Skill Builder Minute - Techniques for an Effective Online Presentation Style

Hi -- I'm Don Cameron, founder of ConferTel and in this Webinar Skill Builder Minute I'm going to discuss some of the techniques used to maintain audience interest and attention.

Vocal technique is even more important in a webinar than in an in-room session. If the audience cannot see you, your voice carries the entire burden of holding their attention and communicating. The most effective tool you have is your natural enthusiasm and passion for your subject. Your interest needs to be infectious. If you sound like you have given the information a hundred times and are bored with it, your audience will be bored. Remember to repeatedly stress the relevance and value of your information for your audience.

A monotone lets your audience drift away from you. Use repeated changes in inflection, tone, volume, and speed to continuously refocus the audience on your voice. You'll need to go "bigger" than you are used to in your normal personal conversation.

A key difference between in-room and web presentations is that the in-room creates an automatic sense of community. A person sitting at his or her computer does not feel connected to other audience members... Just to you. Take advantage of this by always phrasing your remarks to speak to the individual as if he or she was the only person on the line.

Instead of saying "Can anyone tell me the answer?" try "Do you know the answer?"

Instead of "I'd like everyone out there to type their first name into the console" try "Please type your first name into the console." The change is subtle yet powerful.

You should also make use of first names in your audience. When a comment comes in, say the name of the person who asked it. Make reference to comments that people enter.

And that's your Webinar Skill Builder Minute ~ thanks for joining me.