Theatrical Versus Cinematic Presentation Approaches: What They Mean for In-Person and Virtual Events
While most of us started virtual or digital presentations amidst the chaos of a global pandemic, it’s time to adapt the rules of the road. “In-person and virtual are very different situations requiring different approaches,” Lance Wieland, CMP, CMM, Global Meeting Services Director at The Boston Consulting Group (BCG), admits.
“Would you be comfortable driving in the Indy 500 because you commute to work? Virtual and in-person are just as different.”
— Lance Wieland, The Boston Consulting Group
Today’s event pros need to be adept in both theatrical (in-person) and cinematic (virtual) presentation approaches — and understand the key differences, say industry experts.
To compare the two mediums, Bob Bejan, Corporate VP, Events Studios & Marketing Community, Microsoft urges us to consider a Broadway star moving to a Hollywood-based TV series.
“All the rules have changed. The actor needs to learn how to look into the camera, emote into an inanimate object instead of a human face (as in the theater), and much more. But the ability to adapt to these changes is fundamental to being successful.”
— Bob Bejan, Microsoft
| Theatrical (In-Person) | Cinematic (Virtual) | |
| Reading the audience | Speaker receives instant feedback (laughter, gasps, nods, etc.) that provides notice the audience is getting the jokes, understanding key concepts, etc. Speaker makes eye contact with audience to build connection, gauges their body language, sees when people are looking down at their phones or walking out, knows when she’s losing the audience. | No real way to connect with viewers. Speaker must learn how to look into the camera and emote to an inanimate object. No direct feedback (other than chat comments). No sense of which points are sticking and which are not. Speaker doesn’t see people walking out, only drops in attendance number. |
| Connecting with audience | Speaker and audience are in the same environment (lighting, temperature, audio, background noise, even interruptions.) Everyone is experiencing the session together, creating a bonding effect. | Speaker has no way of knowing what the viewer’s environment is, or how distracted they may be, and should be assumed the viewer is multi-tasking. Accordingly, the speaker should look to other ways to connect with the audience (e.g. mentioning viewers’ names from the chat or Q&A.) |
| Viewing the speaker | Depending on whether sitting close or 200 feet away in the back of the room, the view of the speaker can vary significantly. Especially when the speaker is on a stage, even those in the front rows can’t see the speaker’s face in much detail, despite image magnification on a big screen. As a result, the audio/content is of primary importance. | Every attendee has the same up-close view of the speaker — making the video of the speaker far more important in virtual than in-person. If the speaker doesn’t have a clean, professional background they should select a “blurred” or “virtual” background. Cleaning the camera lens with a lint-free soft cloth will instantly improve picture quality. |
| Who’s held accountable for the viewing experience | Audience knows that the planner is responsible for the lighting, audio & video, and will not hold a poor viewing experience against the speaker. | Audience knows the speaker is responsible for their own lighting, audio & video (unless speakers are filmed in a broadcast studio), and any poor viewing experience will be held against the speaker. |
| Lighting | Speakers usually have no control over the lighting. | Lighting should be in front of the speaker to illuminate the face, which should be centered in the screen. Use a sheer curtain to minimize glare and provide a diffusing effect. If there is natural light coming in, be mindful that the weather may change from when you practice to when you present. |
| Hearing the speaker | Speakers usually have no control over the audio. | Many computers’ built-in mics are very good, but speaker audio should always be checked in advance. Ensure speakers have turned off audio alerts from their devices. (The clickety-clack default alert in Slack is particularly noticeable!) |
| Slides | Audience view of slides varies dramatically based on where they’re seated. | Since everyone has an up-close view of the slides, having a professional slide design & clear graphics and text are critical. |
| Receiving internal feedback | Generally, it’s very rare that a speaker on stage can get specific feedback from their production team. | Speaker can receive detailed, useful, & private chat messages from their production team, enabling them to adapt their presentation on the fly, based on what the producers are seeing. This could be substantive (e.g. if the producer sees a concentration of Q&A and chat comments on certain topics, they can tell the speaker to go deeper/longer in that area), or cosmetic (e.g. adjust the lighting, speak louder/softer, etc.). This is an often-underutilized opportunity with virtual: the ability for the speaker to make real-time adjustments to their presentation. |
| Use of polls | Polls are more difficult to integrate. Even if every seat has a polling device, or most people are using an event app, the use of polls is less fluid in-person than virtual. | Polls are much more organic in virtual, as everyone is using the same technology and has it front-and-center on their desks. |
| Intra-audience connections | Difficult to do unless breaking audience into groups for exercises. | Many attendees have high levels of engagement in the chat window, sharing detailed back-and-forth discussions about the presentation, and exchanging emails to connect post-event. This is another under-appreciated aspect of virtual presentations. Speakers can encourage this early on by asking attendees to type in where they’re from, what they’re most eager to learn, etc. |
“Pandemic aside, I think we would have gotten here eventually, but such a major disruption led to mainstreaming this format,” admits Lizz Torgovnick, Chief Creative Officer & Co-Founder, Sequence.
