two monitors connected to your computer.

As for the second one, you can still share your PowerPoint slides on Zoom without sharing your notes (and you won’t need two monitors either). I’ve briefly explained both methods below.

Method 1 – Dual Monitor Method

In this method, you will be presenting your PowerPoint file on one monitor while looking at your presenter’s notes on the other one. Here’s how you can do that:

Step 1: First of all, open your slides on PowerPoint.

Step 2: Now join or start a Zoom meeting.

Step 3: Now click on “Share Screen” and select “Screen 1”. Then click “Share”. Here, “Screen 1” is your primary monitor.

Note: If you are not sure which one is your primary monitor, select where the PowerPoint file opened in.

Step 4: Now go to the PowerPoint application, click on the “Slide Show” tab, and from there click on “Monitor” and select “Primary Monitor”.

Step 5: Open the presentation file in the presenter’s view by clicking on the “Slide Show” tab and selecting “From Beginning” or “From Current Slide”.

If you have done everything correctly, participants will only be able to see the presentation slides while you have your presenter’s notes open on the second monitor.

In case you shared the wrong monitor on Zoom, click on “Screen Share” on Zoom’s meeting window, select “Screen 2” and click on share. This should fix your problem.

When you are sharing a screen on Zoom, you will notice a green border around that screen. This indicates which monitor you are currently sharing.

Method 2 – Sharing Portion of Your Screen

Follow the steps below if you have only a single monitor connected to your computer.

Step 1: Join or start a meeting on Zoom.

Step 2: Click on “Share Screen” and from the pop-up window select “Advanced”. From there select “Portion of Screen” and click on “Share”. This will give you a green border on your screen that you can adjust. Only the things that are inside this border will be shared on Zoom.

Step 3: Now open the presentation file in PowerPoint, and go to the presenter’s view by selecting “Slide Show> From Current Slide or From Beginning”.

Step 4: Adjust the size of the green border so that it only shows the presentation slides in the presenter’s view.

And that’s all you have to do. By doing so, your audience will only see the slides that you are presenting, but not your notes.

How to Show Yourself During a Zoom Presentation?

Ensuring that you are visible from time to time during a presentation can make it slightly more engaging and much more interactive. Here is how you can do that-

Step 1: First, start or join a Zoom meeting.

Step 2: Click on “ Share Screen ” and select the “ Advanced ” option. From there, select “ PowerPoint as Virtual Background ” and select the file you want for your presentation. Then click on “ Share ”.

Step 3: Make sure your video is switched on so that you are also visible to your audience. You can do that by clicking on “ Start Video ” on the Zoom Virtual Meeting Interface.

It will take some time for your slides to appear on the Zoom client. When it is done, participants will be able to see your face in front of the slides in Zoom. Make sure that your camera is connected to your computer and configured correctly.

This feature works best if you have a green screen behind you . If you have one, go to Zoom’s settings menu, select the “Background and Filter” tab and check “I have a green screen”. If you want to stop showing yourself during a zoom presentation, click on “Stop Video” on the meeting window and that will do the job.

Furthermore, you may sometimes want to show just yourself to the audience and not show the presentation at all. For that, all you need to do is simply click on “Start Video” in the Zoom Virtual Meeting Interface.

How to Record a Presentation on Zoom?

If you want to record your presentation on Zoom, you can do it easily. After joining or starting a meeting on Zoom, click on the “Record” icon located at the bottom of the meeting window. Once the recording starts, you can pause the recording or stop it whenever you like.

After the end of the meeting, the recorded video will be automatically converted into “.mp4” format and stored on your computer.

Tips for Giving an Awesome Presentation on Zoom

Giving a presentation in front of an audience is always a challenging task. Especially if it is online, many things can go wrong during your presentation. This is why I’m sharing some tips that can help you deliver an awesome presentation on Zoom. These are as follows –

1. Make a Professional Looking Presentation

There are several ways to make your presentation look really professional and high quality. One obvious method is to outsource your presentation to a specialised design agency! But, that can become really expensive depending on your budget.

Another (non-obvious) option is to use a PowerPoint Presentation Template! There are several high-quality and professional templates that you can get quite easily! In fact, using these Presentation Designs is quite inexpensive! You can download as many presentation templates as you want for as little as $16.5/month!

My favorite one is Agio PowerPoint Presentation template. It is perfectly suited to give a professional look to your presentation and yet it is quite quick and easy to use. Check out some of the images below –

Agio PowerPoint Presentation Template

Furthermore, make the presentation as simple and straightforward as possible. Do not confuse your audience with a network of colorful texts, graphs, or other contents.

Only use data and graphs that are relevant to your presentation. Also, the clever use of transition animations can make the slide appear much more engaging.

2. Check Your Equipment Beforehand

Whenever you are giving your presentation online, many things can go wrong. For example, your camera or mic may not function properly. Such interruptions will only make you a laughing stock in front of the participants.

Check your mic, camera, and speakers to find out whether they are working properly or not. Also, check your internet connection and your laptop’s battery level. If everything is ok, then you are good to go on with your presentation.

More Related Topics

• Change the Style of Your Bullet Points and Stand-out from the Crowd!
• 7 EASY Tips to Always Make your Presentations Attractive! (Even if You are a Beginner)
• How to Reduce the Size of Your PowerPoint File? The Perfect Method!
• Auto Create Your PowerPoint Slides using Design Ideas Feature!
• Main Features of PowerPoint! [I bet You DIDN’T Know These]

Credit to Cookie_Studio for the featured image of this article

8 tips on how to present over Zoom like a pro

Today, Zoom is a central part of the remote workplace. It and other video conference platforms are widely used for meetings, job interviews, webinars, and presentations.

In-person presentations can be stressful enough, and having to conduct them virtually can seem even more daunting. 

But it doesn't have to be that way. Our eight pro tips for presenting over Zoom may help you feel more prepared, comfortable, and confident. Read on to find out more. 

1. Plan out your Zoom background/location ahead of time.

You can use a location in your home or a virtual Zoom background. If you select a place in your house, make sure it is uncluttered and clean. A plain wall or shelves with neatly arranged books provide a professional setting. 

Consider lighting. Soft lighting placed in front of you illuminates you evenly; sitting in front of a window can cause glare and shadows.

Make sure your background doesn't distract from you and your presentation. You don't want your audience focusing on a family photo or the dishes in the sink.

2. Test your equipment before your presentation.

Your equipment can make or break your Zoom presentation. 

To avoid surprises, check your internet connection, plug in your laptop, and ensure that your camera angle is correct and that the microphone works. 

You can confirm your internet connection, audio, and visual with a Zoom test meeting . Using a hard-wired connection rather than wifi is the safer option. And closing any applications you won't need during the presentation can conserve bandwidth. 

