Category Archives: Mindset and Attitude

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Why Do I Love Webinars?

Step inside my head and find out

Why do I love webinars? Please step aboard a tour bus inside my head and find out by watching the video.

Why Do I Love Webinars? – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8h2mL1_-uFU

I love my wife, my son, my dogs, my Mum, my Dad (miss you always) and maybe ice cream. And I definitely love webinars too. There are 5 main reasons why I am so excited about webinars, which are:

1. Massive future potential

Nothing converts like webinars. I hear this phrase all the time. Clearly, webinars already have a demonstrated record in enabling skilled presenters to communicate their training content and/or marketing messages very effectively. However, for most schools and educational institutions, businesses and industries this potential is largely untapped. Webinar software is becoming easier to use, less expensive and is on the threshold of becoming a more popular medium for conducting education, business and other communications. And I am excited about positioning myself to be ready for the opportunities this growth will present, which leads us onto #2.

2. Potential advancement opportunities

When it comes to webinars it feels like I know the winner of an upcoming race. I have “invested” my wager and I am waiting for the race to run so that I can collect my money. As Michael Hyatt says, WII-FM is a very popular radio station, and my love for webinars is certainly motivated in part by a What’s In It For Me factor. For several years I have been motivated by an awareness that possessing superior webinar presentation skills will open up more career options for those of us who step outside of our comfort zone to learn how to present webinars with confidence and authority.

3. Opportunity to train without travelling

My son is now 7 years old and moving into the webinar world has given me the opportunity to participate more in training, both as an attendee and a presenter. Participating in training without requiring travel is a great option for me.

4. Improved engagement and connectivity

I firmly believe that webinars are the next best thing to presenting face-to-face. In fact, unlike live face-to-face events, even where there is a large number of attendees webinars can be extremely effective in promoting improved engagement and connectivity. This is because the presenter’s face and screen and voice is right in front of the attendee. The opportunity for the presenter to do that live for every attendee and create that closeness is a big advantage over face-to-face presentation situations where big crowds minimise the opportunity for the attendees to get up close and personal with the presenter.

5. Powerful and functional features

Polling, interactive chats, hands up and call to action offer placements are all examples of the powerful and functional features prevalent in webinar software. Used cleverly these types of tools present lots of fun options for skilled webinar presenters.

Participate in the Webinars Survey

If you love webinars just a little bit then I have something exciting for you. The Webinars Survey is currently available at the time this article was published. By participating in the survey you will get free gifts, have the opportunity to enter prize draws and find out the aggregated quantitative data from the survey. This last point means that by taking the survey you will find out what other webinar presenters prefer in terms of webinar software, webinar presenters and webinar training resources. This is valuable information and I cannot wait to share what people are choosing. For detailed information visit http://webinarssurvey.com.

If you visit the Webinars Survey after the survey has concluded you will be able to join a waiting list to get notified when the survey is activated again.

Why do YOU love webinars?

Do you love or hate webinars? Please click here to tell me and share your thoughts in the YouTube video comments.

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Control Your Webinar Fear

Use this Simple Jedi Mind Trick

Webinar Fear – Yuck! This article and video tells you how to nip it in the bud using a simple Jedi mind trick.

Control Your Webinar Fear – https://www.youtube.com/embed/GtDU03XyfDQ

Do you like Star Wars? I am guessing you have already worked out that I am a fan. Star wars is the classic goodies v baddies conflict. The characters are larger than life (especially Jabba the Hut) and there is some humour too (Thank you, Han Solo).

In Star Wars, the Sith Lords (baddies) are frightening but we feel safer because of the Jedi (goodies) and their ability to use the force. I recommend you use the force during your webinars to control your fear and empower yourself to succeed. And there is one focus point that can make this much easier for you. You can call it clever, wise, or a Jedi mind trick – The choice is yours.

Ultimately, the intention of hosting a webinar should be for the benefit of one person. No, not you (or your Boss), but your participant (or attendee, if you prefer). If your webinar does not provide value for your participant then they won’t enjoy it and you will not accomplish your goal (educational instruction, sale or other key objective). This is an application of Marketing 101, but embracing this dogma has an additional benefit that is very empowering to the webinar presenter.

Put simply, if you focus on remembering that the webinar is really about your participants and not you, this can be a huge relief to you. With this philosophy you will realise that any of the following “disasters” don’t really matter:

  • You have a bad hair day
  • You stumble over some words
  • You tell a funny story that falls flat
  • You have a temporary technology hiccup

If you are focused on yourself these types of events can dent your confidence, but if you are focused on helping your participants then you will shake off these types of speed bumps and remain focused on creating a webinar that is beneficial to your participants.

Webinar Fear is Unhelpful

Nerves are OK, but fear can be unproductive. Fear can distract your focus. People who practise mindfulness will understand that fear takes your mind away from the important present and can cause you unnecessary anxiety about things that may never happen.

I encourage you to take action to control your webinar fear. Bury it underneath your expectations of having a successful webinar that provides great value for your participants. In my experience, if you focus on the positives and keep striving for great results then you are much more likely to enjoy yourself, have a fun webinar, and provide greater value for your participants. And that is inevitably a win-win for everyone.

Do you have my Webinar Platforms Guide?

To learn more about webinars click here to grab my free Webinar Platforms Guide. It includes:

  • What are Webinars?
  • What are the 4 Types of Webinar Platforms?
  • What are the Pros and Cons of the Webinar Platforms?
  • Select the Best Platform for YOU
  • Where is the Software?

Click here to grab your copy.

How do you control your webinar fear?

What works for you? Please click here to tell me and share your thoughts in the YouTube video comments.

