{"id":9185,"date":"2020-09-08T12:33:14","date_gmt":"2020-09-08T11:33:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/shaneblack.ie\/?p=9185"},"modified":"2021-01-19T14:00:22","modified_gmt":"2021-01-19T14:00:22","slug":"virtual-conferences","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shaneblack.ie\/blog\/virtual-conferences\/","title":{"rendered":"Addressing a virtual conference \u2013 some key rules."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-av_heading-e85672e9411042e00dfd3c02ed202e3f\">\n#top .av-special-heading.av-av_heading-e85672e9411042e00dfd3c02ed202e3f{\npadding-bottom:10px;\n}\nbody .av-special-heading.av-av_heading-e85672e9411042e00dfd3c02ed202e3f .av-special-heading-tag .heading-char{\nfont-size:25px;\n}\n.av-special-heading.av-av_heading-e85672e9411042e00dfd3c02ed202e3f .av-subheading{\nfont-size:15px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='av-special-heading av-av_heading-e85672e9411042e00dfd3c02ed202e3f av-special-heading-h1 blockquote modern-quote  avia-builder-el-0  el_before_av_image  avia-builder-el-first '><h1 class='av-special-heading-tag'  itemprop=\"headline\"  >Addressing a virtual conference \u2013 some key rules.<\/h1><div class=\"special-heading-border\"><div class=\"special-heading-inner-border\"><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-k2xdybux-aa0f5f83580a11ca0f461e7bafca094a\">\n.avia-image-container.av-k2xdybux-aa0f5f83580a11ca0f461e7bafca094a img.avia_image{\nbox-shadow:none;\n}\n.avia-image-container.av-k2xdybux-aa0f5f83580a11ca0f461e7bafca094a .av-image-caption-overlay-center{\ncolor:#ffffff;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='avia-image-container av-k2xdybux-aa0f5f83580a11ca0f461e7bafca094a av-styling- avia-align-center  avia-builder-el-1  el_after_av_heading  el_before_av_textblock '   itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><div class=\"avia-image-container-inner\"><div class=\"avia-image-overlay-wrap\"><img decoding=\"async\" class='wp-image-9187 avia-img-lazy-loading-not-9187 avia_image ' src=\"https:\/\/shaneblack.ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/290.jpg\" alt='Businesswoman delivers presentation virtually' title=''  height=\"1173\" width=\"1757\"  itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\" srcset=\"https:\/\/shaneblack.ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/290.jpg 1757w, https:\/\/shaneblack.ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/290-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/shaneblack.ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/290-1030x688.jpg 1030w, https:\/\/shaneblack.ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/290-768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/shaneblack.ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/290-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/shaneblack.ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/290-1500x1001.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/shaneblack.ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/290-705x471.jpg 705w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1757px) 100vw, 1757px\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-39j46m-e7528f10bf7a9a6d70731cc7c2eb5a35'  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock av_inherit_color'  itemprop=\"text\" ><h3>I\u2019ve been blogging recently about various aspects of virtual conferences.<\/h3>\n<h3>And in case you think that I\u2019m not a fan of the virtual world, let me tell you that I\u2019ve already performed at almost two dozen events over the last three months \u2013 in cases where I was scheduled to perform in the flesh.<\/h3>\n<h3>I now consider myself to be a virtual <a href=\"http:\/\/shaneblack.ie\/corporate\/\">corporate entertainer<\/a>, and if you&#8217;d like to know more about how this operates, you can check my <a href=\"http:\/\/shaneblack.ie\/virtual\/\">virtual events page<\/a>.<\/h3>\n<h3>It\u2019s fair to say that, like everyone else on the scene, I\u2019ve been learning as I go along.<\/h3>\n<h3>The learning has been very quick, however, the great thing about virtual events is that you\u2019ve got a larger than usual audience, so you get better and more sizeable feedback.<\/h3>\n<p>From my own personal experience, then, here are some things that you should consider if you&#8217;ve been asked to address a virtual conference, whether as a keynote address or simply as a panel contributor \u2013 or even an audience member.<\/p>\n<p>They\u2019ve worked for me \u2013 and hopefully they\u2019ll work for you as well!<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h1><strong>Use your eyes<\/strong><\/h1>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/giphy.com\/embed\/FP7dM17aTFKWk\" width=\"480\" height=\"662\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>If you were addressing a physical room, you&#8217;d make sure to make eye contact with as many people in the room as possible.<\/p>\n<p>This is an age-old piece of advice, and it works really well if you want to keep people awake and interested in what you have to say.<\/p>\n<p>Just because you\u2019re delivering a virtual address, there\u2019s no reason why this advice doesn\u2019t still stand. You may not be able to physically focus on the room but pretend that you can see everyone.<\/p>\n<p>A pro tip is not to look directly into the camera, but at a point slightly above it and to the right.<\/p>\n<p>It might also be helpful to place a small bright sticker just above your webcam cam as a reminder to maintain eye contact.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h1><strong>Be active<\/strong><\/h1>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/giphy.com\/embed\/VGtyqhWXUoGQiLQSXD\" width=\"480\" height=\"480\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s a much greater chance of losing your audience\u2019s attention in the virtual world than in the real world.<\/p>\n<p>To counteract this, it&#8217;s a good idea to stay as animated as possible in terms of your body movements.<\/p>\n<p>Depending on how much flexibility you might have in terms of how you&#8217;re being filmed, either move a few paces on a regular basis, or if this is not a runner, make sure that you bring your hands and arms into play to insert energy into your performance.