I’ve offered 3 free live online workshops so far in 2021. Each one was a truly fun and energizing experience for me. That’s not something I would ever have believed I’d say about public speaking!
The first live online workshop I ever gave was SO painful for me. I was uncomfortable with the tech, I felt excruciatingly self-conscious, and I was distracted by how few people were in attendance.
I’d like to time travel back through the years and give some advice to the Annie of that day. I’m hoping some of this advice will help you as well, even if you've delivered a bunch of these.
There’s not just one way to do online presentations well, so please take what works for you and ignore the rest.
Here’s what I’d tell past Annie in order to speed up the process of making these experiences feel SO MUCH better:
Before you jump into the material, tell people what to expect.
Give the participants a bulleted outline before they sign up, again when they sign up, and finally right at the beginning of the workshop. That way they’re giving full consent to be a part of what you’re up to. If you’re going to pitch your services (which you should), include that in the outline.
Ask people to do what you want them to do.
If you’re running something on zoom and you wish people would turn on their cameras, respectfully request that. If you want people to answer a question in chat, let them know it will help you out. (I once ran a 3 hour training where everyone kept their cameras off the whole time. I was miserable. Why didn’t I ask them to consider turning their cameras on? Why?!)
Pause.
Tell people you need to gather your thoughts and pause from time to time. Allow yourself a drink of water. Breathe. Let your nervous system slow down for a moment. Do this as often as you need to. A colleague just shared this article with me about why it’s so important to take a “revolutionary pause.”
Invite people to connect with each other.
Sometimes you’ll do that by inviting them to connect in chat. Other times you’ll have breakout rooms.
Leave time for people to reflect.
This is beyond pausing. We learn the most when we’ve got a chance to interact with the material. Give people questions to ponder and let them take at least a full minute to write and reflect.
Use your slides as your notes.
I used to keep notes separate from my slides. Now I have ALL my notes on my slides so that I can just focus on one thing and not have to look elsewhere. This also means that if someone wants my notes, I can simply share my slides with them.
Talk about the reasons and assumptions behind what you’re teaching.
I’ve learned this from listening to Paula Pant. Rather than just teaching tactics, I now try to spell out the larger ideas and assumptions behind those tactics. This puts people in a better position to apply what I’m talking about to their own situation rather than just following my particular advice.
Find the right online platform for you.
I used to rely on zoom for my online workshops. Now I prefer Crowdcast. It’s simple and the recording is automatically saved for us. Experiment and find what you like.
Wear what you enjoy wearing, including on your face.
Don’t feel like you’ve got to dress up or wear makeup if you don’t usually wear makeup. Show up as the person your future participants will see when they work with you. (In my own case, that’s not a glammed up person. If you are a glammed up person, I am SO here for that. Keep rocking that awesome makeup and I will fully enjoy your eye liner. It’s just not me most days.)
Have good lighting.
If you’re in the shadows, it’s hard to connect with you. Invest in a softbox lighting kit for under 50 bucks. (Honestly, the Annie of the past would be confused by these last 2 pieces of advice. When I did my first live online workshop, these things were audio only. Yep. Long-ass time ago.)
Stand up.
This isn’t right for everyone. If standing doesn’t feel good to your body, sit down. I immediately feel more access to energy when I’m standing and I find it easier to project my voice.
Have great sound.
Sound is perhaps more important than video. Folks want to hear every word without effort. Invest in a good USB mic for about $100 right away.
Say “I don’t know.”
Past Annie, repeat after me: “I am not a legal expert. I am not an SEO expert. I am not a designer.” Thank you. Whenever you don’t know the answer, say it loud and proud.
Cite your sources and name your inspirations.
You don’t have to be perfect about it, but whenever you’re sharing something you learned from a particular person, give them credit. We entrepreneurs need to get better at that. Tara McMullin is one person I’ve heard say that several times. (You see what I did there?)
Pitch your program joyfully and briefly.
You told people that this pitch was going to be part of the presentation. Is your program wonderful for the right person? Yes. So don’t apologize for sharing it. Sell it with honesty and joy.
Don’t worry about conversion rates.
For some business owners, it works well to focus on the conversion rates of their online workshops. Not for me. My online workshops sometimes lead folks RIGHT into my programs. Still, when I focus on connecting with people and giving them value in the workshop, I have a better experience.
Leave time for Q&A.
It’s OK if no one has a question, but do give them a clear way to ask and bring a couple of questions you know folks are likely to have in order to get the ball rolling. You can say “Here’s something people often ask me…”
Clear your schedule right after the workshop.
You may want to lie down and feel weird for a little while. That’s OK.