Natalie Butler explains why digital presentation skills are more important than ever, and why businesses need to adapt to compete.

The balance between face-to-face and remote communication is changing. Over the last few years a number of factors have contributed towards a growing trend for employees to conduct business via digital channels. Now the challenge is to ensure that any form of virtual communication remains as effective as the in-person alternative, and that the all important art of face-to-face communication and charisma can be transferred to the digital world.

"Despite humble beginnings with the first, clunky video conferencing systems of the 1980s, it's now commonplace for businesses to use digital media to communicate."

Virtual presentation skills are a relatively new phenomenon. Despite humble beginnings with the first, clunky video conferencing systems of the 1980s, it's now commonplace for businesses to use digital media to communicate – for example web conferences, social networks, online video, podcasts and blogs. The reasons for this shift are threefold: concerns about the environment, the need to reduce the time and costs associated with meetings, the changing nature of technology and how a new generation of knowledge workers is communicating with each other.

The green factor has been especially prominent in recent years as global efforts to fight climate change increase, encouraging businesses to consider their own carbon footprint and demonstrate corporate responsibility. Now more and more businesses are considering the environmental cost of air travel – and suddenly a round-trip to New York for a two-hour meeting seems far less appropriate than it may have five years ago. Specific targets on organisations' emissions, while not yet in force, are also likely to be a key business consideration in the near future. Studies showing that businesses and individual consumers alike are taking environmental factors into consideration when making purchases, so the importance of sustainable business practices is not going to diminish anytime soon.

The current economic climate also puts a question mark over expensive business travel. The US credit crunch and fears of a subsequent recession mean corporate belts are being tightened across the world to maintain margins, efficiency and competitiveness - and business class travel is one expense that can be trimmed in an instant.

At the same time, the meteoric rise of consumer Web 2.0 applications, social networking tools and user-generated content is changing the way employees interact with each other and is fuelling the rise of digital communication even further. The next generation of office workers is already accustomed to using the internet for fairly advanced communication, whether it be managing an event via Facebook or sharing multimedia content through sites such as Flickr and YouTube. As a result, technology vendors are now scrambling to add similar elements to their products to attract and engage customers for whom online networking has become second nature.

With these factors in mind, businesses are cutting business travel - knowing that they can save money and cut their carbon output by replacing it where possible with technological alternatives. These include highly advanced web conferences, with the ability to share any document, presentation or application; high-definition 'Telepresence' systems which give remote colleagues the sensation of sitting around the same table; or live sales and marketing events streamed over the internet. Using these tools, remote colleagues, partners or customers can collaborate efficiently on practically any issue without leaving their desks. The time employees save from not travelling can then be put to better use, increasing efficiency and productivity.

Using such technology, organisations can bring practically any face-to-face meeting into the digital domain. For example, a sales presentation could be made to prospects or clients located anywhere in the world, or a large number of geographically dispersed staff could all attend the latest company training session simultaneously. Blanket broadband coverage and the ease-of-use of this type of application means getting into an online meeting is simple – the difficult part is making sure nothing is lost in the transition from face-to-face to online. It's easy to assume presenting remotely rather than in person is less challenging, but in reality it does require a different set of considerations to be a success.

Natalie Butler is UK Manager of web collaboration software company, WebEx. For more information go to www.webex.co.uk

In the second part of this article, Karen Moyse, MD of KineticFuture, will outline some best practices for successful online presentation.

Natalie Butler is UK Manager of web collaboration software company, WebEx. For more information go to www.webex.co.uk