Taking precautions can avoid or minimize frozen screens, views of the top of your head, dead batteries, and sound problems.

3. Put notes in the right place on your screen(s).

Zdnet recommends, the best webcams for remote-working video calls.

The pandemic lockdown will leave a legacy of increased remote working, so it's a good time to upgrade your webcam. Here are ten leading contenders.

You need your notes where you can see them, but you don't want to keep looking down or off to the side during your presentation. 

To combat this, you can use dual monitors . Position your presentation on one of them, visible to all, and your presenter's notes — plus the webcam you're using — on the other, visible only to you. 

Or you can present your slide show in a window and put a private view of your notes in another window on the same screen. Zoom provides step-by-step instructions for single and dual screens.

4. Practice Zoom presenting as if it were the real thing.

Zoom allows you to practice in the precise environment where you will be presenting. Set up your background, lighting, and screens as you will on presentation day. You can schedule a webinar practice session on Zoom and run through your presentation exactly as you will on the day. You can invite a friend to join you and offer feedback.

Practicing can make the difference between a smooth presentation or an awkward one. Rehearse as often as you can, and visit our page of public speaking tips . 

SEE: What tech jobs don't require public speaking?

5. Minimize clutter on your slides.

Slides are a key part of a virtual presentation and can help you and the audience stay on track. 

Slides should be easy to read and navigate. Avoid brightly colored backgrounds, complicated fonts, and too many graphics. 

Each slide should communicate one concept or idea. Avoid a long list of bullet points on a single slide.

While a slide with few words in readable, bolded font works fine, visuals like charts, maps, and illustrations or photos can be more effective and keep your audience engaged. 

6. Use easy-to-understand visuals.

Visuals liven up your Zoom presentation in ways words don't. Instead of a long list of numbers explaining company statistics, try a graph or pie chart. Visuals aid understanding and keep your audience interested. 

Explaining technical procedures with videos or illustrations rather than wordy descriptions alone enables you to show and tell. They also accommodate different learning styles within your audience.

Microsoft posts tutorials for incorporating visual elements into PowerPoint slides and inserting videos from the web or your computer .

7. Explain your agenda before you begin presenting.

Most people like to know what to expect when logging onto a meeting. Opening your presentation with a slide outlining your agenda sets the timeline for your meeting and reassures your audience. If you plan to allow audience interaction, make sure to highlight when and how in your agenda. 

You can list the points you're going to cover in your presentation on your slide(s) and/or use graphics. You can pose a question on a slide, then show how you plan to answer it. Starting off with a funny (but work-appropriate) photograph or illustration can put you and your audience at ease.

8. If appropriate, encourage your audience to interact.

Unless you have a good reason not to, encourage your audience to interact during or after your presentation. 

Some presenters ask participants to use Zoom's chat function for questions and pause the presentation periodically to answer them or wait until the end. Presenters can mute and unmute the audience and allow time for comments and questions that way. Zoom also allows for engagement through participant polls during the presentation

The size of your audience may dictate how you want to handle audience interaction.

Not allowing participant interaction risks losing your audience to their phones and other distractions.

In conclusion

The hardest part of presenting on Zoom may be the technology for some and the public speaking for others. We hope our tips help.

Online public speaking courses can help with anxiety and discomfort. Developing emotional intelligence skills can also benefit your Zoom presentations. 

How-To Geek

How to screen share a powerpoint presentation in zoom.

Giving a presentation over Zoom? No biggie. You can easily present your slideshow by using the screen share feature. Here's how.

Quick Links

Grant access to share screens in zoom, screen share a powerpoint presentation in zoom.

No matter where you work, meetings all have one thing in common: PowerPoint presentations. If you use Zoom, you can easily present your slideshow to the participants by sharing your screen . Here's how it's done.

If you're the host of the Zoom meeting , you'll be able to share your screen without issue. However, if you're joining a meeting that you aren't the host of, you may need to request permission from the host to be able to share your screen.

As a general rule, we recommend that hosts disable the screen-share feature for participants by default for security reasons . If you aren't the host of the meeting, be sure to reach out to the host in advance to request permission to share your screen during the Zoom call. Hosts can always enable the feature during the call, but it's always good to be a step ahead.

If you're the host of the meeting and someone is requesting permission to share their screen during the meeting, click the up arrow next to "Share Screen" at the bottom of the window.

In the menu that appears, click "Advanced Sharing Options."

The "Advanced Sharing Options" window will appear. In the "Who Can Share" section, click the bubble next to "All Participants."

All participants in the meeting can now share their screen.

To screen share your PowerPoint presentation, go ahead and open the PowerPoint presentation that you would like to present. However, before you put the presentation in Slide Show view, you'll want to share your screen. At the bottom of the Zoom meeting window, click "Share Screen."

If you're using a single monitor, you will immediately start sharing your screen. If you're using dual monitors , you'll need to click the screen that your presentation will be shared on. In our case, that will be "Screen 2."

To begin sharing that screen, click "Share" at the bottom-right corner of the screen select window.

You're now sharing your screen. Now, in Microsoft PowerPoint, select the "Slide Show View" icon in the bottom-right corner of the application.

From here, deliver your presentation as though you were standing in front of a live audience.

If you are giving a big presentation through Zoom, you're not going to just jump straight into it. You may need to speak to the audience a bit before sharing your screen. If so, here are a few tips on how to look better on your Zoom call .

How To Present Powerpoint On Zoom

• How-To Guides
• Software Tutorials

Choosing the Right Presentation Format

When it comes to presenting your PowerPoint on Zoom, choosing the right format is crucial to ensure that your audience can view and interact with your slides effectively. Whether you’re conducting a business meeting, delivering a training session, or giving a presentation, consider the following factors when deciding on the best format for your presentation:

• Full Screen: This format allows you to occupy the entire Zoom window with your slides. It’s ideal for presentations that heavily rely on visuals or require your audience to focus solely on the content.
• Presenter View: If you need to access your notes, manage your slides, or view upcoming slides while presenting, the Presenter View format is your best bet. It gives you a separate window with additional tools and features.
• Side-by-Side: This format enables you to display your PowerPoint slides alongside other applications or materials, such as a video conferencing window or a shared document. It’s useful if you need to refer to external resources during your presentation.
• Custom Layout: Zoom allows you to customize the layout of your presentation, allowing you to combine multiple formats or adjust the size and position of your slides and other elements on the screen.

Consider the nature of your presentation, your objectives, and the visual elements you plan to incorporate when selecting the presentation format. Additionally, take into account the size of your audience, the devices they’ll be using, and the level of interactivity you wish to achieve.

Remember, a well-chosen presentation format can enhance your delivery and engage your audience more effectively. Spend some time experimenting with different formats in Zoom’s settings before your presentation to determine the layout that works best for your needs.

