Learnings From Doing a Live or Recorded Webinar/Presentation

This has been a busy year already, especially for remote work. Some of this remote work was planned and some was in response to travel and on-site cancellations due to Coronavirus.

Some of the things I'd like to share about giving a really good webinar or presentation come from lessons learned and shared with me.

I've also shared the on-demand webinar links and recorded Q&A links at the bottom of this blog.

TIPS

* Use images on your presentation slides to illustrate your talk. DO NOT READ WORD-FOR-WORD! Your viewer will tune out. See https://www.assertion-evidence.com/ for more presentation tutorials and templates.

* Slow your speech to ~80% of your normal rate.

* Imagine you're talking to a good friend.

* Stand up when you present, you'll sound more alert.

* Smile when you talk, you'll relax and sound more at ease.

* Write a script of what you want to say and practice your presentation flow and timing.

* Make smoother transitions to the next slide by using wording that connects or introduces the transition.

* If presenting on your computers webcam, align your computer and any external monitors so you're looking at your webcam as much as possible - it's more engaging to your viewers.

* Record your practice presentations to get used to timing, moving to your next slide, and then listen & watch your recorded practice presentation.

* Have another person listen to your practice presentation for feedback - this is even especially helpful if they have no idea of what you're talking about.

* Explain or define industry jargon and acronyms.

* Stay away from cultural, regional, or country-centric colloquialisms. Not everything translates smoothly.

* If you've practiced using auto-timing for slides, consider turning off this function during live presentations. Otherwise, your slides may move on slower or faster than you're talking.

LOGISTICS

* Connect your computer directly into your internet instead of relying on wi-fi. This will provide for a more stable connection.

* Turn off your VPN (if at home) and close all other applications on your computer - this will increase the bandwidth of your connection.

* Don't use cell phones or speaker phones. Instead, consider a good quality USB microphone or headset (with microphone) with a shield (to dampen wind noise and strong vocal punches).

* Present in a small room, since big rooms often have an echo.

* Turn off air conditioning, heaters, or other noisy devices; you may think they can’t be heard over the phone line, but they can. Also note the sound of keystrokes and mouse-clicks.