Could you present on a call to 40 people?

[redvelvet7]

Hi, just trying to see whether i need to just grow up or whether other people would be anxious with this situation.

I work for a large company doing an office type job, and due to restructures my team size has gone from about 10 to 40. There are regular sharing sessions where we are meant to present work and I honestly am getting insanely anxious at the thought of it. I get presenting anxiety naturally anyway and tended to avoid it where possible even when the team was smaller. I don’t know if most people would be okay with this? Like ok with 10 and ok with 40? It’d be an online video call rather than meeting room.

I couldn’t, but that’s also why I quit uni.

The degree I was studying required presentations to 50+ people starting from year 1 and I just couldn’t hack it. The idea was to prepare you for real life work.

I think it’s much easier online than in person. I regularly present to hundreds of people online but I think of them as a small group of around ten!

Yes, I would love it as long as I was assured that my audience will be respectful and use the hands function, not talk over me or attempt to wrong foot me.

As long as I knew my stuff then I would sure.

online presenting is much easier than in person. I’d just assume 2/3rds of them have their camera off because they are hanging the washing up/on the treadmill/making a cup of tea…

Yes I can and I have but I also get nervous. I write exactly what I want to say in a notepad file that I position directly under the camera so it looks like I'm looking at the camera but I'm actually reading my script. I also practice so I am not too reliant on the script.

I regularly do this. Nowadays I still feel a slight anxiety about it but nowhere near as bad as when I started doing it (about 15 years ago). I really think it is a 'feel the fear and do it anyway' situation.

Eventually it just becomes a normal thing to do. I still remember a few of the early ones though when we had a rather scary dragon of a Director who I was petrified of - she was better once I actually got to know her.

I think you just have to remind yourself that you are an expert in your field and presumably they only want you to talk about your actual work so you will fine.

I would be fine with this but ONLY because I've been practicing for years and purposefully forcing myself into these types of situations to get experience and become more confident through exposure to it.

I think most people find it nervewracking but it gets easier the more you do it.

If you can do 10, you can do 40, you can only see about 8 people in the window anyway, so just pretend it's only them there.

Yes, bizarrely I have no problem speaking in public despite not being the most obviously confident.

I'd find it harder on a call than traditionally at the front of a hall though.

Yes, I was coming on to suggest that notepad & practice too. Can you ask any trusted colleagues if you can rehearse with them beforehand?

Online and I wouldn't bat an eyelid, even if it was 140. I regularly present to 25-30 though so I'm well used to it.

In person...bleughh. I can still do it but I'm not keen at all and for a larger group I'd be stewing on it every day in the run up.

Presenting on zoom is 1000% easier imo.

Yes, sure. I've done it many many times. I'm always nervous - that's normal. But that doesn't stop you. Doing it online, presenting to 40 is really no different from presenting to one or two.

Yes - this is a regular part of my job and everyone else in my team's job. Sometimes we have to present to online audiences of thousands of people but, if you're online, the number of people on the call doesn't really make that much difference as they're usually just blank boxes.

Teams call yes. After the first few times, it gets easy. You’re talking about stuff you already know about and most people aren’t paying that much attention.
Standing up in front of the same number of people would scare the life out of me.

Yes, I've had to present to hundreds of people online, and more than 40 in person numerous of times also (easier online I think). I wouldn't give 40 a second thought tbh. The more you do it the more it'll become second nature.

I've done well over 100 in person so yes, I could do 40 online no issue. I love presenting though.

I could but I work in education where I fairy regularly talk in front of that many adults.

yeah, the more you do it the easier it gets

Yep. Have done frequently. Much much much bigger audiences. Have also facilitated others in doing so. I get adrenaline but I am extremely prepared and rehearsed so I know I’ll be ok.

You'll be nervous but glad you did it. Teams has been a godsend for people who hate presenting. I would do anything to avoid presenting to real people in a room. On screen, you're just talking to yourself in your room.

We have a team of 100ish. I happily present in person and online without thinking about it. I know quite a few of my colleagues who find it stressful.

In my workplace everyone is expected to join in providing team updates to about 30 people, however junior or senior they are.

People of all levels are encouraged to present at the all-company online meetings of around 120 people.

The latter isn’t essential but the former you would only be excused from if it were an adjustment for anxiety or similar.

If you're not comfortable doing it you could ask to pre-record the presentation part and the take live questions after. It would make no difference to the outcome, except you wouldn't get flustered and you could monitor any questions that came in during the presentation and be ready with answers.

Yes, I do - in person and hybrid rather than purely on a call (as in, I'm in person with most of the people in the room but some may dial in). I can't say I love it but it does get easier with practice/experience.

I think if everyone was online, it would be easier (because as PP said, you probably wouldn't see everyone in the window - and also, you could hide the Zoom/Teams window behind your word doc or whatever)

I'd also say being over-prepared makes it easier.

I actually prefer in person but Teams isn’t too bad. Just don’t watch yourself whilst you’re talking as it’s disconcerting! I have wondered how I come across though so I watched myself back just before Xmas (work record meetings like this one 😬). I thought I’d fluffed a few bits but actually it was word perfect and I sounded fine. I’ll never be the most polished speaker but I do speak with conviction and I know my subject. I have seen some dire speakers in the past OP, you cannot be as bad as them - trust me! You’ll be fine.