Preparing Your PowerPoint Slides

Before presenting your PowerPoint on Zoom, it’s important to ensure that your slides are well-prepared and optimized for the virtual environment. Here are some essential tips to consider:

• Simplify Your Content: Keep your slides concise and focused. Use bullet points, short sentences, and key phrases to convey your message effectively. Avoid overcrowding slides with excessive text or complex images.
• Use High-Quality Visuals: Choose high-resolution images and graphics that align with your topic and enhance understanding. Avoid pixelated or distorted visuals that may hinder audience comprehension.
• Consider Font Size and Typeface: Use a clear and legible font size, typically around 24-32 points, to ensure readability on different screen sizes. Stick to standard fonts like Arial or Calibri to avoid technical issues.
• Contrast Colors: Opt for high contrast between the background and text colors to ensure visibility. Dark text on a light background or vice versa works best. Avoid using color combinations that strain the eyes or make text illegible.
• Include Engaging Multimedia: Incorporate videos, animations, or interactive elements to enhance audience engagement. However, ensure that the multimedia elements are relevant, purposeful, and do not distract from your main points.
• Consistent Design: Maintain a consistent design across your slides for a professional and cohesive look. Use the same font styles, colors, and layout throughout your presentation to create a visually appealing and easily navigable experience for your audience.
• Proofread and Edit: Check for spelling, grammar, and content errors in your slides. Ensure that all text is grammatically correct and appropriate for your target audience. Consider seeking feedback from colleagues or friends to validate the clarity and effectiveness of your slides.

By following these tips, you can create visually appealing and well-structured PowerPoint slides for your Zoom presentations. Investing time and effort in the preparation phase will translate into a more engaging and impactful virtual presentation experience.

Optimizing Your Zoom Settings

Before you start presenting your PowerPoint on Zoom, it’s essential to optimize your Zoom settings to ensure a smooth and hassle-free experience for both you and your audience. Consider the following settings to enhance the quality and functionality of your presentation:

• Audio Settings: Test your microphone and speakers to ensure clear audio. Adjust the microphone sensitivity and speaker volume as needed. Consider using an external microphone for better sound quality.
• Video Settings: Check your camera settings and ensure that you’re well-lit and in focus. Adjust the video resolution based on your internet connection to maintain a stable presentation stream.
• Screen Sharing: Familiarize yourself with the screen sharing options in Zoom. Choose the appropriate settings to optimize the display of your PowerPoint slides. Select the “Optimize for full screen video” option for a smoother playback experience.
• Virtual Background: If desired, experiment with Zoom’s virtual background feature to create a professional and distraction-free backdrop. Choose a background image that aligns with your presentation topic and enhances your visual presence.
• Chat and Q&A: Decide whether you want to enable the chat or Q&A feature during your presentation. This allows your audience to ask questions or provide feedback. Determine how you want to manage and address these interactions during your presentation.
• Recording: If you plan to record your presentation, ensure that you have sufficient storage space and that you’ve enabled the recording function in Zoom. Inform your audience in advance if you intend to record the session.
• Mute and Unmute: Familiarize yourself with the mute and unmute controls in Zoom. During your presentation, be mindful of muting yourself when not speaking to minimize background noise and distractions.
• Practice and Test: Before your actual presentation, conduct a practice session to test your Zoom settings. Ensure that everything is working as expected, including audio, video, screen sharing, and any interactive features you plan to use.

By optimizing your Zoom settings in advance, you can ensure a seamless and professional presentation experience. Paying attention to audio, video, screen sharing, and other essential settings will help you deliver a high-quality presentation that engages your audience effectively.

Sharing Your Screen on Zoom

One of the key features of Zoom is the ability to share your screen, allowing you to display your PowerPoint slides to your audience. Follow these steps to successfully share your screen during a Zoom presentation:

• Start a Zoom Meeting: Open Zoom and start a meeting. You can choose to start a new meeting or join an existing one.
• Open Your PowerPoint Presentation: Open the PowerPoint file that contains your presentation. Make sure it’s ready to be displayed.
• Click the “Share Screen” Button: In the Zoom meeting window, locate the green “Share Screen” button at the bottom of the screen and click on it.
• Select Your PowerPoint Window: A dialog box will appear with a list of available screens and windows to share. Choose the window that has your PowerPoint presentation open.
• Ensure “Share Computer Sound” is Checked: If your PowerPoint presentation includes audio or video, make sure to check the “Share computer sound” checkbox in the dialog box. This will transmit the audio along with your slides.
• Click “Share”: Once you have selected the appropriate window, click on the “Share” button in the bottom right corner of the dialog box.
• Start Presenting: Your PowerPoint presentation will now be visible to your audience in the Zoom meeting. Begin presenting your slides as you normally would.
• Stop Sharing: To stop sharing your screen, locate the “Stop Share” button at the top of your screen or in the Zoom meeting controls and click on it.

Remember to ensure that your PowerPoint slides are visible and legible to your audience. Check the Zoom meeting preview window to verify the quality of your shared screen. Adjust the size and position of your slides if necessary to optimize visibility.

Sharing your screen on Zoom allows your audience to view your PowerPoint presentation in real-time, enhancing their engagement and understanding of your content. Practice this process before your actual presentation to become familiar with the steps and ensure a smooth screen sharing experience.

Using Presenter View

Presenter View is a powerful feature in PowerPoint that allows you to view your speaker notes, manage your slides, and have better control over your presentation while presenting on Zoom. Follow these steps to use Presenter View effectively:

• Enable Presenter View: Before you start your presentation, click on the “Slide Show” tab in PowerPoint and check the “Use Presenter View” box. This will activate Presenter View on your screen.
• Start the Slide Show: Begin your presentation by selecting the “From Beginning” or “From Current Slide” option under the “Slide Show” tab, depending on where you want to start.
• Access Presenter View: Once your presentation starts, you’ll see two different windows. The main window displays the current slide that your audience sees, while the Presenter View window contains your speaker notes, thumbnails of upcoming slides, and slide navigation controls.
• View Speaker Notes: In the Presenter View window, you can see your speaker notes for each slide, allowing you to stay on track with your talking points and key information.
• Preview Upcoming Slides: Take advantage of the thumbnail view in Presenter View to preview the next few slides. This helps you anticipate and smoothly transition to the next topic without losing your flow.
• Annotate Slides: Use the annotation tools available in Presenter View to highlight important points or draw attention to specific areas of your slides. This can enhance your audience’s understanding and engagement during your presentation.
• Manage Slides: In Presenter View, you can easily navigate between slides using the arrow keys or the slide navigation controls. This allows you to jump back and forth between slides or quickly go to a specific slide as needed.
• End the Presentation: Once you’ve completed your presentation, press the Esc key or click on the “End Slide Show” button in the Presenter View window to exit the presentation mode.

