Virtual presentations are not going away. Job interviews, client meetings, and hybrid work all mean your first impression is increasingly happening through a webcam -- and most people are still presenting like it's 2020.

Jelmer Smits is a virtual presentation specialist who argues that most organisations are stuck in survival mode: poor setups, flat delivery, and zero audience care. The result isn't professionalism. It's the awkward middle ground where both competence and warmth collapse simultaneously.

In this practical, wide-ranging conversation Jelmer shares what it actually takes to present with credibility and energy in a virtual environment -- without becoming an over-caffeinated game show host.

What you'll learn in this episode

Why Zoom fatigue is usually a boredom problem rather than a platform problem, how the competence plus warmth framework applies to virtual delivery, practical ways to create energy and engagement without performing, why helping people feel safe and heard online is the foundation of effective virtual presenting, how micro breaks reset audience attention, why you should ask more questions including chat prompts, polls, and rhetorical questions, how to baseline participation early so sessions become interactive by default, the difference between presentation slides and handout slides and why less slides and more face usually wins online, why camera angle, lighting, sound, and background choices affect trust more than most speakers realise, why practising with feedback beats practising alone, and how improv skills save you when technology fails.

About Jelmer Smits

Jelmer Smits is a virtual presenting specialist and founder of Complete Presenter. Find out more at completepresenter.com and connect with Jelmer on LinkedIn. Message John directly if you'd like access to Jelmer's virtual presenting cheat sheet and workbook for listeners.

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For speaking enquiries or to connect, email [email protected] or find John on LinkedIn.

All clips and episodes are on the Present Influence YouTube channel.

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