Present a PDF report on Zoom so it engages the audience

The problem with presenting a PDF in Zoom

When you present a PDF report that you or your organization has created, don’t make the mistake I see too many presenters make. Too often they open the PDF in a PDF viewer like Adobe Acrobat and share that portrait sized window in Zoom. Then they start speaking. And they lose the audience very quickly.

Here’s why. The PDF viewer usually opens the file and displays the entire page in the app window. When you share that on Zoom, it is almost impossible to read or see any visuals clearly. The audience quickly tunes out and switches to looking at their email and Slack messages.

Here’s what you should do instead.

A better approach

A better approach is to use the PDF as a canvas of text and visuals that you interact with, guiding the audience through the key points and visuals. Here is how you can do this.

Open the PDF in the Edge browser

Instead of opening the PDF using the default app, open the PDF in the Edge browser. To do this, right-click on the file name and select Open With, then select the Edge browser.

Make it fit the browser window

Use the Fit to Width button in the PDF controls at the top of the screen to make the PDF as wide as the browser window.

Share this landscape oriented browser window in the Zoom meeting. This landscape window displays much better in a Zoom meeting than a portrait window from a PDF viewer app.

Highlight key text

As you scroll through the PDF report, highlight key words or phrases using the text highlighting tool. Click on the highlighting tool in the top left of the PDF controls.

You can use the drop down beside the tool button to select the highlighter color.

Use the highlighter to highlight words as you are presenting. This draws the audience’s attention to those key phrases and keeps them engaged.

To turn off the highlighter, click the tool button again. You can remove the highlight if needed by right-clicking on the highlighted text and setting the highlight color to None.

Draw on the page

You can also draw on the page with a pen to draw attention to some text or a visual. Click on the drawing pen tool in the top left of the PDF controls.

You can change the pen color or line thickness using the drop down beside the tool button.

Use the pen to draw a circle around key figures or an arrow to direct attention to a spot in a visual. This keeps the audience engaged while you are presenting.

You can turn off the pen by clicking the tool again. You can also use the eraser tool to erase lines you have drawn. Click on the eraser tool in the top left of the PDF controls.

Drag the eraser across a line to erase it. Note that the eraser can only erase entire lines, not a portion of a line. Turn the eraser tool off by clicking the tool button again.

Add text to a page

You can also add text to the PDF page using the text tool. This is one way to annotate visuals so the audience is clear on the message. Click on the text tool in the top left of the PDF controls.

Click where you want to add the text. An entry box and controls will appear.

You can type the text you want to add and change the font color, size, and spacing using the controls above the entry box.

You can resize the entry box to fit the space. You can select the text after it is entered and use the font controls to adjust it.

Turn off the text tool by clicking on the button again. You can click on a text box that you have added and edit the text or font. You can also delete the text box using the trash can icon in the editing controls.

You don’t need to save the changes

After your presentation when you close the Edge window, it will warn you that you have unsaved changes. This is because you can save the changes you’ve made to the PDF (the text highlighting, drawing, and text boxes). You don’t need to save the changes and you can just leave the window without saving the changes.

Presenting a PDF on Zoom can be engaging

By using the Edge browser to present a PDF in a Zoom meeting, you can turn a boring report into an engaging presentation. Try this method and these tools the next time you have to present a PDF report on Zoom.