Presenter View in PowerPoint and Zoom provides you with the tools and flexibility to deliver a seamless and professional presentation. Take advantage of its features to stay organized, deliver your content effectively, and engage your audience during your Zoom presentation.

Navigating Slide Show Controls

When presenting your PowerPoint on Zoom, it’s important to familiarize yourself with the slide show controls to navigate through your slides smoothly and deliver an engaging presentation. Here are the key controls you can use while in slide show mode:

• Advance to Next Slide: To proceed to the next slide, simply press the right arrow key on your keyboard, click the mouse, or use a presenter remote if available. This allows you to progress through your presentation at your desired pace.
• Go Back to Previous Slide: If you need to revisit a previous slide, press the left arrow key on your keyboard or click the mouse’s left button. This enables you to go back and address questions or clarify information for your audience.
• Jump to a Specific Slide: If you want to navigate to a specific slide in your presentation, press the slide number on your keyboard followed by the Enter key. Alternatively, you can right-click on the slide and choose the desired slide from the context menu.
• Access Slide Thumbnails: In PowerPoint’s slide show mode, you can access a thumbnail view of your slides by pressing the Ctrl key and clicking on any slide. This enables you to quickly navigate to a specific slide without disrupting the flow of your presentation.
• Zoom In and Out: If you need to highlight specific details or make text more readable to your audience, use the Ctrl key and the plus (+) or minus (-) keys to zoom in and out, respectively. This feature is especially useful when showing complex diagrams or small texts.
• End the Slide Show: To exit the slide show mode, press the Esc key on your keyboard or right-click anywhere on the screen and select “End Show” from the context menu. This will bring you back to the normal editing view in PowerPoint.
• Use Presenter View: If you have enabled Presenter View, you can access additional controls and features to manage your presentation more effectively. Refer to the “Using Presenter View” section for more details on how to utilize this feature.

By familiarizing yourself with these slide show controls, you can navigate through your PowerPoint presentation confidently and deliver a more dynamic and interactive experience for your audience on Zoom.

Engaging Your Audience in a Zoom Presentation

Engaging your audience is crucial when presenting on Zoom to maintain their attention and ensure the effectiveness of your message. Here are some strategies to actively involve your audience and make your Zoom presentation interactive:

• Ask Questions: Pose questions to your audience throughout your presentation to encourage participation. You can use the chat feature in Zoom or ask attendees to unmute themselves and speak up.
• Use Polls: Take advantage of Zoom’s polling feature to gather instant feedback or opinions from your audience. Create engaging poll questions related to your presentation topic to encourage active participation.
• Encourage Chat Participation: Remind your audience to use the chat feature to ask questions, share insights, or provide feedback. Monitor the chat regularly and respond to messages to make attendees feel heard and valued.
• Incorporate Interactive Activities: Break up your presentation with interactive activities to keep your audience engaged. This could include case studies, brainstorming sessions, group discussions, or virtual simulations.
• Share Relevant Resources: Provide links to additional resources related to your topic in the chat or through screen sharing. This encourages further exploration and engagement even after the presentation ends.
• Use Visual Aid: Utilize visual aids such as charts, graphs, and images to enhance understanding and engagement. Visuals can help convey complex information in a more digestible and memorable way.
• Tell Stories: Incorporate relevant stories or anecdotes to make your content more relatable and captivating. Personal experiences are powerful tools for capturing your audience’s attention and keeping them engaged.
• Interact with Body Language: Use appropriate facial expressions, gestures, and body language to convey enthusiasm and connect with your audience. Non-verbal cues can enhance engagement and create a more memorable experience.
• Pause for Questions: Give your audience regular opportunities to ask questions or seek clarification. Pause after key points or at designated breaks to allow for interaction and address any queries.
• Display Empathy: Be attentive and empathetic towards your audience’s needs and emotions. Show genuine interest in their thoughts and perspectives, and create a safe and inclusive environment for discussion and interaction.

By incorporating these strategies, you can create a more interactive and engaging Zoom presentation that captivates your audience’s attention and encourages their active participation throughout the session.

Troubleshooting Audio and Video Issues

Technical difficulties with audio and video can disrupt the flow of your Zoom presentation. To ensure a smooth experience, it’s important to be familiar with troubleshooting common issues that may arise. Here are some troubleshooting tips for audio and video problems during your Zoom presentation:

• Check Your Internet Connection: A stable and reliable internet connection is crucial for smooth audio and video. Ensure that you have a strong connection and consider connecting via an Ethernet cable for a more stable connection.
• Test Your Audio and Video Devices: Before your presentation, test your microphone and camera to ensure they are functioning properly. Use the Zoom audio and video settings to select the correct devices and adjust their settings if needed.
• Adjust Your Audio Settings: If your audio is distorted, low, or inconsistent, check the audio settings in Zoom. Increase the volume, adjust the microphone sensitivity, and ensure that the correct audio device is selected.
• Restart Your Devices: If you experience audio or video issues during your presentation, try restarting your computer and reopening the Zoom application. This can resolve any temporary glitches that may be affecting your devices.
• Close Unnecessary Applications: Close any unnecessary applications or software running in the background during your presentation. This can free up system resources and prevent audio or video lag or interference.
• Use Headphones or External Microphones: If you are experiencing audio issues, consider using headphones or an external microphone. This can help eliminate background noise, improve audio quality, and minimize the chance of audio feedback.
• Optimize Camera Placement: Ensure that your camera is positioned correctly and at eye level. Avoid backlighting or excessive lighting that may affect the quality of your video. Adjust the camera angle and lighting as needed for the best visual appearance.
• Update Your Software: Keep your Zoom application and other relevant software up to date. Updates often include bug fixes and performance enhancements that can solve audio and video issues.
• Seek Technical Support: If you encounter persistent audio or video issues that you cannot resolve, consider contacting Zoom technical support or consulting with a technical expert for assistance.

By following these troubleshooting tips, you can minimize audio and video issues during your Zoom presentation and deliver a seamless and professional experience for your audience.

