STEP TWO

Learn the Platform

Odds are this step is the reason you purchased this book. After all, if you're an experienced presenter, you're probably good at many of the presentation aspects, and it's the technology that's throwing you for a loop. Conversely, if you are not a great presenter but have to present online anyway, the tools are likely still the part you care most about because they make up the largest unknown factor. Nerves you’re already familiar with—technology is just an additional challenge.

Do not look at technology as a necessary evil. First, you’ll never get comfortable with something you use grudgingly and as infrequently as possible. Second, when you focus on what you don’t like about something, you fail to see the possibilities, and these are what is most important for you to take away from this book: the possibilities and the many ways these tools can expand your reach and achieve your objectives.

Look at the potential the technology allows:

• You can reach an unlimited number of people. (However, just because you can have a couple of hundred people on a webcast doesn’t necessarily mean you should.)
• A live presentation only reaches the people in the room at that moment. Online presentations can live on after the event and reach a broader audience. Almost any online presentation can be recorded and posted for later reference. From my clients’ experience, as well as from platform providers (such as BrightTALK), it is expected that four to 10 times more people will view the recorded event than will see the live presentation.
• You can reach people anywhere at any time.
• No travel costs are incurred, and less time away from work is required.

With all the benefits of web presentations, it is a wonder more people don’t embrace them.

Why Technology Causes Stress

Even the most calm and rational human beings are driven by emotions and factors that don’t make sense on paper. Reluctance to adopt virtual presentation tools is no different.

Old-fashioned stage fright stems from the way people were hardwired early in their evolution: If you feel a set of eyes on you, be prepared to run or fight because something might want to make you its lunch. The amygdala fires, the adrenaline and cortisol flow, and you’re on red alert. The same biological turmoil occurs when you stand up to give a presentation to your boss, even though the odds of being killed and eaten are remote (actual consumption is extremely rare).

So anytime you present, you’re already stressed and nervous. Technology adds another level of stress to the mix:

• You feel like you have no control over whether or not the platform will crash, people’s computers will freeze, or the audio connection will drop for no reason.
• You have to remember to speak at the same time you’re searching the screen for which button to push. (If you don’t think that kind of multitasking is tough, think of all the times you were driving and had to turn down the car radio while looking for an address.)
• It can be difficult to gauge audience reaction. You’re essentially presenting into what feels like a void. Without feedback it’s very easy to panic and speed up, imagining a negative reaction that’s not there.
• Odds are good that you’ve never seen a well-run web presentation, so you assume the audience is having the same reaction to this event that you would have.

The focus here is not to frighten you but to emphasize the importance of acknowledging what’s going on so you can address it. When you know why something is stressful, it allows you to do two things:

• Recognize what’s happening so that it doesn’t catch you by surprise. You can respond appropriately.
• Address potential problems that you are worried about and, more important, get familiar with the tool so that your stress level is reduced. When you feel relaxed, you can concentrate on what you’re trying to communicate. Practice reduces uncertainty.

Many people are familiar with the “conscious competence” model, but it bears repeating here (see Figure 2.1). According to psychologist W. S. Howell (and many others since), people go through four stages when they learn anything new:

• Unconscious Incompetence: You don’t know something, but you don’t know that you don’t know—so it doesn’t matter. What you’re doing works just fine, in your opinion.
• Conscious Incompetence: You are aware that you don’t know how to do something. Resistance to change kicks in. Where once you were perfectly comfortable (or at least functional), you now are not nearly as good at the job as you were before. Your internal critic works overtime, and you feel overwhelmed and defensive. This is where the “this is stupid and I hate it” feeling kicks in.
• Conscious Competence: After a lot of practice, you can do what's expected of you, even if you have to work at it. For web presenters, this means being at least as comfortable online as in front of a live audience. You might not love it, but you're fully functional.
• Unconscious Competence: You don't even have to think about what you're doing, an attainment seldom reached by presenters. Your nerves are at a minimum, you are comfortable with your content, and the technology holds no surprises for you. You feel totally "in the moment" and are having a great time.

FIGURE 2.1

Conscious Competence Model

When you get frustrated (and you will), cut yourself some slack. Really good, comfortable, traditional presenters often struggle the most with virtual presenting: They have the most to lose and are unaccustomed to feeling panic and uncertainty when they speak. After all, not many people would voluntarily feel insecure, unprofessional, and out of control if they could help it.

Accept that you will feel uncomfortable and insecure at first. It’s part of the learning process.

