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When people reach out to us to level up their speaking impact, we occasionally get the question: “Is online learning as impactful when it comes to public speaking?”

We love hearing this question, because it allows us to geek out about the online learning environment we’ve created! Taken from my 21+ years in education strategy with a hyperfocus for online learning at the multiple tech companies I’ve been in. It also allows us to reveal our answer:

Yes. When done right, it is equally impactful, and in some ways, more impactful than in-person training. And here are 3 reasons why:

• It’s safe. Speakers at all levels are susceptible to public speaking anxiety. We love helping people feel safe, prepared, and inspired in their public speaking engagements. If you know us, you know we also love helping folks channel that anxiety into excitement and growth! Nonetheless, we’ve seen that training virtually is a major factor in mitigating anxiety, especially for introverted humans. We’ve seen this as a major incentive for some of our clients who feel motivated by the safe environment we create, which gives them the confidence to tackle public speaking goals.
• It works. Research shows virtual public speaking training can improve in-person delivery. Every piece of public speaking (anxiety tools, ideation strategy, writing methodologies, lessons in comedy, vocal strategy and branded deck design) can be trained virtually. In fact, in our experience, working with clients virtually allows us to zoom in on each of these areas that don’t require an in-person or large space to master. Beyond this element, at ToPS, we do live virtual training in addition to our on-demand content. Ensuring this live engagement component in the mix is one of the most important pieces to public speaking training, arguably more important than being in person.
• It’s accessible. We often get talented, busy clients who sign up with us because collaborating and learning virtually saves them the chaos of a commute time to and from a physical space and the flexibility of learning on their schedule. They not only save time and energy, but receive the same key learnings they need to share their message and turn up the volume. In addition to independent clients, our cohort members get to network with one another and connect with brilliant minds they wouldn’t be able to meet in person. We’ve witnessed such beautiful friendships blossom from not only our cohorts but also our ToPS Society, a welcoming community that shares love and strategies all throughout the virtual world!

What’s more? A major portion of presentations in 2024 are virtual presentations. It is so important to understand and be confident in the tech tools, engagement strategies, and workflows to conquer a presentation virtually, as well as in person.

You may be wondering – but is presenting live different from presenting virtually?

Yes, in-person presenting does require practice and adjustment; however, those adjustments can be effectively taught in the virtual space too! As you can see, we are passionate about bringing quality learning to our clients, be it virtually or in-person. At the end of the day, our biggest focus is helping your message reach the audience who needs it most.

Much Love,