What does it take to hear your webinar attendees sing out their praises for a virtual presentation you just did?
“Highly engaging.”
“Never a dull moment.”
“Very warm - like being in the same room with the presenter.”
“Thought provoking.”
“Fun!”
“Time flies quickly.”
“Never enough...more please.”
“Wow...and more wow!”
AHA! I get it. I need to follow the principles of becoming a Great Kung Fu Master.
Monks are the best advocates and implementers of Kung Fu. Their Intense focus and dedication to learning and honing their skill is a remarkable key to their expertise. They achieve a high form of wholeness propelled by dedication.
But you think - how can I have applied this to the mastery of webinar presentations?
Let me share with you some insights.
Shifting from the Dark Side to the Bright Side
I realized that I need to help my learners get focused and engaged. I needed to think through and reflect on the elements that bring on the dark side of virtual sessions and how to turn these around and bring them to the bright side of webinars.
What are the dark elements of webinar presentations? As “kung fu masters” how do we repel them? What steps do we take to get learners involved in our sessions and bring on an eventful learning experience? Let me show you.
| Dark Element | Combat Action |
Boredom  |
Provocative questions - Form provocative questions that they already know the answers to and allow them to guess.
Ask in-your-face questions that directly stir up their intimate desires, their greatest fears or their inhibitions. This sets up the learners to experience the situation and assess their response.
Poke the bear with a stick and you have it's attention. Your stick is your provocative question.
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Multi-tasking  |
Do something - having learners join in the presentation by allowing them draw, make choices or even connect the dots on the presentation screen or more…
Doing two tasks is possible. However, truth is that we may not effectively accomplish both at the same time. Hence, the way we keep our learners focused is by creating virtual activities that require their attention and keep them interested in what you are trying to convey.
Kung fu has weapons to fight off the enemy. To become a master webinar presenter we also must be able to combat multi-tasking with virtual tools like chat to write down their thoughts, comments and questions or responses. There are other ways to keep your learners glued to the webinar session and enjoy the virtual experience.
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Irrelevant  |
Speak from the heart- Drop all the "BAD SPIRITS" of theoretical writing and speaking; Kill factual presentations by always providing an example first then explaining next. Do not present an idea followed by an example.
Why use 10 when you can use 3 ideas to do the job? As the saying goes less can be more and vice-versa. So go and find the gold nugget from the multitude of ideas.
The Kyudo warrior is completely concentrated and focused as they take aim with their bow and arrow. They have one thing in mind: hitting the target - bull’s eye. Such is the manner in which we decide on the focal point of our presentation. Leave the theories in the books. Pick out your relevant target when conducting webinars and keep focused. Do not concern yourself with too much data. Help learners discover the context and keep them engaged.
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Ordinary  |
Avoid theories. Encourage application - Plain oatmeal is never the first choice but this is good for you. In the same manner, an idea delivered in a monotone voice losses the interest of the learners. By adding a full spectrum of emotions you develop rapport with your learners and the session becomes entertaining.
To set your presentations apart from other boring and bland webinars means making the effort to be beyond ordinary. Keeping the conversation flowing throughout the session, providing impactful images, sharing relatable stories and eliciting stories from your learners are some of the ways to keep things above ordinary. Your moderately toned voice will stimulate the warm and encouraging atmosphere within the virtual session.
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No emotions  |
“Move” your learners - People respond to provocation - positive or negative.Enable learners’ minds to be “pushed to the edge” using techniques like anticipation, curiosity, discovery. Allow them to follow their tendency to peek into something. Use interactive stories to help learners “feel.”
Do see the wind when it hits your face? Well your answer would certainly be NO but you feel it.
Fear, anger, sadness, joy, love, disgust and surprise are some of the emotions that can trigger learners to respond with their own stories and share insights.
Short interactive stories like those featured here are examples of how a very short story can enable learners to relate to the gamut of emotions shown and enable them to respond effectively and help them discover learning and application points.
Most of all, it is always worthwhile to call people by their names as you read their comments and feedback. It provides the warmth as a trainer to the virtual environment.
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Kung Fu Masters use varied skills and styles. Yet, they exude similar characteristics - agility, flexibility, dedication and determination. In the same manner, the mastery of webinar presentations require the development of certain skills.
Learn the LAY of the land
There are certain demands among workers/learners in the workflow.
- they have to perform at work
- they have to apply ideas
- they have no time
- they want to get into the action
- they seek to solve problems
Acquire a 360-degree view of your learners’ needs when assessing the focal point of your presentation.
Commence your virtual party
- Find relatable stories that trigger conversations.
- Throw in a thought-provoking question to start virtual engagement that allows for experience-sharing.
- Lend the warmth of your virtual presence by acknowledging your participants’ comments and feedback.
- Solicit insights and feedback
Be a Kyudo Warrior too
A Kyudo warrior is required to develop mental, physical, and spiritual discipline to emerge as a master archer. The use of the bow and arrow demanded not only adeptness but elegance.
As master presenters, we must develop elegant timing - when to ask questions, how to throw in a provocative thought, when to be quiet, at what point do we interject in the virtual conversation, what kind of stories to share and how to bring it all together at the end.
Conclusion
At the core of every presenter who aspires to be a Kung Fu Webinar Master let me leave you with these questions, How soon do you plan to make that paradigm shift in your presentations? When do you start your own journey into obtaining the mastery?
I strongly encourage you to go for it NOW! In the next tip I will share with you snippets from some of the great webinar presenters. Don’t miss it!
References
Wikipedia Shaolin Kung Fu’s definition and history
Wikipedia Kyūdō’s definition and history
Ray Jimenez, PhD
Vignettes Learning
"Helping Learners Learn Their Way"
After reading this I will forever picture you in a karate suit poking a bear with a stick....:) Actually, having attended a ton of your webinars I know you practice what you preach in this article to the nth degree. Great article.
ReplyDeleteMelissa, You are so forever adding value since you provide me constantly feedback. You are a master feedback giver. Thanks, Ray
DeleteExcellent metaphor for masterful training Ray and excellent messaging to help in stick. Beautifully done. All who do webinars would do well to reflect on these thoughts from a master. I will recommend it to them.
ReplyDeleteThanks Gary.
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