Web presentation platform Types

A discussion of all web presentation software would be impossible; more than 100 different packages are out there, with more added all the time. As if that weren’t daunting enough, most of them do version or feature upgrades at least once a year. If this book tried to go platform by platform or feature by feature, it would be out of date before it got to you.

In this book, we're not teaching you to use any particular platform. We'll show you a couple of different screen views from WebEx and Dimdim, so you can focus on functionality (see Figure 2.2 and Figure 2.3 on page 25). These views are what the presenter would see on a standard WebEx or Dimdim screen. Don't be intimidated. We will walk you through the tools and you'll master the skills in no time.

Consider the two general categories of web presenting platforms: browser based and non-browser based. The specific technical details are kept to a minimum; what follows is only what you really need to know.

The good news is that covering all platforms isn’t necessary because most perform the same functions. If you become proficient in one, you can transfer your skills to another with a minimal amount of adjustment.

Browser-Based Applications

Browser-based applications run from your desktop—what’s on your computer is what your audience sees. These platforms include GoToMeeting, VIA3, and Glance. Among the advantages are the following:

• PowerPoint animation will probably work smoother and better than with uploadable platforms.
• Lag time for application sharing is usually less.
• The fact that neither the presenter nor the audience needs to download anything tends to be appreciated by information-technology (IT) professionals who are worried about people loading unauthorized software onto their computers.
• It’s easier to set up meetings on the fly. “Down and dirty” is usually sufficient for team meetings, sales demos, and other meetings where speed and convenience are important.

A disadvantage of this type of platform is lack of security. You are essentially sharing your computer with others, so you should be aware of those with whom you’re meeting in a virtual context.

Server-Based Applications

Server-based applications require you to upload your presentation or information to a central server, and it goes out to the audience from there. This category includes most of the well-known platforms, for example WebEx, Microsoft Live Meeting, and Adobe Connect, and others such as iLinc and Dimdim. The advantages of these types of platforms are as follows:

• They tend to be sold as company-wide, enterprise solutions, so there’s consistency in who’s using what platform across the whole organization.
• In general, they are very stable. Because everything is sent out from the platform provider, you are less at the mercy of your computer equipment.
• They are (in general) more feature-rich than other platforms and have more interactive tools, such as chat, polling, and webcams.

A couple of disadvantages are that animation tends not to work as well as on other platforms, and, while application sharing works well, there’s a chance of longer lag time (these platforms send a lot more code through the web to the audience, and this can be a problem for people with slow Internet connections).

A final note: There used to be a major division between platforms that were browser based and those that required download. In the latest versions, however, most downloadable platforms have browser-based versions. For more information, check out a comparison site like Robin Good’s comparison at www.masternewmedia.org.

Web presentation platform Features

Once you learn some of the main features of a web presentation platform, you will be able to apply that knowledge to any other platform. Here are nine main features that you need to learn:

• audio
• PowerPoint and document sharing
• application and desktop sharing
• whiteboards
• chat
• polling
• annotation tools
• recording
• webcams and video.

Reviewing the Web Platform Comparison Checklist (Worksheet 2.1) at the end of Step 2 might be a good place to start.

Audio

The most important part of a web presentation may be the audio. Basically there are two ways to get audio for your web presentation:

• the telephone
• Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).

Guidelines for Telephone Usage

• Use a landline phone rather than a cell phone for presenting. The quality is significantly better and more reliable.
• Use a headset if possible. You want your hands free to run your presentation tools and to gesture and project physical energy. It’s hard to sound excited with your head tilted and your phone tucked in the crook of your neck.
• If you can’t use a headset, a speakerphone will work, but be aware that you will pick up all the background noise in your presentation space.
• If members of your audience are going to use the telephone rather than the audio provided by the platform provider, make sure they know how to mute their phones. The more people are on the call, the more any background noise will intrude and degrade your own sound.
• There is a difference between “mute” and “hold.” A lot of web presentations and meetings have been ruined because someone put his or her phone on hold and all everyone heard was a chorus of beeping or unpleasant muzak.
• Many companies control telephony costs by using their regular audio conferencing provider for all web meetings and presentations. This is fine. In fact, it is often superior because the host of the call can control who is allowed to speak and when it is appropriate to mute all callers.
• If you have more than six people on a call, consider muting all callers until you want them to speak. This minimizes the odds of distractions and background noise interfering.

