What Your Speakers Need To Know For Successful Webinars
- What technology do speakers need?
- What are the phone requirements for speakers?
- How do speakers test their computers and download the necessary software?
- Can speakers use a Macintosh computer to present in WebEx?
- What are orientation calls and how do they help speakers?
- Will my speakers be able to go through their PowerPoint slides before an audio + web event?
- How does the audience ask the speaker questions during an event?
- Can speakers conduct audience polls?
- Do speakers need to travel to a studio to do their presentation?
- What general presentation tips does KRM have for speakers?
- Who do speakers call for technical help?
What technology do speakers need?
All a speaker needs to be able to fully participate in an event is a telephone line and an Internet connection. The use of cordless, cellular or speaker phones is strongly discouraged. The sound quality is poor, the possibility of disconnection is high and they are not comfortable to use for extended periods of time.
What are the phone requirements for speakers?
- A standard hard-wired (not wireless) telephone is required. KRM can provide you with one if necessary.
- If you have a good-quality headset, we strongly recommend you use it for optimal comfort and audio quality. If you don't have a headset, KRM will provide one for you to use.
- If two speakers are at one location, each speaker must be on a separate phone and phone line.
- If you have a VoIP telephone system, please be sure to mention it during your orientation call.
- Specific issues can be discussed during your KRM orientation call prior to the events.
How do speakers test their computers and download the necessary software?
To test your computer equipment and download the necessary software
- Go to: http://www.krm.com/webextest
- Click on "test your computer now"
- Follow the on-screen instructions
- Once you receive the "successfully completed" message, please close WebEx Event Manager. (This process may take a few minutes depending on your connection speed.)
In addition, before your orientation call(s), you will receive these instructions from a KRM Event Coordinator or KRM Producer.
Can speakers use a Macintosh computer to present in WebEx?
You will not be able to use a Macintosh as a speaker for a WebEx event. Currently, WebEx Event Center allows only Windows users to host and present.
While the WebEx website indicates that Mac users are able to use WebEx applications, KRM has identified some problems specific to the Mac and Event Center. These include the inability to host an event and/or slides which are displayed improperly or do not appear at all. KRM has documented and submitted these issues to WebEx and we have received assurances that they will be resolved in a future service pack. The service pack, released in April of 2006, did not resolve this issue. Until WebEx resolves this problem, in the interest of ensuring a great event experience for all attendees, we recommend that Mac users utilize a Windows PC to participate in audio + web events.
WebEx currently supports G4 or greater Mac computers running OS 10.2 or 10.3. OS 10.4 (Tiger) is not yet supported. The Safari browser is recommended, but Microsoft IE 5.2 or later or Netscape 7 are also supported. Since there is no native Event Manager client for Macintosh, your browser must have Java, JavaScript, and cookies enabled.
What are orientation calls and how do they help speakers?
For KRM Virtual Seminar speakers, orientation calls (o-calls) are extremely important to familiarize speakers with the virtual event format, to review the event's format (Q&A sessions, polling questions, order of speakers, etc.) and to answer any questions or concerns that the speakers or you may have. If your event is in the audio + web format, the KRM Virtual Seminar Moderator uses the first o-call to demonstrate the features of the web conferencing software to help speakers develop their slide presentations and use the software effectively (i.e., annotate slides, give web tours, etc.).
Will my speakers be able to go through their PowerPoint slides before an audio + web event?
Yes. If you have a scheduled orientation call, you will have the opportunity to review and work with your slides in WebEx.
How does the audience ask the speaker questions during an event?
The audience is in “listen-only mode” throughout the event, except for specifically designated question and answer (Q&A) periods. During Q&A, attendees can ask the speakers questions directly. Much like a private talk-radio program, the audience is instructed on how to queue up to ask a question. The moderator calls on one site at a time, and that site's phone line is opened up to be able to interact directly with the speaker(s), while the other sites listen to the conversation. When that site's question has been answered, the site is returned to "listen-only mode" and the next site in the queue is called on in the same manner.
Participants also can submit questions via email during an audio only event. Clients can elect to have the questions sent to their site, to the KRM Virtual Seminar moderator and/or to the speakers.
During an audio + web event attendees can submit questions in writing via the Q&A console in the web conferencing software - WebEx. Only the speakers and KRM Moderator can see the questions that have been submitted; speakers choose the questions they wish to read and answer on the air.
