It’s time to have a conversation that will do EVERYONE who even considers considering using webinars for their business a ton of good. We’re going to discuss webinar best practice hosting strategies that other webinar experts ignore.
Now, we say “success secrets”, yes. But, it’s not because anyone is deliberately holding back. There’s no conspiracy here. It’s really because these success secrets are, for the most part, TOO fundamental.
Here’s what I mean: It’s all too easy when you’re an expert in any subject to teach the cool stuff that you’ve pioneered, but FORGET about the critical basics that you just know through hard experience.
It’s a bit like when I joined a tennis club and I was getting cool tips from all these players with decades of experience, but it took six months for anyone to notice that I was holding my racquet in the wrong place.
Critically important! But, such a basic truth that everyone neglected to mention, or even notice, it.
That’s where our webinar success secrets come in.
They are simple, straightforward, easy to understand and replicate, but critically important to the success of your webinars.
Some of them you might already know, sure. But I can guarantee most of these webinar secrets are going to give you actual face-palm moments.
The full 12 Secrets Webinar is going to be epic, but here’s a little taste of what’s to come.
First, Let’s Talk About How to Gain Rock-Solid Confidence
Here’s a quote from the wonderful Carrie Fisher,
“You don’t have to wait to be confident. Just do it and eventually the confidence will follow.”
So this is obviously a riff on “Fake it till you make it,” but takes it a step further. What Princess Carrie was getting at – I believe – is that you have to MAKE confidence happen. It’s not something you either have or have not. No.
When you see a great webinar presenter with their relaxed poise, confident patter, and off-the-cuff jokes, it’s easy to believe that it’s a natural gift. As if they came out of the womb executing a perfect Wonder Mop demonstration.
While it’s true that some presenters have natural charisma, the relaxed, confident delivery is rarely an happy accident of personality.
99% of the time it comes down to…
Practice.
Lots and lots of practice (Hmmmm…. Methinks we’ve said this before).
Truth be told, webinar hosting is, essentially, a performance. And just like any kind of performance, the more you practice, the better the show.
Look at professional theater… Ask them how many hours a day they rehearse. The rehearsal is their JOB until the show opens. And then, they still rehearse. They still get notes and feedback after every show. They still warm up before each performance and practice implementing the notes from the night before.
Sure, some webinar hosts just write their notes, create their slides, and wing it. But you can always tell. Some presenters DON’T ever rehearse because they’ve convinced themselves they can get by on their internal know-how and dynamic personality.
But the lack of practice shows in the clunky segues between teaching points, the presentation glitches, and the “Oops, I forgot to mention… let me backtrack for a second.”
This is where YOU can win, and win big.
A smooth confident delivery might be something that will follow in time, with experience, but putting on a well-rehearsed and polished event is something that ANYONE can pull off, RIGHT NOW!
All you have to do is take the time to practice your webinar.
To help you get started faster, here are…
4 Webinar Rehearsal Techniques
Once you’ve got the outline for your webinar ready, you can start practicing your delivery. Even if your slides and registration page are still in production, there’s nothing to stop you from getting in your rehearsals early.
1) Mirror: Your first practice session should be private (this removes all the pressure), in front of a mirror so you can observe your gestures and facial expressions. Use these practice sessions to experiment with different delivery styles and find an approach that feels natural and comfortable. You should never try and deliver your webinar in a style that feels in opposition to your personality because it will always show.
2) Recording: Once your practice is feeling smooth, deliver your webinar in full, one time, in front of a video camera. Practice looking right into the lens as you speak. Then, watch the playback and critique your own performance. I promise you, you will be SHOCKED the first time you watch the recording. Everyone is. You have countless mannerisms and facial expressions that you never knew about because you just don’t see your own face. Once you notice that you have a habit of flaring your nostrils and lifting your chin when you’re nervous, you’ll learn to knock it off so we don’t see directly up your beak.
3) Friendly Audience: Grab your spouse, a friend or a colleague and ask them to watch you rehearse your webinar delivery. Get them to assess your performance, especially on how easy it is to follow your arguments and if there are moments they feel their mind start to wander (a sign that your content may be a bit flabby and need trimming or streamlining).
4) Full Dress Rehearsal: Create a private webinar and get a handful of friends or colleagues to register. Deliver the full webinar, complete with slides, screen-shares, chat box interactions, countdown timers, and any other webinar features that you’re planning to use. Having one of these practice sessions in the bag before the big day will do wonders at reducing your nerves and increasing your confidence.
Oh, and make sure you record the dress rehearsal. You never know when a backup recording of your webinar may come in handy. It’s especially great to review once you’ve practiced several times. You’ll be able to see the progress firsthand.
Of course, if you’re using WebinarJam, the rehearsal will be recorded automatically (insert giant Cheshire Cat grin)!
Final Preparation
There is one final preparation technique that will give you a real boost in confidence and help to rid you of those pre-performance jitters and behavioral twitches.
It’s simple and effective…
…and it’s Secret #5 in the 12 Webinar Secrets webinar.
I don’t want to say that Secret #5 is worth the admission price alone because… well… the webinar is FREE! But it’s definitely one you won’t want to miss.
If you haven’t already, make sure you register for the webinar. It’s 100% free and only takes a few seconds to sign up: Register Here
Oh… one more thing.
At the end of the 12 Secrets Webinar we’re going give all of our attendees, as a free gift, a comprehensive report called:
12 Webinar Secrets (That Even The Experts Forgot)
Which Dramatically Grow Your Business
Without Frustration or Tech Overwhelm
In this special presentation, we’re going to cover a heckuva lot and, rather than expecting you to remember everything, we’ve put together a 35-page report that covers ALL the webinar content. All of it.
It’s an essential PDF that I just know you’re going to dig out and refer back to every time you put on another successful event.
But, you must be on the webinar to get this freebie. And, of course, you need to start by registering for it.
Click Here to learn How to Host a Webinar by registering for the FREE 12 Secrets Webinar event