Guidelines for Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)

• You need a microphone and a headset.
• Turn off your computer’s speakers. Leaving them on and using the microphone in your computer will give you unpleasant feedback and cause significant delays.
• If you plan to open the microphones for the audience members to participate, make sure they know to use headsets and microphones instead of the microphone in their webcam or laptop. This information should be provided in bold letters in the invitation to the meeting.
• If you’re a presenter, you don’t need to spend a lot of money on a microphone, but don’t buy a cheap one either. A good headset/microphone combination will run you about $40–$50. This is a much cheaper solution than using the phone lines, especially internationally.
• You are at the mercy of the speed of people’s Internet connection. This type of presentation will work best if you know everyone in your audience has a broadband connection.

The key to effective audio is to keep your pace crisp and energetic, but not too fast. Refer to Step 9 on presenting effectively for ways to do that.

Remember that audio can (and, whenever possible, should) be a two-way tool. Encourage people to participate by asking for feedback in specific situations such as a question-and-answer period. As the presenter, it’s your job to facilitate and direct traffic so you won’t be interrupted unnecessarily, but people should feel comfortable contributing.

PowerPoint and Document Sharing

This is the most basic feature and the one that most people identify with web presentations. The core of most virtual presentations is a slide show deck that you share with the audience, but you can share any document you create, for example, PDF files or text documents, which can make true collaboration possible. Imagine members of your team seeing you create and make changes to the team charter as you go. Or imagine showing your team how you created the annual budget, taking suggestions as you go.

If you are using animation in your slides, be aware that it may function a little differently in this environment. Be sure to test any animated slides before your presentation to ensure they work the way you intended.

Application and Desktop Sharing

This allows you to share any type of application on your computer. Imagine you’re doing a sales call or conducting a training seminar for a particular technical tool and you want people to experience the product live, in real time. Not only can you show participants the product, but you can also actually let them input data and experience the software for themselves.

Application and desktop sharing is one of the most powerful tools at your disposal and the one most presenters fear using. As with any of these tools, rehearse using it before your actual presentation.

Whiteboards

If you’re an experienced trainer or meeting facilitator, you have probably consumed a great deal of paper by using flip charts. They’re wonderful tools: You can use them for brainstorming, creating lists, giving instructions, and even taking issues offline in “the parking lot.” The whiteboard on many platforms gives you the same ability without the environmental consequences. Simply share the whiteboard with your audience and write on it using the text tool.

Some platforms allow you to cut and paste pictures or text directly, but that’s an advanced skill that most platforms don’t do well. You should know that this tool is prone to lag, so often as much as a minute will pass between the time you type something on the whiteboard and the time it appears on your audience’s screens.

An advantage to this tool is many platforms allow you to save the whiteboard as a Word document so that you have a permanent record of your activities. This is great for team meetings, taking minutes, and other functions.

Chat

This tool allows you to come close to the interaction you would experience in a live meeting. It also intimidates many new presenters because they fear losing control of the meeting, and it adds to their stress because they have to follow what's going on in the chat while they're presenting.

The power of using the chat function cannot be stressed enough, especially if you have a large number of participants and want to engage them. Here's the best way to think about it. During a live presentation, some conversation among audience members isn't always a bad thing. That's where you get questions; participants give their own examples and generate energy. There are even laughs to be had. Yes, it can be disruptive, and it's up to you as the presenter to set the ground rules and facilitate the meeting effectively so things don't get out of hand. It is the exact same thing with online presentations.

The following are four occasions when you would want to encourage people to chat:

• You want them to be interested right from the beginning. By encouraging them to chat, you send a clear signal you don't want them to just put you on mute and answer email—you expect them to participate.
• You want to lessen their trepidation about using technology.
• You want to assess their knowledge without conducting formal polls and assessments—a simple “true or false” or “agree or disagree” question is a great way to make sure you’re on point and they’re following along.
• You want them to know each other. In team meetings, they will be a stronger unit for knowing the strengths and weaknesses of other members. Allow them to add input, make comments, or question the speaker.

You have a lot of power as the presenter. If you want participants' input but don't want them chatting with each other, you can use the participant or attendee permissions feature. You can allow them to chat with each other in the public room (where everyone can see everything), send chat messages only to the speaker, or chat with each other privately.

Chat is probably where you'll find the biggest technology gap with your audience. Younger audiences, who spend a lot of time texting each other and chatting on Facebook or instant messaging, will know instinctively how to use the tool, and you probably couldn't stop them if you tried. Less tech-savvy audience members might not be as familiar with the tool. They may not know that LOL is a compliment (it means "laughing out loud") or feel comfortable typing their thoughts. A little patience and encouragement will get them involved.

