Have you ever given a talk at an in-person event? What about an online event?
We know that, with technology and the boom in digital events, many teachers and speakers have had to adapt to a new way of delivering content: online talks.
And it’s only natural for questions to come up about the best way to build presentations and speak at this kind of event.
That’s why, to help speakers prepare properly to deliver content at digital events, we put together this Speaker’s Guide.
In it, you’ll find several tips to help you succeed with your online presentations, such as: which equipment to use, the types of online talks, the equipment you need to build a good presentation, and more!
Speaker’s Guide: The Best Tips
- Type of talk: video conference, recorded, or live?
- General care for online presentations: attire, setting, and testing
- How to speak to your audience
- Best practices for working with the organization
- Choosing the right recording equipment
- Building your presentation
- The right platform for broadcasting your talk
Type of Talk: Video Conference, Recorded, or Live?
Have you been invited to give a presentation at an event and don’t know where to start? Let’s get into it! This will be the first topic in our Speaker’s Guide.
The first step to preparing well is understanding the format of the talk you’ve been invited to give. For online events, figure out whether it’s a video conference, a live talk, or a recorded one.
Video Conference
In a video conference, you’ll be in the room with attendees, and possibly with other speakers. Only people inside that virtual room will take part in the event.
So, for events with a lot of people, attendees should be instructed to turn off their cameras and microphones while the speaker is talking, to avoid unnecessary noise that could disrupt the presentation.
Attendees can interrupt the talk to ask questions. Because of that, as the speaker, you can ask that questions and answers be saved for the end. That keeps the talk more organized.
A video conference is still, in essence, a live format. The broadcast can happen through platforms like Zoom Meetings, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams.
Recorded Talk
As the name suggests, a recorded presentation happens when speakers record their talk ahead of time and send the finished material to the event organizers.
All the content is already prepared in advance, and on the day of the event, attendees watch the broadcast of that presentation.
On top of that, the big advantage of a recorded talk is the ability to edit the material, or even redo the recording if there’s a mistake or to improve certain sections.
And remember, it’s important to send the file to the organizers well in advance.
That way, if any adjustments are needed, you’ll have time to make them without disrupting the event schedule.
Speakers tend to love an interactive audience, right? So how does interaction work when the talk is recorded?
Don’t worry, there’s a solution for everything! Let me explain how speakers can interact with the audience in this case.
At some digital events, speakers may be invited to answer questions at the end of the video, while the event is still going on.
They can join a live video just to answer those questions, and can also rely on the help of a moderator selected by the organization, who relays each question to the speaker smoothly.
Another option is to answer questions by email or through the chat provided by the events platform during the broadcast of the talk.
Live Talk
Unlike a recorded talk, a live talk can’t be edited.
Recording and broadcasting happen at the same time.
Attendees follow the presentation in real time and can send in questions to be answered throughout the talk or at the end, through moderation.
The fact that editing isn’t possible ends up adding more weight to the content and to the speaker, since it shows command and confidence in speaking. After all, as the saying goes: if you know it, you can do it live.
For this type of talk, the organizer will point speakers to the chosen tool and let them know the time and duration of the presentation.
So, the main task is to show up at the scheduled time and manage your time well, so you don’t leave any topic unaddressed.
On top of that, it’s a great format for creating more interaction with attendees, drawing connections between topics covered by other speakers, and making the content even richer.
General Care for Presentations
Some precautions are essential when it’s time for your presentation, whether it’s a video conference, a recorded talk, or a live one. We couldn’t leave them out of this Speaker’s Guide.
These are details that make the event feel more professional and build more credibility for the speaker.
Appropriate Attire
One of the first things to think about is what you wear. After all, the clothes we wear say a lot about our personality, and about the event’s too.
So, think about the style of the event you’ll be speaking at: is it more casual or more formal?
If the event is specifically about soccer clubs and you’ll be talking about a particular team, it makes sense to wear the team’s jersey. But if your event is very formal, the idea is to dress more formally too.
Generally speaking, tank tops or low-cut shirts send a message of informality, since they’re typically worn in more relaxed settings.
Think about the image you want to project to the audience during your presentation. Neutral, understated tones are the most common choice.
The Best Setting
The setting is another very important point we’ll cover in this Speaker’s Guide.
When choosing the place you’ll broadcast your talk from, you need to pay attention to details like lighting, tidiness, and how professional the space looks.
Good lighting contributes a lot to image quality, improves sharpness, and puts the focus on the speaker.
Dark environments, on the other hand, end up making the image look poor and shadowy.
But good lighting won’t help much if the space isn’t tidy, right?
Objects scattered around and visual clutter don’t just look unpleasant, they can also distract attendees.