We recommend allowing time at the end of your events for questions, but one or two additional short Q&A sessions may also be incorporated into events.
Can speakers conduct audience polls?
Speakers can ask the audience any type of question that can be answered with a yes/no, true/false or multiple choice answer. Polling can be conducted on the telephone or via the web during an audio + web event. If using the telephone, the answers are tabulated by the moderator on special software and can be relayed to the speakers and the audience within a few moments or to the speakers and client off the air after the event. During an audio + web event, polling responses are tabulated instantaneously and the results can be displayed in number, percentage and bar graph formats.
Some tips regarding polling:
- It is helpful to include your questions in your written materials so participants can see the question and the answer choices while they are determining their response.
- Each site has one vote, so the answers will represent the consensus or majority of attendees at any given site.
- Work hard at making the questions clear. Ask a colleague to review your questions – lack of clarity is the most common problem in polling.
- We recommend having no more than 3 or 4 polling questions and spreading them throughout the event.
- When polling via the telephone, experience shows that it takes about 60 to 90 seconds from the time the question is asked until all votes are in, and then the KRM Virtual Seminar Moderator needs some time to tabulate the results. Therefore, your speaker should plan to continue with the presentation for a few minutes after the question is asked before coming back to the moderator and asking for the results.
- Responses are typically read to the audience using percentages, reflecting the responses as a percentage of all participants, or as a percentage of those who voted. For example: "30 percent voted 'yes,' 60 percent voted 'no,' and 10 percent did not vote," or "35 percent of those who voted said 'yes' and 65 percent of those who voted said 'no'.”
Do speakers need to travel to a studio to do their presentation?
No. This is part of what makes virtual events so appealing. Speakers can participate from anywhere they have access to a telephone line and an Internet connection. They do not have to travel to a studio, nor do they all need to be in one location during the event.
What general presentation tips does KRM have for speakers?
If you feel disconcerted that you are talking to yourself alone in your room (which, of course, you are!), here are some tips that may help you feel more comfortable:
- Practice before the live event. Close the door and give the presentation in your office, at least 10 minutes of it, just as you will during the live event.
- Have someone sit in with you during the live event so you can make eye contact with and get nonverbal feedback from someone hearing your presentation.
- Set a few photos on your desk and "pretend" to give the presentation to the people in the photos.
- Take advantage of the question and answer and polling features to interact with your audience. Pose questions to the participants and invite their comments rather than waiting for them to ask questions.
- Try to engage in more dialogue with the other speakers, moderator and/or audience and use fewer monologues.
- Turn off any devices (such as cell phones, Blackberries, pagers, call waiting, computer speakers, etc.) that might make noise during the event. Take steps to eliminate the possibility of anyone disturbing you during the event.
- If you are in a room with other speakers, it is important that each speaker have a separate phone line. Putting two or more people on one line greatly diminishes the sound quality. In addition, you should be seated at least six to eight feet apart so that you can still make eye contact without your voice being picked up on the other speaker's headset microphone.
- Remember that you are connected to the audience throughout the course of the event. Please take care to minimize extraneous noise from your location such as shuffling through papers, having windows open to street sounds, etc.
- We encourage the use of a headset, If you don't have one, we can send one to KRM Virtual Seminar speakers. It's important that the headset you use has a mute feature that can be used when you are not presenting or commenting.
- Have a glass of water with a straw at your desk to sip on during the event. The water should be at room temperature. The use of the straw prevents interference with the placement of the headset microphone.
- Relax and speak in a conversational tone and at a moderate pace. Elaborate on your speaking points and try to avoid reading your presentation.
- Regularly refer to your location in the written handouts (by page number, slide number or some other reference point) so that participants can more easily remain engaged as they listen to your remarks. Have a copy of your event handouts nearby during an audio + web event, to serve as a back-up in the unlikely situation that your Internet connection is lost.
- When participating in a panel discussion or question and answer session, it is helpful to identify yourself before offering your comment.
- Since you cannot receive any visual feedback to let you know whether a question has been answered to a participant's satisfaction, you may have a tendency to “over-answer” the question. It is best to keep your answer as brief as possible and then ask the caller if you have answered it to their satisfaction.
Who do speakers call for technical help?
Call KRM Technical Support at 800.775.7654 or 715.833.5426. Note: If you are using a Netscape browser, you may receive a "Security Hazard" warning message during the plug-in download. Please click the "Grant" button to allow the plug-in download process to continue.