Tips for a Successful PowerPoint Presentation on Zoom

When delivering a PowerPoint presentation on Zoom, it’s essential to adapt your approach to the virtual environment. Here are some valuable tips to help you create a successful and impactful presentation:

• Practice and Rehearse: Familiarize yourself with your presentation and practice it multiple times before your actual Zoom presentation. This will boost your confidence, help you refine your delivery, and ensure a smoother flow.
• Create a Engaging Opening: Capture your audience’s attention with a strong opening that introduces the topic and highlights its relevance. Use a compelling anecdote, surprising statistic, or thought-provoking question to hook your audience from the start.
• Use Visuals Wisely: Leverage the power of visuals to support your message. Incorporate impactful images, charts, and graphs that enhance understanding and engagement. Avoid overwhelming your slides with excessive text or cluttered visuals.
• Speak Clearly and Slowly: Pay attention to your diction and pace of speech. Enunciate your words clearly and speak slowly and deliberately to ensure that every participant can follow along easily.
• Engage with Eye Contact: Look directly into the camera to establish eye contact with your virtual audience. This creates a stronger connection and helps maintain engagement throughout your presentation.
• Use Gestures and Body Language: Incorporate appropriate gestures and body language to enhance your presentation. It adds dynamism and visual interest, making your delivery more engaging and authentic.
• Encourage Interaction: Foster audience engagement by inviting questions, encouraging comments, or conducting interactive activities. This promotes a two-way communication and keeps participants actively involved.
• Time Management: Keep track of time and pace yourself accordingly. Avoid rushing through slides or going over time. Practice beforehand to ensure your presentation fits within the allocated timeframe.
• Use Breaks Strategically: Incorporate short breaks throughout your presentation to give your audience a chance to process information, ask questions, or engage in discussions. This helps maintain energy and prevents Zoom fatigue.
• Be Mindful of Your Background: Choose a clean and uncluttered background for your video. Consider using a virtual background or a well-organized physical setting that is visually appealing and free from distractions.
• Technical Backup: Have a backup plan in case of technical issues. Keep a secondary device ready, ensure you have a stable internet connection, and have a contact person to help troubleshoot any unforeseen problems.

By implementing these tips, you can maximize the impact of your PowerPoint presentation on Zoom. Remember to adapt to the virtual medium while maintaining your confidence, engaging your audience, and delivering a compelling presentation.

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7 Zoom Presentation Tips to Bring your Virtual Events to Life (Best Guide in 2023)

Anh Vu • 02 May 2023 • 7 min read

Here are 7 Zoom Presentation Tips to help you hold better Zoom events and fight off that fatigue – let’s make your next Zoom presentation the best yet!

Presenting can be extremely difficult, but virtual presentations (via Zoom or any other video meeting platform) offer their challenges.

After a couple of years of remote working, many team leaders and senior business managers are noticing Zoom fatigue amongst staff, so it’s time to reignite our presentations and ensure we’re creating engaging and memorable meetings.

Table of Contents

• Take the Mic
• Check your Tech
• Ask the Audience
• Keep it Short and Sweet
• Tell a Story
• Don’t Hide Behind Your Slides
• Take a Break to Answer Questions

Tips for Better Engagement

How to make a Zoom presentation? Check out more Zoom presentation tips with AhaSlides!

• Pictionary on Zoom
• Zoom Word Cloud
• Complete Guide to Interactive Presentation
• Bad presentation at work
• Easy Topic for Presentation

Start in seconds.

Get free templates for your next interactive presentation. Sign up for free and take what you want from the template library!

Zoom Presentation Tips for the Intro

Tip #1 – take the mic.

One of the most simple and effective ways to capture your virtual audience is to take control of the conversation and ease anxieties. This doesn’t mean dictating all conversation, it’s more about creating a comfortable environment where your audience can feel focused and contribute to the discussion. 

We’ve all been in awkward pre-meeting “waiting rooms” while holding on for the last couple of people to join. As the person running the session, you can remove people’s meeting anxieties and instantly get them on your side.

As the presenter and (probably) host of the Zoom meeting, others will consider you a confident leader. Make sure you welcome people in as they join your Zoom presentation, use a meeting icebreaker , and show them your personality and that they are welcome to engage with your presentation. You will have their attention from the very start.

Remember, you are presenting for a reason. You are the expert on your topic, and they are looking to you to communicate that information – You’re the pro, and you’ve got this!

Tip #2 – Check your Tech

Mic check 1, 2…

Of course, sometimes tech fails us, and we can’t always do anything about it. But, you can help reduce the chances of that happening by checking in on your presentation software, camera and mic before the Zoom presentation starts and people join.

Also, check any videos or links you’re using to give yourself the best chance of delivering a wonderfully seamless presentation with preparation.

One of the best parts of a Zoom presentation is that nine times out of 10, there isn’t anyone else in the room. This has a massive benefit for anyone presenting – you can prepare. This does not mean writing a script and reading it word for word. Still, it allows you to have extra notes with any data and information you need, and it can be right on the screen for only your eyes to see – so you can browse your messages for answers to a question without looking away.

💡 Extra presentation tip for Zoom : If you’re sending out Zoom invites ahead of time, make sure that the links and passwords you’re sending out all work so that everyone can join the meeting quickly and without added stress.

Zoom Presentation Tips for Punchy Presentations

Tip #3 – ask the audience.

You can be the most charismatic and engaging person in the world, but if your presentation lacks that spark, it can leave your audience feeling disconnected. Luckily, an easy solution to this problem is to make your presentations interactive.

Tools like AhaSlides provide opportunities to include creative and engaging elements in your presentations to keep your audience switched on and involved. Whether you’re a teacher looking to engage a class or an expert in your business, it’s proven that interactive elements like polls, quizzes and Q&As keep an audience engaged when they can respond to each on their smartphones.

Here are a few slides you can use in an interactive Zoom presentation to pull that audience focus…

• Make a live quiz – Regularly ask audience questions they can individually answer via a smartphone. This will help you understand their topic knowledge in a fun, competitive way!
• Ask open-ended questions and pose scenarios – This allows your audience to engage and show off their knowledge. For a teacher, this could be as simple as ‘What is the best word you know that means happy?’, but for a marketing presentation in a business, for example, it could be a great way of asking ‘which platforms would you like to see us use more in Q3?”
• Ask for feedback – It’s vital that we’re constantly improving, so you might want to gather some feedback at the end of your presentation. You can use interactive sliding scales to measure how likely people are to recommend your services or even gather opinions on specific topics. If you were pitching a planned return to the office to your business, you might ask, “how many days would you like to spend in the office” and set a scale from 0 to 5 to gauge the consensus.
• Play games – Games in a virtual event may seem radical, but it could be the best tip for your Zoom presentation. Some simple trivia games, spinner wheel games and a bunch of other Zoom games can do wonders for team building, learning new concepts and testing existing ones.

These engaging and interactive elements make a huge difference to the focus and attention of your audience. Not only will it make them feel more involved in your Zoom presentation, but it will give you added confidence that they are absorbing your presentation and enjoying it too.

Make Interactive Zoom Presentations for Free!

Embed polls, brainstorm sessions, quizzes and more into your presentation. Grab a template or import your own from PowerPoint!

Tip #4 – Keep it Short and Sweet

Where you can, you want to try and keep your Zoom presentation digestible. While most meetings or presentations are scheduled for an hour, it’s generally agreed that most viewers can only maintain focus for around 10 minutes . This makes it important to keep meetings brief, and where you can’t keep them short, ensuring your audience is engaged is vital.