“By any metric, the digital delivery of anything we do in-person is more effective, less expensive, more inclusive, more sustainable – in terms of reducing the contribution to global warming – than almost anything else you can do,” says Bejan. “The notion of walking away from that doesn’t make sense to us and we’re not doing that.”
Torgovnick believes digital is a very effective tool when used for the right audiences in the right way, but is also quick to point out that it’s not a one-size-fits-all option for all events.
While in-person presentations can be intimidating, you are literally with your audience, physically, in the same room and sharing the same space and conditions. These include atmosphere, lighting, temperature, other people, the weather, acoustics, background noise, distractions, and even interruptions. You are in fact experiencing a shared and connected experience.
Virtual presentations, on the other hand, mean you’re talking to a cold, dark, still camera lens, Kai Hattendorf, Managing Director/CEO at UFI, The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry Hattendorf, says. “You are deprived of audience feedback. You’re entirely on your own. You’re not doing a presentation – you are doing a broadcast. So you have to follow the rules of broadcasting. What you present may be consumed live, or on-demand, and you know very little to nothing about your audience.”
Virtual presentations are much more intimate too, says Wieland. Instead of being 200 feet away in the last row watching the speaker’s image on a ballroom screen, you are literally 2 feet away. “You can see every facial expression and eye move. If a presenter is distracted, you instantly know it. It requires much more discipline from the presenter and many who are used to the ability to walk and have cameras follow them – need to adjust to this new reality.”
We all know that camera position and good lighting are critical for online professionalism, but there is much more to giving an effective digital presentation. “As an online presenter, we are not ‘at the front of the room’ or ‘on the stage’; we are just another image on the screen, making it harder to distinguish ‘the authority in the room’ online,” explains Kathy Horky, Executive Director, Conference Services, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.
Horky believes virtual presenters need to be very thoughtful about a few things, such as their background, the room from where you are presenting, and even color. “What you wear – strong reds, blues, oranges give off confidence and strength,” she advises.
Virtual presenters need to be mindful of lighting and make-up. Never have bright light behind you, says Horky. “Lighting should be in front of you and light your face. It should not be bright but set to the right level that complements your skin tone.” Horky also recommends the use of powder. “Wear lipstick and color on your face – even men can benefit from makeup. It should highlight your features, not overwhelm them, so not too much.”
Torgovnick advises virtual presenters to sit in front of a window when possible, adding that a sheer curtain provides a diffusing effect. “To instantly improve your picture quality, clean your camera lens with a lint free soft cloth, like you would for your glasses.”
Body language is also important, says Horky. “Are you sitting up, slouching? Saying um?” Horky urges would-be virtual presenters to practice their presentations, or record themselves and make adjustments to ensure they come off as the authority. “Don’t rely on your slides – slides should complement your presentation; they should not be your presentation. Use less words, photos, and stay away from intense data or slides with a lot of information. Talk to your slides, not from your slides.”
An online presenter is just another image on the screen, so, how do you distinguish “the authority in the room” and keep your audience engaged?
Horky’s tips include:
- Include a host in your prep calls, script development and agenda. “They will have insight as to how they can engage the audience,” advises Horky.
- Have fun slides and music at breaks, ask trivia questions and invite the audience to respond.
- Speakers should share their contact information in case an attendee wants to reach out later.
- Begin each program with a morning chat, where anyone can join the conversation before the conference starts. “The audience gets to make connections, meet one another and learn something new.”
- Ask attendees for pre-event questions and have the host read them out loud. Make sure the chat shows attendees name and location so the audience can see what locations are represented.
Microsoft’s Bejan believes we are living through a time of transition that creates all sorts of creative business opportunities. “We need to look at things through a new lens,” he says. “People still need to eat, fly, stay the night (but maybe less nights), but if we can keep those relationships going forward in a way that’s more economical, better on the human condition, without the wear of tear of all that travel, isn’t that why we were doing those events in the first place?”
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