The YouBlog

The Trouble with Webinars

PITY THE POOR WEBINAR. So much promise and potential, both for presenter and audience, and so many baaaaaaad results.
        Why? Because webinars strip out the immediacy and nonverbal elements that can elevate an in-person presentation, and they amplify some of the worst aspects of most presentations.
        Such as . . .

· A bullet-laden slide, black with text, which is left on screen for three or four minutes while the presenter talks about each point. At least in person, the presenter might leap to the screen to point out a particularly significant item. (Okay, he probably wouldn’t, but we can always hope.)

· Complex graphics that are either hard to digest or go by too fast — or both. In person, or in a one-on-one web demo (where both parties interact by phone), an audience member can say, “Can you explain that a little more closely?” But that almost never happens in webinars with dozens to hundreds of participants.

· Limited interactivity. It’s almost impossible for a webinar victim, ahh “participant”, to be able to say, “We get it. Can you jump ahead?” Sure, you can answer those gratuitous survey questions or submit queries, but short of the presenter receiving a barrage of “Move on!” posts, you’re kind of stuck.

· Easy (convenient?) distractions. In person, it’s harder to turn away from the presenter or start doing other tasks. But when it’s just you and the screen and someone’s voice, it’s reeeeeeaally easy to wander, especially when the image on your screen hasn’t moved in minutes.

So, what’s a presenter to do?

[1] Make it visual and, if possible, visceral. Use no more than two bullet slides for the whole presentation — and then, only for the points you want them to absolutely remember (’cause they’re not going to remember even a dozen things, let alone the 80-100 items that a typical bullet-heavy presentation throws at people).

Use pictures or illustrations to help tell your story. Find, or create, an image that captures a particular idea, and then leave that on the screen. Here’s an example I did for a recent presentation:

You could easily leave this up for three or four minutes, while you talk about the issues facing the audience. And during that time, the image will burn into their brains, creating an impression that is far stronger and more easily recalled than anything you could put into bullet points.

[2] If you have complex depictions of your processes or products, DO NOT just put the whole thing up at once. You’ll lose your audience so fast if you do. Instead, show them one bit at a time, then layer in the next bit, and the next, until you finally have the complete picture in front of them. There’s something compelling about an incomplete picture — our minds want to fill in the blanks. But if they don’t know exactly what’s coming next (and if you haven’t already bored them off the call), then they’ll hang in there to see what comes next and what the whole puzzle looks like.

[3] Check in with the audience regularly, and be flexible enough to jump ahead OR go back through something important if a fair number of people indicate either preference. How do you do this? With survey questions. Say something like, “Let’s take a quick progress check.” and then give them three choices like “1) I get it. Let’s jump ahead.  2) The pace is good. Carry on. 3) I missed something. Can we go back a little?”

Then have them “vote”. If you get a lot of “jump ahead” responses, do so. If you get a fair number of “Can we go back?” responses, you’ll probably want to ask for feedback on what most needs clarification. And if you get mostly “Carry on.” answers, be sure to acknowledge the others responses.

No matter what the answers are, your audience will really appreciate that you asked them for their feedback. (They may even be blown away that you asked; I would be. :-)

Webinars don’t need to be the bastard cousin of presentations. Most are, but yours don’t have to be. Take the visual, interactive approach suggested above and you’ll make an incredibly strong impression on your audience.

[And while you’re at it, you might just want to use this approach for your in-person presentations, as well.]

Watch Out for the Bag Lady

SADLY, THIS IS THE WAY TOO MANY PRESENTATIONS GO. Not that product details are irrelevant or unnecessary — they do have their place — but if details are just dumped on the audience, with little or no tie to their needs, goals, or issues, then the presentation really is as deadly as this picture suggests.
        What’s unfortunate, for both audiences and presenters, is that there’s usually a great story lurking in those boxes, a story that can transform the audience’s or buyers’ experience. It just takes the time — and conviction — to find that story, AND THEN the fortitude to tell that story (their story) when it’s so much eeeeeaaaasssier to just tell them what we have and what we know.
        If you care about your results, dig into those boxes, find the gems that will make them care, and then leave the cart behind.