You can maximise your audience’s focus by not overcomplicating your slides. Text-heavy slides will have your listeners reading rather than listening to you, and they will burn out and lose stress much more quickly. If you need to give a lot of information, break it down into a few slides or use an illustrative graphic or interactive drop to talk people through it instead.

Tip #5 – Tell a Story

Storytelling is powerful. Suppose you can build stories or examples into your presentation that illustrate your message. In that case, your Zoom presentation will be much more memorable and your audience will feel more emotionally invested in the stories that you tell.

Case studies, direct quotes or real-life examples will be much more engaging to your audience and can help them relate to or understand the information you’re providing on a deeper level.

This isn’t just a Zoom presentation tip but also a great way to start your presentation. Read more about it here !

Tip #6 – Don’t Hide Behind your Slides

Although it’s much more difficult to present your body language via Zoom than in person, there are still things you can do to help ensure that your Zoom presentation gets your message across effectively.

Camera on! It’s tempting to hide behind your slides, but having your camera on will make a huge difference. Not only will your audience be able to see you, but it will communicate confidence and encourages others to leave their cameras on and hold the meeting in the open atmosphere of a live setting.

Although many workers remain remote, there is still a desire for that face-to-face connection we once had when working in offices and travelling for meetings and presentations. Sometimes, just seeing a friendly face will put someone at ease, creating a positive sentiment that they associate with you and your presentation.

As well as leaving your camera on, some people find that standing up to present is still effective – even on Zoom! If you have a large enough space and can find a way to make it work, standing up gives you added confidence, and it’s a great option if you’re presenting virtually for a conference.

Tip #7 – Take a Break to Answer Questions

If you know, you’ll be presenting for a long time; there’s a lot to be said for making space for a few breaks. Over Zoom, it’s not as easy to send everyone off for a quick coffee break because of how lengthy it can be to get everyone back and focused, so instead, you could end each section with a quick Q&A session.

Doing this has two advantages:

• To keep everyone up to speed by elaborating on points you may have gone over a bit too quickly.
• To give everyone a break from listening and looking.

On some live Q&A software , you can accept Q&A questions from your audience throughout your Zoom presentation and then answer them whenever.

These tiny breaks in the presentation can bring back your audience’s focus as they anticipate that they need to interact.

No time like the present

So, that’s the zoom presentation tips and tricks! With these tips, you should feel ready to take on the (presentation) world. We know that presentations aren’t always accessible, but hopefully, these virtual Zoom presentation tips go some way to relieving the anxieties. Try to use these tips in your next Zoom presentation. If you stay calm, stay enthusiastic and keep your audience engaged with your shiny, new interactive presentation, it will be your best Zoom presentation yet!

More from AhaSlides

Screen sharing a PowerPoint presentation

There are three methods you can use to screen share a PowerPoint presentation in a Zoom meeting. If you have dual monitors, you can share a slide show while viewing the presenter's notes on another monitor. If you have a single monitor, you can also start the slide show in a window so you have access to other meeting features while sharing your presentation. 

If you have other participants presenting portions of the PowerPoint, you can give them slide control in Zoom, so that they can control the slideshow on their end, without needing to ask you to move the slides forward. Additionally, PowerPoint slides can be shared as a Virtual Background for a more immersive sharing experience. 

This article covers:

Dual monitors with slide show and presenter's views

Single-monitor setup with slide show view in a window, single-monitor setup with slide show in full screen.

Follow these steps if you are using multiple monitors and want to present your PowerPoint in one monitor, while viewing the presenter's notes in another monitor.

• Open the PowerPoint file you want to present.
• Start or join a Zoom meeting.

• Select your primary monitor then click Share . If you are not sure which monitor is your primary, select the one that PowerPoint opens in.

• Switch back to Powerpoint and click the Slide Show tab. 

Follow these steps if you have a single monitor and want to share your PowerPoint presentation in slide show view, but have it contained in a window rather than in full screen. This is useful if you need to access meeting features, such as in-meeting chat or managing participants, while sharing your PowerPoint presentation.

• Click the Slide Show tab and then select Set Up Slide Show .
• Under Show type , select Browsed by an individual (window) and then click OK .

• In Zoom, start or join a meeting .
• Select the PowerPoint window and then click Share .

Note : Be sure you select the PowerPoint window, not the entire screen. Sharing the PowerPoint window only will allow you to use other features without interrupting the view of the presentation. 

• Select your monitor then click Share . 

Easy PowerPoint Zoom Tutorial (Free Templates & Examples)

Sara Wanasek

Tired of navigating your slides in a chronological order? Looking for ways to spice up the way you interact with your presentation and engage your audience?

Transform your boring presentations into something more engaging and captivating with PowerPoint’s Zoom feature. PowerPoint Zoom allows you to create dynamic, non-linear presentations. Think of it as building a Prezi inside PowerPoint. Jump from one point in your presentation to the next seamlessly by creating links to the different sections of your presentation.

By utilizing PowerPoint’s Slide Zoom, Section Zoom, and Summary Zoom, you can easily create an entertaining and engaging presentation for your audience. There are many different ways to add these to your presentation, so read on to learn how to use PowerPoint Zoom and implement it in the best ways!

Table of Contents

What is powerpoint zoom.

PowerPoint’s Zoom feature is a tool that allows you to create interactive PowerPoint presentations . It enables you to zoom in and out of specific sections or slides, creating a more dynamic and immersive experience for your audience. With PowerPoint Zoom , you can easily create links or “zoom areas” on your slides such that when clicked during a presentation, can allow you to navigate to specific slides or sections and focus on the content that is most relevant at any given time—there’s no need to be stuck with whatever slide is chronologically next.

Why Use PowerPoint Zoom?

PowerPoint Zoom lets you present in a more flexible and interactive way. For instance, you can create a dynamic menu that allows your audience to help you choose which topics to cover first. With just a click, you can jump to that slide or section and relay that information.

PowerPoint Zoom is also particularly useful for storytelling , guiding your audience through a series of complex information without being restricted to a traditional linear slide progression.

No need for hyperlinks, tedious work, or coding—PowerPoint Zoom allows for a seamless setup and flow of your presentation.

Let’s dive right in and discover how to make a zoom effect in PowerPoint!

How to Make a Zoom Effect in PowerPoint?

PowerPoint’s Zoom feature consists of three different options: Slide Zoom, Section Zoom, and Summary Zoom. While their setups are similar, the reasons for using each one vary.

Below we will delve into each of these PowerPoint Zoom options in depth.

Download our FREE PowerPoint Zoom template to follow along! 👇

Slide Zoom PowerPoint Templates

Turn your PowerPoint into an interactive experience today with this Slide Zoom template!

When to use Slide Zoom? ⏲️

Slide Zoom, as the name suggests, allows you to create links and “zoom in” on the content of another slide without following the traditional slide-to-slide progression. This comes in especially handy when you want to direct your audience’s attention to a particular image, chart, or piece of information on a slide instantly.

