How are speakers adapting to life online ?
Crystal Interactive managing director , Chris Elmitt shares advice for raising speaker performance
We hear three recurring challenges that eventprofs are wrestling with in 2021 . They struggle to make their digital events stand out from the diet of daily Zoom and Teams calls , it ’ s hard to create an environment for meaningful networking and their speakers are flat .
We will focus on the third , sharing some techniques we have seen speakers and organisers use . Let ’ s start with what the speaker can do to raise performance .
If you are a regular presenter to large audiences ( 15 +) on any topic , you shouldn ’ t be relying on the camera fitted to your laptop . Look to upgrade to a dedicated camera costing around £ 100 or more . This must be mounted at the eye-line ( no more up-nostril shots please !).
Similarly , look at one of the many excellent USB or lavalier microphones – it will make it so much more restful for participants to listen to you .
Everyone ’ s setup is different but if you are lit by the “ normal ” lights in your living and you look like you fell into a bath of St Tropez , try a specialist studio light or a “ cool ” lightbulb for a nearby desk lamp .
Similarly , you should not be sharing unmade beds and kitchen scenes or relying on Zoom to melt your cheek in its attempt to hide your background . Use a physical backdrop if you cannot create a calm scene behind you .
Finally , try standing up to present . It allows you to use your arms without knocking your water bottle off the table , significantly reduces your stress level and improves the tone of your voice by reducing the tension in your neck and chest .
But what about for event organisers ?
On our JAM platform we can tell , at any given time , how many of the audience are watching and how many have put JAM in the background and are doing something else ( we call this “ drift ”).
The primary cause of drift is when you overrun the time slot for the event . We have seen 85 % of an audience disappear in the minute past the advertised finish .
The second is when a speaker goes past nine minutes of monologue . Of course , there are exceptions . Some speakers have an uncanny ability of sending their audience to email within two minutes , while others can hold the audience enthralled for 30 … but on average , it is nine .
Is this a new problem ? In truth , the only bit that is new is the data we have to prove the drift .
Delegates around the world have been mentally drifting during live event monologues for years but because they hadn ’ t physically walked out of the room , we counted them as “ present ”. Now we have the data , we can ’ t really ignore it any more . So what ’ s the solution ?
1 . I know it ’ s cheating but since virtual took off , I ’ ve become a big fan of scripting . In live events , it can look like a lack of confidence or preparation . But in virtual , it is a brilliant way to get your point across concisely and sincerely .
2 . Practise – my guess is that the average presenter of a 30-minute speech never practices all the way through . If you are down to a nine-minute slot , in half an hour you can practise three times . The brevity creates the time to polish .
3 . Variety - in one meeting last week , one of my presenters flipped to an overhead camera angle to draw an idea rather than present it on a slide . Beats PowerPoint and I can tell you every word on the page – even 30 meetings later .
4 . If you have to go longer , find a way to divide up the presentation into slots . Even if you just break the presentation either side of a short energy break , you are likely to succeed .
5 . Interaction - every article about virtual says “ use voting and interaction to break-up your presentation ” without ever giving a single example . So here are two ideas : “ I have time to talk about only one of the topics listed on your screen . Vote for the one you care most about ”. Or free-text ( in the chat , for instance ) – “ Write a ten-word thank-you to one person in this event who has done something amazing in the last twelve months .”
And if none of these ideas appeal , at least try something new . Good luck !