Once you’ve adjusted the lighting and tidied up, think about a setting that conveys more credibility.
Imagine attending an online event where the speaker is in a pink room, well-lit, tidy, and decorated with unicorns on the wall. We can guarantee your attendees would get distracted and grab some great screenshots of the scene, even if the room was neat and organized!
Always think about the image you want to convey, so people can feel even more confident in you and in what you’re presenting.
Run Tests
You learn by testing, so run a few tests before your official presentation and rehearse your introduction.
You can simulate being at the actual event: greet attendees with a good morning, good afternoon, or good evening (depending on when the talk is happening), and start your presentation as if it were the real thing.
You can also time your presentation and check whether it fits the duration set by the organization.
These run-throughs can help you catch things that might not work well or feel off during the live broadcast, from background noise or flickering lights to text that needs polishing.
How to Speak to Your Audience
During the broadcast or recording of the talk, use present-tense verbs to give the sense that you’re on stage at that very moment. This makes attendees feel closer to the presentation.
Give the audience a brief introduction about yourself: your name, your background, and a bit about your professional career. This helps the audience get to know you better and become even more interested in your content.
Remember to speak while looking straight at the camera, and avoid looking away.
It might feel a little intimidating at first, but speaking while looking at the camera is like speaking while looking directly at your attendees.
That “eye contact” builds more trust with whoever is receiving the message.
Pay attention to your tone of voice and posture. Speaking too loudly can be off-putting, and speaking too quietly can hurt comprehension.
As for posture, try to stay upright and centered; a slouched posture can come across as low energy or disinterest.
It’s also good to mention the event’s name during the recording of your online talk, to make sure the content is understood as exclusive to that event and won’t be reused in other presentations.
For a recorded talk, it’s best to start recording around the same time the broadcast will actually take place later on.
For example, if the broadcast will happen in the evening, a video recorded in the midday sun would feel a bit out of place.
The closer it is to reality, the better. That way, attendees feel more of a personal touch when the content is produced.
And at the end of the presentation, don’t forget to say goodbye to the audience and thank them for taking part.
Best Practices for Working With the Organization
A good practice during event presentations, whether online or in person, is to always respect the time set by the organization.
Sticking to the schedule and not going over the allotted time is essential.
This way, besides making sure what the organization set out was followed, you don’t inconvenience attendees who planned to be there at that specific time.
And speaking of meeting deadlines, it’s essential that, for recorded material, the file be sent to the organization as far in advance as possible.
That way, adjustments can be made without burdening the organizing team with last-minute submissions.
Choosing Equipment
Having interesting content is essential, but good image quality makes a big difference, which is why the right recording equipment matters.
When we talk about quality equipment, we don’t necessarily mean professional cameras and microphones sold at sky-high prices. Some lower-quality equipment can cause image distortion and audio noise, which not only bothers viewers but can also make them lose interest in what you’re covering.
Go for a camera with good image quality; many smartphones can already record in high resolution, whether HD (1280×720) or Full HD (1920×1080).
To keep the camera stable, find a place to rest it, or even a simple tripod to help you out.
Even with good image quality, phones or cameras might not capture audio very well, so an external microphone is a good idea.
Now that your equipment is all set, run several tests.
You can ask friends for help checking whether they can hear you well and how the image looks.
These kinds of tests are crucial for catching flaws or noise in the broadcast.
Also, don’t forget to set aside extra batteries and charge your devices, or keep them plugged in, so you don’t run the risk of any of your equipment dying during the presentation.
Building Your Presentation
Preparing for an online event is almost the same as preparing for an in-person one: pay attention to your slides, present a nice-looking layout, use clear language, and use examples to reinforce what you’re saying.
Examples are a great way to help attendees visualize things better and relate to the situations you describe, which can make it simpler and clearer for them to absorb the content.
Questions are also a good way to create interaction; you can ask whether the audience has run into a certain situation and then continue with your explanation, for example.
Prepare a checklist of everything you need ready for your presentation, and check items off as you gather everything you need.
Remember the tips about greeting the audience, speaking while looking at the camera, and using present-tense verbs to give the impression that the content is happening right now, in the present moment.
Another good practice is answering questions at the end. You can rely on a moderator to organize them and answer everyone.
And don’t forget to share your social media, so it’s easier for people who watched you to connect and keep following your content.
A Complete Events Platform
After going through all these tips in our Speaker’s Guide, you’ll certainly feel much more confident speaking at an online event.
If you don’t have a platform to broadcast your event yet, we can help with that too!
Even3 is a complete platform that, besides managing registrations, certificate issuance, paper publications, and many other features, also runs your event’s broadcast directly through the platform.
We’re confident you’ll do great presenting your talk.