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Webinar Ethics: 5 Ways to avoid the Dark Side

Webinar ethics is not a sexy topic, but sometimes the basics are critical to our success.

It was less than a year ago when the bad news was delivered in the dental surgery. We would need a tooth extraction and five fillings. Unfortunately, “we” was not me. It was our then 6 year old son. I could not understand how every 6 months our family dentist had routinely proclaimed that our son’s teeth looked gorgeous and that he was doing a great job brushing his teeth. And now the truth was revealed. His brushing had not been effective. His teeth were in bad shape. I had failed our son by deciding to allow him to brush his teeth by himself at too young an age.

I made the mistake of kidding myself that everything was OK when we abandoned a basic habit. In this article, I urge you to remember a critical basic regarding webinar ethics – To use the power of webinars for good not evil. I do not believe that “the ends justifies the means”. Resist the dark side of rationalising that mistruths and short cuts are OK. Instead, be unfailingly honest. Be transparent. And always be 100% truthful to our webinar participants. The video highlights 5 ways to avoid the dark side of webinar ethics.

Webinar Ethics: 5 Ways to avoid the Dark Side – https://youtu.be/QEUFxF4uE04

During the video I reference the amazing George Kao. You can find his website at http://georgekao.com. I also mention Jon Schumacher who you can find at http://jonschumacher.com.

1. Be honest about our webinar purpose

This sounds simple at face value, but I have seen many webinars that had a clear sales purpose that was not declared before the webinar or during the introduction to the webinar. I don’t like that approach. If you are going to have a call to action for your participants to make a purchase or alternative significant decision at the end of the webinar then please tell them that is going to happen in advance. Otherwise, you run the risk of the participants becoming cynical about your intentions and wary of attending future webinars with you.

2. Never pretend that a webinar is “live”

Recent webinar software releases have created the opportunity for webinar presenters to appear that they are presenting “live” when in fact the attendee is only watching a replay. If you are going to give people the chance to watch a replica replay or a recording of your webinar then I encourage you to declare that to your attendees. More importantly, do not attempt to deceive your attendees even if you don’t expressly state that the webinar is a live event.

3. Only use authentic testimonials and real comments

Only authentic testimonials sourced from a real person or organisation should be used to promote webinars or during the online presentation content. Also, some of the same types of software identified in the previous paragraph provide opportunity for webinar presenters to modify the viewer chat comments shown to the attendees of the replay or recording. Please do not do this as it is not honest. The ends does not justify the means. Powerful software, like all tools, should be used for good not evil.

4. Declare when our product will be available

Clearly identify when any product you sell during a webinar will be delivered to the participants. If you product is not yet completed be honest and tell your participants. They will respect you for it. This approach substantially reduces the potential for angst and frustration between you and your product purchasers.

5. Keep our promises

Let our word be our bond. By keeping our promises we will maintain the faith and trust of our supporters.

Reflect and Refocus Challenge

Here is my challenge for you. Tonight before you head to bed please take 60 seconds to reflect upon your webinar ethics and how you might make some tweaks to avoid the dark side. I promise to do that too just after I brush my son’s teeth. May the force be with us all.

Do you have my Webinar Platforms Guide?

To learn more about webinars click here to grab my free Webinar Platforms Guide. It includes:

  • What are Webinars?
  • What are the 4 Types of Webinar Platforms?
  • What are the Pros and Cons of the Webinar Platforms?
  • Select the Best Platform for YOU
  • Where is the Software?

Click here to grab your copy and become a subscriber to this site so that you are notified when new content becomes available.

Are webinar ethics an important issue?

Share your opinions and ask your questions about webinar ethics. Have you seen some scrupulous tactics? What do you think? Please click here to share your thoughts in the YouTube video comments.

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How to Have Fun as a Webinar Presenter

There are some things each of us know to be absolute truths. For me I know that:

  • The planet is round;
  • There is something seriously wrong with people who think it is OK to be cruel to animals;
  • I will never stop loving my wonderful wife; and
  • People learn much more effectively when they are having fun.

For webinar presenters, the last bullet point above is critical. To create fun you must be having fun yourself, which makes the following video relevant and important.

How to have Fun as a Webinar Presenter – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B97MYApOkWs

The starting point for having a fun class is for the presenter to be having fun themselves. After more than 25 years of teaching, the last half of which has been teaching trainers, I have a very long list of stories telling me that if the presenter has fun then the class has fun and that everyone learns more effectively. How to have fun as a webinar presenter is as easy as 1-2-3, as explained in the video above.

Having Fun as a Webinar Presenter is as Easy as 1-2-3

Get these three things right and I think it is inevitable any webinar presenter is going to have fun. And a fun webinar is the best environment for a presenter to achieve their objective.

1. Love your content

Research your content. Study it. Learn it. If you love your content your voice will shine with your enthusiasm for what you are teaching.

2. Find awesome participants

We are all human. Innately, we want to associate with others that we like. If you can find an audience that appeals to you so that you want to genuinely help them and you webinar content that will enable you to do that then you just arrived at webinar heaven. If you don’t like the people who are attending your webinars then that’s a much tougher proposition and it is understandably difficult to have fun.

3. Enjoy the technology

Every webinar software program has fun features waiting for you. Jump in the sandbox and test out your options. Find the features that are fun for you to use and that are going to help you achieve your webinar objective. Keep experimenting, playing, testing and improving your use of the technology and your webinars are going to become much more fun for you and your participants.

What do you think is required to have fun as a webinar presenter?

What do you think about my 1-2-3. What makes being a webinar presenter fun for you? Please share your thoughts in the YouTube video comments.