You have a product or a service you’re planning to market on the web. That’s great, but have you considered that a large part of your success depends on your personality? It’s easy to forget with the relative anonymity of the Internet that character and characteristics will show through. We like the idea of doing business in our bunny slippers, but whether it’s a phone interview, a webinar, or the making of a CD for customers, you still need to present yourself as a professional when dealing with the public.
1. Plan the time to do the job well.
Set a time and a duration limit for your presentation. In some cases these things may be set for you, but either way, assure that nothing interrupts. Turn off the phone, make sure there’s someone watching your kids, see that your pets are under control and contented, put a “Do Not Disturb” sign on your door (disconnect the doorbell if necessary). Nothing screams “amateur” like an unplanned interruption.
Allow yourself time before the presentation to prepare and focus. You’ll want to have everything you might need at hand, so think about it ahead of time. (Will you need a sip of water from time to time, did you visit the bathroom, is the temperature comfortably cool?) Then spend the last few minutes doing some relaxing stretches, deep breathing or meditation to make yourself as calm as possible.
2. Present the best you there is
The downside to remote contacts is that you can’t dazzle your listener with your beauty-queen smile. However, experts tell us that it’s mostly tone of voice that makes a person decide whether to believe a speaker or not. All you have to make an impression in cyberspace is your voice and your diction, so work on what you say and how you say it.
The first rule is “Be businesslike”. This does NOT mean overly formal. You can be warm and still project a professional attitude. Think about good game show hosts: Their language is proper, their grammar is correct, and they avoid overly personal remarks about themselves and their guests. That is professional behavior, and you should take note: your listeners don’t want to know your opinion of the U.S. government, and they don’t care if your mother needs an operation.
The best you does not include corny jokes, either. It’s scary how many lame attempts at humor we’ve seen on web-based contacts. The problem is that you don’t know your listener’s sense of humor, and he or she might not understand yours. It’s best to skip the jokes, although as an interview or question session proceeds, there may be opportunities to add humor to your answers. Again, think game show hosts: nothing off-color, nothing too personal.
One thing you may not have considered is that with the Internet, it is possible you will be speaking to someone from another culture, someone whose first language is not English. This is another reason for watching your diction and syntax carefully. Using slang and idioms might confuse listeners unnecessarily, and humor often doesn’t translate well between languages and nationalities.
3. The customer/boss is always right
There are bound to be times when problems arise. Whether it’s a prospective employer whose website just crashed so she has to reschedule or problems with your listeners receiving your webinar, you must be gracious and accommodating. While you can’t accede to every request, you must be willing to listen to every request. While it may not be your fault that things aren’t going well, be willing to apologize for any inconvenience the problems cause. After all, an apology doesn’t cost you anything, and you don’t have to accept blame. Just say, “I’m sorry you’re having difficulty.” Most people want their pain acknowledged; they realize that it can’t always be taken away.
4. Organize early and often
Long before you advertise your webinar or answer that ad, you should do your homework. What do you need to know to do this? How should you organize the information to best present it or find it when it’s needed? Start making notes as things come up. One good way to keep track of information is to put it on note cards, which can be set into stacks of related information. You can of course use your computer as a big notebook, but if you do, make sure you know where everything is. You don’t want to keep someone waiting while you do a file search to find an address.
However you record the info, familiarize yourself with it days in advance. It should be no problem to put your finger (or your icon) on the information you need in seconds.
5. Overcome obstacles
Things happen that mess you up. If on the morning of your webinar you break your ankle and spend the day in the emergency room, you may have to make some adjustments. The good news is that your audience will willingly forgive you for a real emergency. An account of why your advertised guest speaker won’t be here today, if honest and brief, will fly. Of course you should offer something of equal value to replace what’s missing: a free entry to the next webinar or a downloadable “goodie”. If it’s an interview, offer to reschedule at the other person’s convenience. Remember, the customer/boss is always right.
I went to hear a speaker once who arrived a few minutes late and a little disheveled. He used his excuse as an introduction, and the audience was soon on his side. On the way to the venue he’d seen a young deer caught in a fence along the freeway. Unable to stand seeing the animal struggle, he stopped, waded through the damp ditch, and helped it get free. Not only did we approve of his kindness, we applauded his courage-those little hooves are sharp!
6. Practice makes better
The final rule should be first, last and in-between: practice! Talk to yourself, talk to a friend, talk to a tape recorder. Listen to yourself and critique. Does your voice sound too high? This is usually easy to fix, just relax your throat. If the volume is too loud or too soft, you’ll hear that on the tape. Are you a fast talker or too slow? You want your speech to be varied in pace so you don’t lose your audience. Listen for mumbling, words slurred, consonants left out at the ends of words. Be picky with your enunciation, especially sloppiness with words like “comin’”, “coulda” and “gotta”. Practice saying “yes” instead of “yeah”.
Practice will help you get wording down so your communication falls into natural rhythms and convincing phrases. While you should not read from a script (reading sounds much different from speaking), you do want certain points to come through. Outline your presentation or make a list of points you hope to cover in an interview. Again, note cards are good. You can set each one aside as you work it into the presentation.
7. Be physically alert, even without video
It may sound odd, but you may want to dress up a little for your presentation. True, your listeners can’t see you, but you know how you look. If you change your clothes for a webinar you may feel more professional (even if you change into your nicer track suit).
Sit comfortably but not sloppily. If you’re sprawled on the couch with your feet up, your voice will not come through clearly, and your attitude won’t be very lively either. A little tension makes us sharp: they don’t speak of keeping someone on his toes for no reason. If you feel yourself getting tense, take a deep breath and let it all out. This relaxes the chest and throat muscles, which will make your voice come out normally.
Smile as you speak when it’s appropriate. A smile comes through in a person’s voice, and listeners react to it. Of course when you’re nervous you may have a tendency to giggle, but that’s a no-no. You don’t want to come across as childish.
8. Relax and enjoy the ride
It’s probably the hardest item on the list, but think of it this way: once the presentation starts, you can’t change what happens. You’ve thought it out, you’ve prepared, and you’ve considered all the possibilities. The best thing you can do now is relax and follow your plan. You’ll be nervous, but that’s nature’s way of helping us do our best work. You can still enjoy the experience and, if you’ve followed the advice above, you may even want to repeat it at some point in the future!