During this challenging time, while many of us are working from home, the need for engaging online experiences is greater than ever before. It doesn’t matter if you’re giving a corporate training, reaching out to connect with clients or educating students online. We all need to engage more and show less 60-minute pre-recorded PowerPoint lectures. What we need is an “unwebinar!”
As a 10-year veteran in the keynote speaking business, and from my prior academic work with online learning, I’ve helped numerous professors and speakers develop engaging online experiences. Multiple studies have shown the more people are engaged with your content, the more they learn. And the more people are engaged, the more audiences will enjoy your services and keep coming back for more.
Here are six tips to keep your audience engaged before, during and after the presentation.
Have a unique intro or a good emcee.
Begin your presentation with a unique introduction or an emcee. Think of your favorite podcast introduction or intro sequence of your most binged show. Good introductions prime the audience with a preview of what’s to come, set the mood with great music and build credibility with references to past successes.
Intros can be done with a pre-recorded sequence (for a podcast or webinar series) or a live emcee (for a special event).
Keep the presentation short.
Once you have your audience primed with your introduction, keep their attention by following with a short presentation. Be concise. Try Guy Kawasaki’s 10-20-30 rule for presentations by using 10 slides, engaging for 20 minutes and using 30-point font for the slide text. (Full disclosure, BigSpeak sometimes represents Guy Kawasaki for speaking engagements.)
My organization has found that presentations under 30 minutes work best. Audiences can only process so much new information. You can always provide more details during the Q&A.
Mix up your media.
No one likes looking at the same black text on white background for 30 minutes or more. Vary your presentation materials with text, images and video to keep it fresh and lively. Avoid overloading your slides with too much text and keep the videos short. If you use clips from YouTube, remember to save a link at the precise starting point you want.
Interact with your audience.
I’ve found that people are generally more engaged when they’re active. Stimulate your audience’s imagination before presenting your new information by posing rhetorical questions. Take questions during the presentation so attendees stay interactive. Use quick polls and surveys to get a feel for what the audience is thinking about and to personalize your presentation to the audience’s needs.
Finally, speak directly to the camera. People tend to feel more engaged when they can see the faces of their presenters and their reactions.
End with a moderated Q&A.
People always have questions. So set up about 20 minutes at the end of your presentation to give time to discuss the answers. Have the emcee moderate the questions to give the presenters time to frame thoughtful replies. If people are slow to start, begin by using questions not answered during the presentation or answering commonly asked questions.
Continue the great experience offline.
Engagement doesn’t end when you go offline. Once your presentation is over, post the recording and presentation slides to your website. Send a link to your audience so they can access the materials. Invite them to your next online experience or make them aware of other great online experiences.
Follow these six tips on creating a great online experience, and you’ll be able to better engage your audience and keep them coming back for more.
About the Author Ken Sterling: