Webinars need the same amount of planning and preparation as a face-to-face meeting, if not more. No matter what you are using your webinar for, whether that be as a marketing tool, a training tool or a presentation tool, these 7 presentation tips will help you succeed.
1. Be prepared
Make sure you get all your important points across by having a script (or at least bullet points) ready to cover during your presentation. Have everything with you that you might need and think about questions that may be asked so tht you can prepare some answers if you need.
2. Address each individual rather than the group
Each listener should feel like you are directly speaking to him or her. For example, instead of saying ‘I wonder if anyone knows the answer to this question’, say ‘Do you know the answer to this question?’ If you know the names of your attendees, say their names while asking questions and ask them specifically if they understand or have any questions.
3. Be enthusiastic
Constantly change the pitch and the tone of your voice to hold the attention of your audience and keep your material interesting. If you enjoy the topic that you are talking about, show it in the way you act and talk. This energy will keep your audience invested and interested in what you're saying.
4. Talk with your hands
Even if you may not be on camera for you webinar, talk with your hands. Making hand gestures while talking is known to help you express your thoughts more effectively. This will come across in your voice, making you more engaging to your guests.
5. Use large graphics and text in your slides
Find images that complement the topic and make the font large so it's easy for everyone to read.People understand images better than text so try not to have everything you say written on your slides as this is less engaging for your audience. Webinars are a highly visual form of presenting and your guests will be constantly looking at your slides if your webinar has no video.
6. Use animation to focus attention
Without making it too distracting, add non-repetitive animations to a slide to make them interesting and focus the audience toward the key point that is being made. There are many ways to do this in different presentation software. Not all are as tacky as your classic PowerPoint animations.
7. Try using a poll or Q&A session for feedback
Make sure you have a way of receiving audience responses so you can ask questions and receive feedback or comments. Having a chat function is also great so that your audience can ask you questions during the presentation. You could have a helper answer questions in the chat as they come up.
If you can think of more tips that can enable presenters to deliver great webinars, send us a tweet @ExpressVM.
