Do You Give Online Presentations? Don't Let This Happen to You!

Frequently, we receive invitations to attend a demonstration of a new sales tool or web application.

Typically, web conference calls are the easiest way to do this – so we log on to a service like WebEx or GotoMeeting and let the presenter walk us through his product or service. 

Last week, I sat through one of those sessions for a product we’ll discuss next week. As I followed along, I noticed a continuous flow of email notifications in the bottom-right part of the presenter’s screen. You know, those little popups that Outlook generates to let you know there’s a new message in your inbox.

But not only does it notify you of a new message, it also displays a small part of the message itself. So during a period of about 30 minutes emails about last month sales results, a note from what seemed to be the presenter’s spouse and a few others were partially displayed before my very eyes.

Trust me, I tried ignoring them – but gee, these notifications are hard to miss.

So, here are two quick tips:

1. Before you start sharing your desktop, please close Instant Messaging and Email applications.

2. If you cannot or are unwilling to shut down Email altogether, please learn how to turn notifications off.

If you’re on Outlook, here’s a convenient link to the Outlook blog for more information.

Got stories of your own? Share them in the comments!