How to Give a Good Online Talk

So you have a great talk that you've given, or planned to give, at a conference. Then it got cancelled. Now. you have have a choice: scrap it, or give it at a virtual event.

As more events go online (something that was trending upward before 2020), the importance of delivering a good online talk is important. But it can also be difficult.

Where do you look? How do you deliver with the energy you would to a live audience? How do you engage? These are all questions you'll get answers to in this free webinar.

Recommendations

Gear Kit
CrowdCast
OBS
BeLive

What You'll Learn
* Planning your virtual talk
* Good gear (and lighting) for your talk
* Where to look / managing your camera + slides
* Framing your shot
* Going pre-recorded
* Doing it live
* Engaging with the audience
* Your call to action

Transcript

1. How to Give a Good Online Talk Joe Casabona | casabona.org/resources/
3. You’re Not Talking to an Empty Room. You’re Not Talking to an Empty Room.
4. @jcasabona Let’s Do It! • Planning your virtual talk • Good gear (and lighting) • Managing your camera + slides • Framing your shot • Going pre-recorded • Doing it live • Engaging with the audience • Your call to action • Running your own webinar
5. Planning Your Talk • Approach the talk like it’s in person - remember you’re still talking to people • Rehearse a lot! It’s a little different from being on stage. • Remember people have different internet connections. Interactions / timing won’t be perfect.
6. Did I mention you need to rehearse?
7. Let’s Talk Gear
8. What You Should Have • A decent camera. It doesn’t have to be 4K. But does have to be HD. • A decent mic. A $40 headset will be a big improvement over the built-in mic, and you’ll have some freedom. • LIGHTING. Don’t make it look like you’re recording in a dungeon.
9. @jcasabona 3-Point Lighting • This is ideal for even lighting. • Not everyone has the space to do this. • Make sure you at least have some even lighting on your face. • Test a few setups. Don’t just rely on light or your computer screen.
11. Recommended Gear: kit.co/jcasabona/simple-live-stream-setup
12. Managing Your Camera / Slides
13. Tips • Look directly at the camera when you speak! • If you have a second device or monitor, keep your slides there too - just like notes. • Find out where your your camera will be in relation to your slides and design them accordingly. • Eliminate Distractions
14. • Full Screen mode in Keynote might mess up some screen recorders or webinar software. • Export your Keynote talk as a PDF and open it in Preview - that will work better!
15. Frame Your Shot!
16. Advanced Move: Switch between slides and camera.
17. Pre-recorded vs. Live
18. @jcasabona Pre-Recorded • Some events are asking speakers to record talks ahead of time. • Pros: Multiple takes to get it right, better editing opportunities, fewer ways it can go wrong, record when you want. • Cons: No live engagement
19. Tips for Pre-recorded talks • Make it clear where viewers can find you! Include your contact details and say them out loud. • Have a very clear CTA • If you can, edit / switch between you and your slides. Fade in and out.
20. @jcasabona Live Talk • Talk to the Organizer about testing your setup • Rehearse! Make sure your side of things is ready to go. • Turn off anything that eats bandwidth - Dropbox, Creative Cloud, etc. • Restarting could help • Hardwire into your modem/router if you can
21. Taking Questions • The organizer should help you moderate so you don’t miss anything. • If you’re doing this solo (more later), as a friend to help (Thanks Brian!) • I recommend saving questions until the end.
22. Engaging with the Audience
23. • Have Polls and Questions! • Can be simple - what do you hope to learn, where are you from, what do you do? • Make at least one related to the content • Call attendees out by name - make them feel part of the action • Encourage questions at the end. • Give them a place to continue the conversation
24. • Ask questions, move on, and address them in a couple of minutes. • You want to give attendees time to respond, especially if there’s a 30-90 second delay. • Make it a smooth transition. Don’t say you’re waiting/have dead air. Ask/Talk/Call them out. On Asking Questions
25. Running Your Own Talk
26. Software • On top of gear you need software. • I’m using Crowdcast and recommend that. • You can also stream live to YouTube and Twitch with OBS. • For Facebook Live, I recommend BeLive* *Links at casabona.org/resources
27. @jcasabona Pre-Flight Check • Make sure you’re using the right camera and mic • Close out resource hogs • Check your internet connection (fast.com) • Test with your software. Run through the first few slides as if you’re doing the talk.
28. You Can DO It! You Can DO It!
29. Consultant & Educator I help tell your story. @jcasabona - casabona.org/resources/ I’m Joe Casabona