by Guest Blogger, Lee Salz
www.businessexpertwebinars.com
You’ve worked hard to develop an outstanding webinar…and now its game day. Here are some tips for webinar success.
1. Rehearse ONCE. Assuming that you’ve been preparing all along for the webinar, you only need one run-through today. This will keep your nerves in check, but not make your presentation sound canned. Relax! You will be great!
2. Print the show. You never know when your Internet connection can go awry. Having your presentation printed allows you to continue your delivery even if the Internet isn’t cooperating. Keep it by your side during the webinar. Boy Scout motto…Be Prepared!
3. Prepare for the silent audience. Many people don’t like to ask questions – even in a webinar environment. Prepare mock questions that enhance the teachings of your webinar. Pose them as if an audience member asked the questions. Of course, these questions should be easy for you to compose a strong response. (Note. It’s a best practice to develop these long before the day of the webinar, but many don’t…so it’s on the game day checklist.)
4. Leave me alone. Many speakers work out of their homes which means at any given moment, the doorbell may ring…making you look unprofessional during your webinar. Put a sign on your front door during your webinar asking people not to disturb you…and a time when they should return.
5. No woofs or meows. Building off the prior point, you can’t afford to have background noise or distractions during your webinar. Sequester yourself in a room where you won’t hear the dogs and cats. We love our pets, but since they didn’t pay to attend, they can’t participate in the webinar.
6. One call only. If you have call-waiting, be sure to disable it when you dial-in to your webinar. As you know, if you get other calls, it may cause an interruption in the audio portion of your webinar. And, if you have a second phone line, take the phone off the hook.
7. No PDA. Blackberries and other PDAs can cause interference in the phone and distract you when presenting. As much as it hurts, turn the PDA off during the webinar.
8. Grab a drink. Have a glass (or bottle) of water by your side just in case you need to quench your thirst during your webinar. Since your voice is your primary presentation tool, it needs to be kept in prime shape.
9. Take a potty break. Just before your webinar, take a trip to the bathroom. Once the adrenaline starts to flow…well, you get the picture.
10. Close applications on your PC. Webinar technology can be burdensome on your PC. Close all non-essential applications during your webinar for best PC performance. Open windows and programs slow down your PC. You need optimum PC performance when using webinar technology.
11. Landlines only. Cell and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phones do not offer the same sound quality as the old-fashioned, landline phone. Poor audio in your webinar will get you blasted by your audience…and can ruin the recording.
12. Arrive early. Login to your webinar at least 15-minutes in advance. If nothing else, you will have peace of mind that you are there and ready to go.
Lee B. Salz is the recognized authority on attendee-funded webinars and author of the widely-acclaimed book Stop Speaking for Free! The Ultimate Guide to Making Money with Webinars. He has helped hundreds of speakers, consultants, and trainers stop giving their content away for free and make money delivering attendee-funded webinars. Lee launched Business Expert Webinars as a means to connect speakers with virtual audiences … and real dollars. He is also the author of the award-winning book Soar Despite Your Dodo Sales Manager. He’s been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Dallas Morning News, ABC News, MSNBC, Selling Power Magazine, Training Magazine, and many other leading media publications. Lee is available for webinar consulting, training, and keynote speaking; and can be reached at lsalz@BusinessExpertWebinars.com or 763.416.4321. Learn more at StopSpeakingforFree.com.