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h1><strong>Tighten your script<\/strong><\/h1>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/giphy.com\/embed\/lXiRzPb8C5JTJcfPq\" width=\"480\" height=\"264\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>We all like to think that every word that comes out of our mouth is an absolute gem.<\/p>\n<p>The reality, however, is that the more demands we make \u2013 in terms of length of delivery \u2013 the harder it is to hold the attention of your audience.<\/p>\n<p>Even if you have a script that you\u2019ve delivered before at other events, don&#8217;t feel that it&#8217;s okay to roll this out again in the virtual world.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, be absolutely ruthless in paring it back to the absolute minimum \u2013 but obviously without losing any of the key elements that you want to get across.<\/p>\n<p>If you&#8217;re aggressive enough with a red pen, you should be able to cut back on your content by around 20% &#8211; and even more if you&#8217;re truly ruthless!<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h1><strong>Rehearse in the real world as well as online<\/strong><\/h1>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/giphy.com\/embed\/8w3ksZxYqGvjAkoWPF\" width=\"480\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>It goes without saying that you should rehearse in advance in terms of making sure that the technology works.<\/p>\n<p>But you should also rehearse with some friends or colleagues in the real world.<\/p>\n<p>The way they react will give you a good example of how an online audience will react.<\/p>\n<p>So you\u2019ll find out where the smiles might be, or where they\u2019re most likely to nod off.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h1><strong>Keep it upbeat<\/strong><\/h1>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/giphy.com\/embed\/yCjr0U8WCOQM0\" width=\"480\" height=\"261\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Everybody is feeling a bit low right now \u2013 including the corporate sector.<\/p>\n<p>So if you can possibly do so, try to inject some humour and some levity into your delivery.<\/p>\n<p>It won&#8217;t downplay the seriousness of your key messaging, but it will mean that you&#8217;re more likely to be remembered in what may well be quite a long line of fellow performers.<\/p>\n<p>If you can introduce all or most of these principles into your next virtual performance, I truly believe that you\u2019ll get as much impact from it as if you were there in the flesh.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-9009 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/shaneblack.ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/LaptopVirtual.jpg\" alt=\"Shane Black Corporate Entertainment -Virtual Mind Reading Show\" width=\"900\" height=\"544\" srcset=\"https:\/\/shaneblack.ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/LaptopVirtual.jpg 900w, https:\/\/shaneblack.ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/LaptopVirtual-300x181.jpg 300w, https:\/\/shaneblack.ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/LaptopVirtual-768x464.jpg 768w, https:\/\/shaneblack.ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/LaptopVirtual-705x426.jpg 705w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-ka81djpc-ef4bfa9355c791fa2adbf351a3d0d2ce\">\n.flex_column.av-ka81djpc-ef4bfa9355c791fa2adbf351a3d0d2ce{\n-webkit-border-radius:0px 0px 0px 0px;\n-moz-border-radius:0px 0px 0px 0px;\nborder-radius:0px 0px 0px 0px;\npadding:20px 20px 20px 20px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div class='flex_column av-ka81djpc-ef4bfa9355c791fa2adbf351a3d0d2ce av_one_full  avia-builder-el-3  el_after_av_textblock  avia-builder-el-last  first flex_column_div column-top-margin'     ><section  class='av_textblock_section av-kahznbg1-317b7f0418c4a61bf6a4aa1bd985a044'  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p><span style=\"color: #ff9900;\">\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-2mz90t-9e6361a1b3f2e2c8edef3c4ef1f09763\">\n.av_font_icon.av-2mz90t-9e6361a1b3f2e2c8edef3c4ef1f09763 .av-icon-char{\nfont-size:30px;\nline-height:30px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<span  class='av_font_icon av-2mz90t-9e6361a1b3f2e2c8edef3c4ef1f09763 avia_animate_when_visible av-icon-style- avia-icon-pos-left av-no-color avia-icon-animate'><a href='http:\/\/shaneblack.ie\/blog'  class='av-icon-char' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue830' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello' ><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<h3><a href=\"http:\/\/shaneblack.ie\/blog\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">Back to blog.<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Presenting to a live audience through a screen can seem intimidating if you\u2019re not accustomed to it. Here are a few handy tips to help you deliver that virtual speech or keynote address.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9188,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"Addressing a virtual conference \u2013 some key rules.","_seopress_titles_desc":"With virtual conferences and events now becoming the new normal, here\u2019s a few handy tips to use when you\u2019ve been called upon to give a virtual speech or keynote address.","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8,13,18,19],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shaneblack.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9185"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shaneblack.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shaneblack.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shaneblack.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shaneblack.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9185"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/shaneblack.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9185\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shaneblack.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9188"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shaneblack.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9185"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shaneblack.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9185"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shaneblack.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9185"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}