Five Tips for Presenting When You’re Wearing a Mask

By Michael Hickey, writing for Associations Now…

At meetings in large spaces or with a designated stage, event speakers might have the luxury of taking off their face coverings when they’re presenting. But depending on the space, the speaker, and the public health situation, presenters might need to pull off an engaging talk with only half of their faces visible. It’s possible—but it’s not easy. There’s also the issue of accessibility, as people with hearing impairments can’t rely on lip reading to follow along.

Consider these tips to present effectively with a mask on and remain inclusive to all members of your audience.

Get Loud!

A mask will naturally muffle your voice, and your audience won’t be able to read your lips to better understand you, which means that projecting your voice is critical. When presenting with a mask on, remember to enunciate and speak a little louder than you normally would. This will probably feel unnatural at first, but your audience will thank you.

However, projecting is easier said than done. The Voice and Swallow Mechanics Lab at the University of Cincinnati suggests keeping your muscles relaxed—your ears should be over your shoulders—breathing deeply, and over-enunciating by opening your mouth wider and moving your mouth more when speaking, among other tips for communicating more clearly with a mask on. Of course, a simple solution that’s easy on the vocal cords is to use a microphone when presenting.

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