How to use Slide Zoom? 💻

1. Select the Main Starting Slide : To use PowerPoint Slide Zoom, first select the starting slide where you intend to apply the Zoom effect. In our example, we are using the Iceberg Model illustration as our starting slide. We want to zoom into the different description slides from our Iceberg Model slide.

2. Access the Slide Zoom Feature : Next, click Insert > Zoom > Slide Zoom . From here, choose the slide, or slides, that you want to zoom into. Click Insert and a thumbnail or thumbnails of the slides will appear on your current slide.

3. Rearrange the Thumbnails : Rearrange the thumbnails on your slide to match your design and layout.

4. Test the Slide Zoom: Now, in presentation mode, when you click on the slide thumbnails, you can zoom into the particular slides!

With a smooth Slide Zoom effect, you will notice that transitioning from slide to slide has become significantly more engaging!

Zoom Option: Zoom Background

Notice the thick outline of each slide you added to Zoom? Let’s remove that for a cleaner, more professional look on your slides. 

To do that, click on the added Zoom slide thumbnail , then click the Zoom tab in the PowerPoint ribbon. Now, click on the Zoom Background option to hide the default background and match the background of the thumbnail to the background of your current slide.

Zoom Option: Return to Zoom

Another customizable option is the Return to Zoom feature.

With the current setup of Slide Zoom, once you click on the Zoom thumbnail and navigate to the zoomed in slide, you cannot return to the main starting slide. In other words, you will move on to the next slide in a linear order, with essentially an added zoom transition.

On the other hand, by applying Return to Zoom, you will be brought back to your main starting slide every time instead. This way you can click change the order of your slides. For example, with Return to Zoom enabled, when I can click on next slide after clicking on the “Phase #3 The Structure” slide, I will be brought back to the main starting slide instead of the “Phase #4 Mental Models” slide.

To make this happen, after selecting each of your Zoom slide thumbnails, simply click on the Return to Zoom option from the Zoom tab. 

Section Zoom

When to use section zoom ⏲️.

While Slide Zoom allows you to zoom into one slide at a time, Section Zoom allows you to zoom into a specific section containing multiple related slides of your presentation. This is especially helpful for longer presentations or presentations with multiple topics. 

How to use Section Zoom? 💻

Here, we have a deck about the Solar System. Each planet has its own section with a couple slides underneath each section. Our main slide has an overview of the whole Solar System. In this case, I would like to be able to click on a planet, then be able to learn more about that planet. You can easily do this with Section Zoom!

1. Select the Main Starting Slide : Similar to PowerPoint Slide Zoom, you have to select a starting slide where you intend to apply the Zoom effect for Section Zoom. Here we are using the Solar System slide as our main starting slide where we can zoom into the different planet sections.

2. Access the Section Zoom Feature : On the overview slide, click Insert > Zoom > Section Zoom . Then choose the sections you would like to Zoom into and click Insert . The thumbnails of the first slide of each section will appear in your current slide.

Zoom Option: Change the Image

Don’t like how the different thumbnails are making your slide looks cluttered, fret not, you can change the thumbnail image of your slides for easier viewing. 

To do this, right-click on the zoom slide thumbnail and select Change Image . Then, substitute it with an image or screenshot from your device. For instance, you can take screenshots of the different segments in your slide to “hide” the zoom slide thumbnails underneath these screenshots.

Now, when you enter presentation mode, instead of clicking z zoom slide thumbnail, you can click on a planet to zoom into a desired section! Watch this video to learn exactly how to do it! 

Summary Zoom

When to use summary zoom ⏲️.

The third and final PowerPoint Zoom feature is Summary Zoom. It lets you create a summary or overview slide that acts as a hub for your presentation. It is perfect for those times when you want to give your audience a quick recap or provide them with a visual roadmap of your presentation.

Similar to Section Zoom, Summary Zoom contains links to specific sections or slides in your presentation, allowing you to navigate to the most relevant parts of your presentation. The main distinction lies in the fact that the Summary Zoom feature will automatically generate a summary slide containing thumbnails of each section or slide for your convenience.

How to use Summary Zoom? 💻

1. Select the Main Starting Slide : Similar to both PowerPoint Slide Zoom and Section Zoom, you have to select a starting slide where you intend to apply the Zoom effect for Summary

2. Access the Summary Soon Feature : To use PowerPoint Summary Zoom, click Insert > Zoom > Summary Zoom . This will create a new slide that displays a summary of your presentation, with thumbnails of each slide.

3. Customize Appearance : You can customize the appearance of the Summary Zoom slide by selecting the Format tab. Here, you can choose from various layouts, fonts, and colors to make the slide visually appealing and aligned with your presentation’s theme.

During your presentation, easily navigate to any slide by clicking on the different Zoom slide thumbnails. It’s a great way to give your audience an easy-to-follow roadmap and ensure they stay engaged and focused throughout your presentation.

Real-World PowerPoint Zoom Examples to Engage Your Audience

Here are some real-life examples of how to use PowerPoint Zoom to create engaging and immersive presentations: 

• Sales Pitch

Create interactive slides with zoomed-in images and key features for your products or services. By allowing the audience to explore products in detail, you can generate more interest and engagement during a pitch.

• Educational Lecture with Organised Sections

Similar to our Solar System deck, you can organize your presentation into sections so that students can go through the presentations at their own pace starting with what interests them the most.

Add interactive questions to the presentation using ClassPoint , to make it even more engaging. 

• Team Meeting Roadmap

Create an engaging team meeting with Summary Zoom. Highlight key milestones and deliverables in a visual and clear roadmap to help the team stay focused and engaged throughout the meeting.

• Interactive Visuals 

Use maps and charts as your overview slide and add zoom slide thumbnails of added information to showcase further data, information, and analytics. 

• Virtual Tours or Walkthroughs

Simulate a virtual tour or walkthrough using images on your slides. Add the Zoom feature to replicate “moving” from one “location” to another.

PowerPoint Zoom FAQ

Here are some common FAQ’s about this powerful tool:

What are the differences between the PowerPoint Zoom Options? 

Slide Zoom zooms from one slide to the next while Section Zoom zooms into a whole section of your presentation before bringing you back to the overview slide. The Summary Zoom option provides you with a Table-of-Contents-like slide for an easy overview of your whole presentation. 

How to make Prezi in PowerPoint? 

You can make a PowerPoint that looks similar to Prezi with PowerPoint’s Zoom feature. With your selected slide to Zoom into, click on the Insert tab, Zoom, and select Slide, Section, or Summary Zoom.

Can I use PowerPoint Zoom on any version of PowerPoint?