Polling 

This tool allows you to ask questions of your audience and get the answers in a form that is easy to share. You can ask a multiple-choice question such as, “What department are you with?” and see the results as percentages of the audience. Or you can administer quick assessments and quizzes. This is a fairly sophisticated feature and is best used with larger audiences where just asking questions out loud won’t let you hear from everyone. 

Polling is a good tool for engaging the audience early—it’s actually fun to vote and see the answers appear. Audience members won’t feel quite so isolated and will have a chance to participate rather than sit passively. This tool also allows you to see the data as colorful graphs, which is a great way to make your presentation more visually arresting. 

Depending on the platform, you can either build these polls and questions well in advance of your presentation or log in to your presentation early and have them ready to go. 

More sophisticated applications like Cisco WebEx Training Center and Citrix GoToTraining allow you to see individual answers to questions (good for training, but you probably don’t want to share such information with your audience) and keep transcripts so you can use the data after the event. 

Figure 2.4 is a screen shot of Cisco’s WebEx Training Center. Notice that it has a slightly different look than on the standard screen (Figure 2.2), but the basic functions are the same. Think of  it as getting in a rental car. It might be different than the car you have at home, but with a little care you can operate the rental just fine.

Annotation Tools 

One of the simplest ways to liven up the visuals in your presentation is to use what are often referred to as annotation tools. These include highlighters, which allow you to mark up your PowerPoint slides for emphasis; text tools, so you can write on the slides for brainstorming; and various colorful pointers, check marks, and arrows so you can check off the bullet points as you cover them, point out visual data, and generally give people something interesting to look at. 

More than a minute or two looking at the same PowerPoint slide will make even the most dedicated audience member start to tune out. Learning to speak in front of a group while adding visual excitement to your computer screen is a great way to build your credibility as a presenter, generate audience interest, and stay engaged as a presenter. 

You can also allow participants to use annotation tools to write on a whiteboard, mark up a PowerPoint slide, or show you, for example, where they think the new swimming pool should go on your design. 

Remember to ensure your permissions settings are configured to your specifications. This way, you can avoid such distractions as someone mysteriously doodling on the screen because he or she wants to know what that button does. Double check your permissions settings and tell your audience members in what ways and when they can mark up the screen.

Recording 

One of the great advantages of a webinar or virtual presentation over an in-person presentation is that creating a permanent record of the event is incredibly easy. There are numerous ways for a webinar to be useful. For example, a webinar can be a training tool to bring new people up to speed. As a meeting tool, it can allow people who couldn’t attend the event to view the record of what happened (no more excuses for missing action items!). It can also be a coaching tool for you as a presenter. You can view your presentation as a means of improvement. 

Think about what this means for team meetings. No longer will those who aren’t able to participate have to rely on meeting minutes or secondhand reports. If people can’t attend your event, they will be able to go back and view it at their leisure. Training becomes more than an event—people can access your knowledge on demand. This is a great example of how recorded presentations can have greater reach than traditional presentations. 

Plan to record your web presentations for later use. Most platforms make it easy to save recorded web presentations in a shared file or even embed them on websites for archiving. Recording also makes a great training and coaching tool. You can review your recorded sessions and see what the audience sees and hears. Sometimes it can be painful, but there’s no better feedback mechanism for presenters. 

The best part is that if you’re unhappy with the results or you do the presentation again and get a better version, recordings are easy to delete. 

Webcams and Video 

These tools hold a lot of promise but are the source of much frustration for both audience members and presenters. They do some things very well (create human connections) and have their difficulties (tend to freeze up). Just know that unless both you as the presenter and your audience have good, high-speed Internet connections, you are setting yourself up for a rough experience with video freezing and computers crashing. 

A good way to use your webcam is to turn it on during the beginning of your presentation to create a connection with your audience and then turn it off after introductions. 

Showing streaming video during a webinar or web presentation is still difficult. Short clips work best, but make sure you test them thoroughly on a variety of computers and with various levels of Internet connection before making them a critical part of your presentation. 

Use these tools where appropriate, but until the technology catches up with demand, use them sparingly. 

Using the Platform’s Features and Tools for Maximum Impact 

Having these tools at your disposal doesn’t mean you have to use all of them, every time. What it means is that by carefully considering what you’re trying to accomplish, you can make smart choices about what to use. 

Consider the following four types of web presentation and how their various functions could be used strategically to get where you want to go. 

