Have you ever given a webinar or recorded an instructional video?
Years ago, the first time I ever hosted a webinar, I was startled to realize how discombobulating it is to speak to…no one. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been talking to myself for ages, but this, sending my energy and content and little jokes into a screen, was a completely different (and unnerving) feeling.
What should you do? How can you make this easier, and more effective for you and for your audience?
First, practice. Practice out loud, giving your content to the screen, in circumstances as close to the actual ones as you can muster.
Second, have a living person in the room with you. Ask them to sit just beyond your laptop, to be your audience. It helps enormously to be able to see someone’s face, to read their body language. If you can’t get a person, put up a photograph of someone you like a lot.
Third, remember that your voice needs to do all the work it can. In face-to-face conversation, we glean a lot of information from people’s faces, body position, gestures, etc. When it’s just the voice, we are at a deficit. Bring energy and dynamism to your voice.
Fourth, think about your intention. Always remember to ask yourself before you begin, “What effect do I want to have on the people listening? What do I want them to feel or think or do as a result of what I say?”
As more and more of our meetings and conversations move to the virtual realm, we run the risk of losing connection altogether. Bringing intention and energy to your screen-talking can make all the difference.
