2020 has been canceled in many forms, the online world is booming, however. While many of us may have been in our deep, dark holes of Netflix binging, (the entire Tiger King series in one day, anyone?) there are still productive people out there learning how to navigate this online world and our new “norm”. While in-person conferences, conventions, and classes have been put on hold, online speaking engagements and events are still in full swing. While it takes a little twerking….I mean tweaking, there are many ways to be just as successful virtually, as in-person.
Before
The very beginning of the process may look the same virtually as it does in person, and that is planning out what you’re going to say to your audience. An outline can be very helpful at this point because it gives a direction of where the conversation should go, but also remember to sprinkle your sparkle to keep everyone engaged so that you don’t sound like “Mr/Mrs Roboto”.
After determining what you are going to say, it is important to have an appropriate place to set up and look professional and presentable. This includes the background that you are going to use, the lighting in the area (ladies, you all know what I’m talking about), and what you will wear. We fully support business on top and party on bottom, aka the pants you haven’t changed out of in 5 days. Just ensure that when on camera, you are the focus, not anything around you.
Lastly, make sure that you have a strong internet connection with a working microphone and camera. It’s important to practice at least once and watch yourself to ensure that you are speaking loud enough, the lighting is on point, and that the recording is working well. Go and check out our blog post with Ryan Chowansky to see more on lighting techniques!
During
Similar to speaking in person, it is important to be energetic, yourself, and relatable to the audience that you are trying to reach. Nobody, and I repeat, NOBODY wants to sit and listen to a monotone voice that belongs on the hold line for the DMV. You should be passionate about your topic and want others to feel that same way after listening to you speak.
For the daydreamers that may have drifted off at some point, try and summarize your talk at the end of the video in a short 2-3 minute summary, allowing for people to grasp the key points. Allowing for comments and questions throughout the video, if doing it live, or in a comments section will also keep them engaged during the video. While it may be hard to talk to a computer or phone the entire time, try and imagine that you are actually talking to an audience. This helps with engagement, personality, and excitement of delivering the message.
After
Now that you have officially crushed it **insert fist pump here** There are a couple of follow-ups that can be done to boost your content, get feedback, and follow up with your audience. If you left an area for comments and questions, it is important to respond to these. This could be in a short follow up video or by simply typing your responses back to the person. This is an extra level of engagement that will allow you to connect with your audience. If this is a discussion that is open on public platforms, you can edit the video to a short 30 second to the 1-minute snippet and post it on a different social media platform, with a call to action to head over there to check it out. You can review your analytics to see if this worked for you!
If you are looking for more tips and tricks on virtual content, check out Top 6 Virtual Marketing Trends!
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