Most of the time the demand for a good story and the way the story is told depends on the medium. This also applies to the presentation of a webinar, where specific specific components need to be taken in account, like the camera lens, the online audience and the technology. To get the maximum effect from this, specific skills are needed in all phases of presenting the webinar.
The Media Academy produced a short 4-minute video especially for Company Webcast relations, with tips and tricks for presenting a webcast or webinar.
Watch the video of the Media Academy here.
Following this video, some additional advice is given for the preparation and actual presentation of the webinar:
- Tips for preparing the presentation
- Tips for during the presentation
- Guidelines for a successful presentation
Guidelines for a succesfull presentation
In order to tell a story well, so that it actually comes across, the following elements are important:
- Use of voice;
- Breathing;
- Posture;
- Camera contact;
- Speech;
- Good phrasing.
Tips for preparing the presentation
The following tips will help in preparing the presentation:
- Know what is going to be said: a successful webinar starts with good preparation;
- Loosen up the voice with a short voice exercise (see downloads & links). This prevents the voice from becoming hoarse in the first minute of the presentation;
- Do not forget to take a look in the mirror before the webinar goes live. The use of make-up is necessary in order to avoid distracting elements such as a shiny bald head;
- Is a green screen studio being used? Then do not wear (partly) green clothing. This will blend into the background of the webinar.
- Do not wear clothing with a pattern of small stripes or dots. This makes the image ‘shadowy’ and distracts the participant. Match the clothing to the context of the story and do not wear extravagant clothing. Bear in mind that it is always better to be slightly overdressed than to be dressed too sloppily. Finally, coordinate the clothing when several speakers will take the floor.
Tips for during the presentation
The speaker is the centre of the webinar and a good overall appearance is important not to detract from the story. Therefore, present confidently, with energy and passion, and create a connection with the participants. The following tips will help in actually delivering the presentation:
- Maintain a good posture;
- Address the participants as ‘you’ instead of ‘you’;
- Breathe low and calmly;
- Speak loudly and clearly;
- Vary the sentence melody, pause occasionally and try to avoid insertions, stop words and stereotypes (um, yes, so, well, say);
- Use supporting body language.
Body language and voice determine for more than 90% the impact of the presentation and are therefore very important. Body language includes standing or sitting, the way you make eye contact and hand gestures, which should visibly support the spoken text and not distract from it. In addition, there are a number of behaviours that often occur due to nervousness and which confuse the viewer and distract attention from the message:
- Playing with a pen or ring;
- Shaking hands or legs;
- Talking with the hand in front of the mouth;
- Nervous tics such as blinking the eyes and certain facial muscle twitches;
- In a tense situation, one often loses the sense of time, take the time needed.