Managing the Technology
What is your biggest concern when presenting online?
Welcome back! Last we discussed how your brains are functioning in your virtual presentations. Catch up on how your brain works in Part 1 of a five part series. Now that you know a little more about the brain, let’s move on to the managing the technology piece.
Managing the Technology
The first step in learning about managing the technology of a virtual presentation, is to decide which features you will utilize from the range provided by your chosen service. When deciding, consider the elements that best meet the needs of your audience. In general, I find most presenters (after a bit of training) can easily toggle through the presentation slide deck and use annotation tools. I recommend trying to become familiar with the chat box as well. Read: Virtual presentation tips – manage the chat box
You will be able to best manage the technology if you feel confident. There are many elements in the planning process to be considered that will help you become confident. The absolute best training advice I can give you is practice, practice, practice. Those are my three favourite words when it comes to learning to present (in person or virtually). You will be able to manage the technology better if you feel confident about your technical skills.
To prepare you will need to:
- Build a backward timeline which includes all of your deliverables and their due dates.A backward timeline is key to a successful webinar. Read this article that discusses the backward timeline in depth.
- Make sure you schedule adequate time for preparation and practise. This includes: dress rehearsals, tech checks, audio checks, etc. whether for revenue generation or lead generation.
If you accept the fact there is a paradigm shift to moving from presenting in person to the virtual environment, your learning curve will not be quite as steep. Most of us don’t just wake up one morning, purchase a virtual collaboration service and instantly perfect or monetize our online offering.
Hire a Producer
If you feel you wish to focus on the presentation and what you do best, instead of managing the technology, you can also hire a producer! Hiring a producer gives you the opportunity to concentrate on your message and content, confident that someone else will be managing the technology including your chat, Q&A, video, back-end reporting, registrations, etc.
Contact us now for more information on Online Presentation Skills Training
Originally posted in 3Plus International eGazine April 2016