General Webinars 

These presentations are usually one-to-many broadcasts, which means you have a large audience that you want to keep engaged while you get your message across. To do this, you might want to use one of the following tools: 

• Internet audio—this means they’ll be listening and speaking through their computer speakers, microphone, or headset. This is becoming more common as the technology improves and more people use laptops with built-in cameras and speakers. It’s cheaper for large audiences, and they won’t need to speak anyway. Many platforms, like the “GoTo” family of products actually allow you to have a mix of telephone and Internet audio. 
• Webcam—because not everyone at the meeting will know who you are, you want to connect with participants as best as you can. 
• Polling—before launching into your presentation, you might want to know what audience members’ level of knowledge or comfort is with the topic. If geographical information is important, polling is a great tool for finding out that information. 
• Chat—encourage comments and examples from the audience as you go along. Don’t hold questions until the end, when it’s too late to adjust your presentation. 
• Annotation tools—use the highlighter and check features if you’re going to be on a single screen for a long time. 
• Recording—post the webinar later for those who missed it the first time. 

Sales Demos 

These tend to be one-on-one or small group meetings, so you have the opportunity to provide more individual attention and build a connection. These are some tools that work well for this type of presentation: 

• Audio—make it as simple as possible for audience members to connect and speak. You want them asking questions and speaking just as they would on a real sales call. 
• Webcam—if possible, have the audience on a webcam as well. Many platforms allow for two-way video. 
• Share applications—let the prospect play with the tool. If it’s as intuitive as you say, let participants feel it for themselves. 

Training 

All good training follows adult learning methodologies. Engaging the audience frequently is important. Think about what you would do in the classroom and consider these tools: 

• Polling—assess your audience’s knowledge and attitude. What do members know about the subject already? How do they feel about it? You can design pre- and postsession quizzes. 
• Chat—let audience members submit questions in writing and by voice. Allow them to talk among themselves in private and in public. 
• Annotation tools—use highlighters, arrows, and the circle tool to help people remember key points and words. 

Team Meetings 

To get the most input from the audience, you will want to use a combination of tools: 

• Audio—if the meeting is small, keep the phone lines open (ask audience members to mute their phones if there is background noise where they are). 
• Webcam and video—help attendees see each other. If your platform allows multiple webcams, have each person turn on his or her webcam while introducing him- or herself to the group and then turn it off. You can also have attendees do this when asking questions. 
• Whiteboard—keep a running list of action items and topics for further discussion. 
• Application and desktop sharing—when working on documents as a team, actually work on the live document. Audience members find this much more engaging, and they’ll see their input being used immediately. 

Wrap-Up 

Your goal is to communicate exactly the right amount of information to make your point. Understanding your web conferencing platform and mastering its available tools are vital to that process. Take these next steps: 

• Determine which platform you will use (your organization may have already decided this for you). 
• Understand what features are available to you. 
• Participate in other webcasts to see what other presenters do well. 
• Practice with your specific platform and get comfortable with its tools and features. 

You can make the right call about what tools to use to achieve your goal. Furthermore, you’ll know you can use them effectively when the time comes. 

WORKSHEET 2.1 

Web platform Comparison Checklist 

Here are some of the most commonly requested features for choosing a web presentation platform. 

To use this chart: 

• Select the features that are going to be most useful or important to you in achieving your goals. 
• Prioritize them in order of importance to you and your outcomes.

Feature	Yes/No	Comments
Download required
Fully Macintosh useful
Fully PC useful
Live video/webcam
Video for both presenter/audience
Streaming video clips
Slides/PowerPoint
Full PowerPoint animation
Thumbnail/slide manipulation during event
Application sharing
Desktop sharing
Annotation tools
Web sharing
Chat
Both public and private chat
Saves chat logs
Separate Q&A function
Whiteboard
Cut and paste to whiteboard
Multiple presenter controls
Polling
Multiple format polling (true or false, multiple choice, multiple answer)
Audience feedback tools
Attention monitoring
LMS integration
Collaboration tools/workgroups
On-air breakout groups
Works across networks and platforms
Email integration
Automated thank-you/confirm letters
Registration function
Calendar function
E-commerce for registration or subscription
System check
On-air moderator assistance
Tech support during event
Customer-branded interface
Customized landing page
Live presenter training
Online tutorials/demos
Project management/coaching services
Records: audio/video/both
Audio: computer/telephone/both
Pricing model: flat fee/per connection/audience size
Recording output format
Standard pricing
Target audience
Last updated
Maximum attendees