Are You Okay with the Same Old Results?

BOY, DOES SETH GODIN NAIL IT in his latest post. He talks about the culture of “good enough” — about the security of “good enough” — and how that will never lead to break-through results.
        And I’ve been seeing more and more of that mindset when it comes to presentations. People who would rather comfortably do what they know (which typically is all about Me), instead of telling their story — no, instead of connecting to their audience’s story in ways that will make a stronger, more lasting, and more successful impression.
        The people who rely on the tried-and-true (and-typically-boring) approaches to presentations often think that the way to get better results is to be more forceful in their delivery, or rely on gimmicks to get people to respond.
        But audiences are smart. They know when presenters are only focused on themselves — and they know when someone has left “good enough” behind to make an honest, genuine connection with their needs and interests.
        Don’t settle for “good enough.”

The Element of Surprise

I SAW THIS SIGN LAST WEEK, and was lucky enough to not ignore it. I’m sure most people drive up or walk by and only see the upper part — and miss the wonderful sense of humor that Chili’s Restaurants conveyed in creating this sign. I don’t know if it will make me more inclined to eat there again, but I sure appreciated the thought behind the sign.
        The reality is that most people will miss the hook on that sign, because we’re conditioned to tune things out.
        Social scientists will tell you that, in today’s hectic world, each of us is very selective about what we pay attention to. It’s a survival instinct. If we really tuned into every one of the tens of thousands of impressions we are hit by each day — images, words, sounds, smell, movements, etc — our brains would either shut down or explode.
        Often, what we pay attention to are the things we really want, or the variances in what we expect. If you’re hungry, you’re going to notice smells more acutely than you would when you’re not hungry. Likewise, if a car suddenly veers into your path, you’re going to be sharply aware of that (okay, both because they probably acted outside the norm, and because some fear factor kicked in).
        On the flip side, we tend to ignore or pay little attention to things we think we know about already — like parking signs. And too many presentations are greeted with a yawn or a groan because audiences have seen enough bad, boring ones to create an expectation that all presentations are going to be bad and boring.
        So what can you do to counter that deadly impression? Do something they don’t expect. Close the lid on your laptop, right after the opening slide, and say “Let’s just talk.” Or bring in a prop (something appropriate to the pitch) and start out with that. Maybe you give them a quiz or use flash cards or — well, the possibilities are endless.
        Just let your imagination go, and give yourself the freedom to start in some other way than the typical “Here’s my presentation” approach. Your audience — and you — will be glad you did.

Are You Easy to Ignore?

PITY THE POOR FLIGHT ATTENDANTS . . . They’re required by law to give a speech that almost everyone on a flight ignores. They pass along information that could be critically important, but most travelers are anesthetized to it, right?
        Hey, that was me the other day (ignoring the speech) — until I flashed on how similar are the audiences for a flight safety speech and for 95% of the sales presentations out there. Sales presentations are SO EASY to ignore, because they are so rarely relevant to the audience, or they’re so formulaic, or they’re presented with such a forced delivery.
        The parallels are tight. On a flight, most people probably feel that they’ll figure out what to do if and when an emergency ever arises. In most sales presentations, audiences divert their attention to something other than the presenter, figuring if something really significant arises, it will either bop them on the head, or else they (the audience) will skim the handouts later, if they really need to consider this particular vendor.
        You know what would improve both flight safety speeches and sales presentations? Have a conversation.
        Just imagine if flight attendants started quizzing people about how to exit the plane? Or where the flotation cushions are? What if they gave prizes for the most right answers? Or sent people to the back rows if they screwed up the test? That would get travelers’ attention!
        Same goes for sales presentations (except the part about sending the audience to the back row).