5 Ways to Optimize Your Next Virtual Client Interview and Win More Work

The pandemic has irreversibly changed how we work. Unsurprisingly, it has also changed how A/E/C teams meet with clients and prospects to win work. For teams that present to win projects, using video conferencing is entirely different than what they are used to using.

Video conferencing has been around for quite some time and has often been used to hold meetings when attendees could not meet in person. Zoom, GoToMeeting, and many more platforms have become a staple, and a tool that owners currently use to hold interviews and project meetings. But unlike a meeting, interviews are competitive presentations. The focus of most meetings via video conferencing is the exchange of information. Most folks sign on without thinking about how they appear, how they sound, how they come across to those they are meeting, then sign off. Virtual interviews, however, are a different situation. They are competitive presentations and require much more than showing up. With the goal of winning work, your team needs to make many adjustments to make a good impression.

Presenting to win projects using this medium requires a higher level of attention to many details than teams are used to paying attention to. To ensure you optimize your impact on your selection panel here are five of the many details to be mindful of for improved impact:1. Since using this format for project interviews is relatively new, focus on different details required to come across well. As a result, expect to practice much more than traditional in-person interviews. When your team is presenting from different locations, ensuring smooth transitions, working effectively with visual components, and displaying team chemistry still matters for an impactful presentation. To achieve this requires much more practice.2. Practicing effectively requires using the platform that the client will use to conduct the interviews. Different platforms operate differently impacting the visibility and location of your presenters on the screen as well as how well your slides are displayed.3. Streamline how each presenter appears on screen to minimize the potential for distracting the panel from your team and your message. Ensure each team member is framed similarly. Pay attention to each presenter’s distance from the screen, the amount of background seen, and what’s in the background. Ideally the clothing colors of each presenter should create visual harmony with the other team members and should not clash with or blend in too much with the background. If the platform used allows, consider using a uniform background with your company logo in one corner and display each presenter’s role and first name at the bottom of each frame.4. Connecting with the panel requires presenters to look into the camera rather than at the screen. To make this easier, tape something to the back of the device just above the camera. This technique will give each team member something to focus on as they speak. For example, get a popsicle stick and tape a picture of someone who will ensure the presenter displays warmth, approachability, and enthusiasm about the project.5. Speaking of enthusiasm, sitting presenters tend to come across too relaxed and having less energy than those who stand. Since each presenter shows enthusiasm differently, too much or too little needs to be adjusted so all team members demonstrate relatively equal levels of enthusiasm. Interest in what the client has to say and passion for what you can do to meet his or her needs can be conveyed through voice, facial expressiveness, and posture. Team members need to be mindful of these even when they are not speaking. How they listen speaks volumes to the client.