CAMERA SHY? IS THERE AN ALTERNATIVE TO WEBINARS?

There is no denying that relaying complex or technical information through the written word can be difficult. Hearing someone explain it, and seeing it illustrated with diagrams or images, often resonates better with the audience and helps get the message through.

But what do you do if you are not keen on webinars, either live or pre-recorded, where your face is visible to the audience, and you feel every fidget will be exaggerated by your nervousness?

Use your voice

A good alternative is to use PowerPoint with a pre-recorded voiceover. This format is as suitable for internal training updates for your colleagues as it is for telling clients or prospects about your latest projects. Most people are familiar with using PowerPoint to make presentations, with a title and introduction, logical content in the middle, plus a word of thanks and contact details at the end. Use lots of images and diagrams, keep the amount of text on each slide to a minimum and don’t forget the company branding!

Record Slide Show

The easiest way to record a voiceover is with the ‘Record Slide Show’ function (located in the Slide Show tab). From the comfort of your own home or office, you can record a narrative to accompany each slide, giving you the opportunity to emphasise key points or explain tricky concepts clearly. There are only a few buttons to navigate, so the overall experience is similar to presenting in person, where you would advance through the slides in time with what you have to say.

Practice makes perfect

No additional equipment is required – if your device has an inbuilt microphone, it is possible to record good quality audio, which is automatically timed to match your slides. If you are currently working from home, experiment with recording in different areas of the house – you may be surprised to find out that the bedroom, with all its soft furnishings is better than the dining room table! And take the opportunity to practise – the more comfortable you are speaking aloud, and the more familiar you are with the content of your presentation, the better the overall result.

Even if it takes a few practice runs, or you need to go back re-record all or part of the presentation, you’ll improve every time.

Repurposing content

Do you have existing content such as blogs or e-books that could be turned into a presentation? Or could you produce a follow up summary of your presentation as a handy reference guide for your audience, or generate a series of social media posts from the content? Repurposing content is a great way to reach a wider audience. Our blog gives you some ideas of how to re-use content you have already spent time creating and explain the benefits of repurposing.

Cal Partners is an award-winning marketing and business development agency working exclusively with professional services firms, a sector which has wide-ranging and often very technical expertise. We’re helping clients during the pandemic find innovative and cost-effective ways to communicate and stay front of mind to their target audience. Get in touch to see how we can help you.