PowerPoint Zoom is available on PowerPoint 2019, PowerPoint 2016, and PowerPoint for Microsoft 365. Make sure you have the latest version to take advantage of this feature.

Will my audience need any special software to view the Zoom features?

No, your audience does not need any special software. The Zoom features will work seamlessly when you present your PowerPoint file on any device with PowerPoint installed.

Can I use Zoom in combination with other PowerPoint animations and transitions?

Yes, you can! PowerPoint Zoom works well with other animations and transitions, allowing you to create a truly immersive and engaging presentation.

Can I edit or remove Zoom features from my presentation?

Absolutely! You can easily edit or remove Zoom features from your presentation at any time. Just follow the steps outlined in this blog post to make any necessary changes.

Yay! You now can create an even more engaging presentation with PowerPoint’s Zoom feature. 

The versatility and impact of PowerPoint Zoom can be used in various settings. By incorporating this feature into your presentations, you can captivate your audience, enhance information retention, and create a memorable experience for your listeners. 

Experience the power of PowerPoint Slide Zoom firsthand! Begin by exploring our templates and seamlessly integrate this feature into your upcoming presentations.

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Use zoom for PowerPoint to bring your presentation to life

If you would like to make your presentations more dynamic and exciting, try using zoom for PowerPoint .  

To add a zoom, go to Insert > Zoom .

To summarize the entire presentation on one slide, choose Summary Zoom

To show selected slides only, choose Slide Zoom

To show a single section only, choose Section Zoom

When you create a zoom in PowerPoint, you can jump to and from specific slides, sections, and portions of your presentation in an order you decide while you're presenting. 

Note:  See the Requirements table below regarding which versions of PowerPoint support the features described in this article. 

Summary zoom 

A summary zoom is like a landing page where you can see the pieces of your presentation all at once. When you're presenting, you can use the zoom to go from one place in your presentation to another in any order you like. You can get creative, skip ahead, or revisit pieces of your slide show without interrupting the flow of your presentation.

Create a summary zoom

Go to Insert > Zoom .

Select Summary Zoom .

The Insert Summary Zoom dialog box opens.

Select slides you want to include in your summary zoom. These become the first slides of your summary zoom sections . To learn more about using sections in PowerPoint, see Organize your PowerPoint slides into sections .

If you already have sections in your presentation, the first slide of each section is preselected by default. If you don't want to include certain sections in your zoom, deselect them. Then, if you want PowerPoint to get rid of any sections you didn't include in your summary zoom, clear the check box next to Keep unused sections in your presentation . Don't worry—the slides in the sections you're discarding will still be part of your presentation.

Once you've selected all the slides you want to use for your summary zoom, select Insert . Your summary zoom is created, and it appears as a new slide just before the first slide you included in your summary zoom.

Add or remove sections from your summary zoom

Once you've created a summary zoom, you might still want to add or remove sections of your presentation. If you've made changes since first making your summary zoom that you want to capture, you don't have to start from scratch—just update your summary zoom.

Select your zoom, and then select the Format tab on the ribbon.

Select Edit Summary , choose the sections you want to have in your summary zoom, and then select Update .

Note:  You won't be able to add or remove sections from your presentation in this view, just from your summary zoom.

A slide zoom can help you make your presentation more dynamic, allowing you to navigate freely between slides in any order you choose without interrupting the flow of your presentation. They're a good option for shorter presentations without lots of sections, but you can use slide zooms for lots of different presentation scenarios.

Slide zooms help you drill down into multiple pieces of information while feeling as though you're staying on the same canvas.

Create a slide zoom

Select Slide Zoom .

The Slide Zoom dialog box opens. Select the slides you want to use in your slide zoom.

Once you've selected all the slides you want to use, select Insert .

An item for each slide you selected in step 3 is added to the slide. Select each item in turn and drag to arrange them on the slide. 

Tip:  If you want to, you can create a slide zoom quickly by simply selecting the slide you want from the thumbnail pane and dragging it onto the slide you'd like to have your slide zoom on. This way, you can create slide zooms and change them quickly, and arrange them however you like simply by clicking and dragging.

Change the preview image of your slide zoom

Your slide zoom by default will be a preview thumbnail image of the slide, but you can choose a new image from your PC or the web to represent the section or slide you'll be going to.

Select Change Image to choose a new picture from the web or your PC to use instead of the thumbnail.

Choose or search the web for the image you want. When you've selected the image you want, select Insert .

You can also choose various looks for your zooms from Zoom Styles —you can change the border, add visual effects, or pick from any of the border and effect combinations in the gallery.

Section zoom

A section zoom is a link to a section already in your presentation. You can use them to go back to sections you want to really emphasize, or to highlight how certain pieces of your presentation connect. To learn more about using sections in PowerPoint, see Organize your PowerPoint slides into sections .

Create a section zoom

Select Section Zoom .

Select the section you want to use as a section zoom.

Select Insert . Your section zoom will be created.

Tip:  If you want to, you can create a section zoom quickly by simply selecting the section name you want in the thumbnail pane and dragging it onto the slide you'd like to have a section zoom on.

Change the preview image of your section zoom

Your section zoom by default will be a preview thumbnail image of the slide, but you can choose a new image from your PC or the web to represent the section or slide you'll be going to.

More zoom options

Zoom for PowerPoint truly lights up when you make it your own. Select the Format tab of the ribbon to get to the Zoom Tools , which you can choose to create just the look and feel you're going for when you present.

Choose to return to the home page or continue through your presentation

If you want to return to the zoom slide after viewing sections or slides in your summary, slide, or section zoom, make sure the Return to Zoom check box is selected. If you want to move on to the next slide after viewing part of your zoom, uncheck it.

(If you're working with a summary zoom or a section zoom, you'll return to the zoom slide by default when you're presenting after going to the section. If you're using a slide zoom, you'll move on to the next slide by default after viewing your slide zoom.)

Make the background of your zoom transparent

Another way you can change the look of your zoom is by choosing to adopt the background of the slide where your zoom lives to make the zoom almost indistinguishable from the main canvas while you present. Select Zoom Background to make your summary, section, or slide zooms blend in to their home slide.

In the Zoom Styles group, select Zoom Background . The zoom will adopt the background of the home slide.

Change the transition options of your zoom

By default, your zooms will use the zoom transition when you present, which is what helps make the zooms feel so lively. However, if you don't want to use the zoom transition, or if you want to change the duration of the transition, you can do so.

In the Zoom Options group, make sure the box next to Zoom Transition is checked if you want to use the zoom transition when presenting your zoom.

If you don't want to use the zoom transition when presenting, uncheck the box next to Zoom Transition .

To change the timing of the zoom transition, use the up and down arrows next to the Duration indicator to change how long the zoom transition lasts.

Requirements

See the following table for details on the minimum version numbers required in PowerPoint to create or play zoom links.

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