How to Give a Good Online Talk Joe Casabona | casabona.org/resources/

No content

You’re Not Talking to an Empty Room. You’re Not Talking to an Empty Room.

@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

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.

Did I mention you need to rehearse?

Let’s Talk Gear

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.

@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.

No content

Recommended Gear: kit.co/jcasabona/simple-live-stream-setup

Managing Your Camera / Slides

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

• 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!

Frame Your Shot!

Advanced Move: Switch between slides and camera.

Pre-recorded vs. Live

@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

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.

@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

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.

Engaging with the Audience

• 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

• 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

Running Your Own Talk

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

@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.

You Can DO It! You Can DO It!

Consultant & Educator I help tell your story. @jcasabona - casabona.org/resources/ I’m Joe Casabona