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How to give a cool lecture / webinar: 16 tips from three serial lecturers. Leader-IT events # 2

In February, we found out the secrets of a cool mitap . This time they asked to share the advice of three well-known lecturers to Habr (Kirill Anastasin, Vyacheslav Utochkin and Evgeny Zhdanov). There are hundreds of public appearances behind them, and they have something to share.



We talked about the timing, duration, content, insurance and other important things. As a result, we again scored 16 points.

Who shared experience with us


Kirill Anastasin , creator of the studio of the same name, Yandex presentation department, Komikaki comics and meme about Akinfeev’s leg. It’s not the first year that Cyril has been training speakers for the largest IT conferences, he has spoken a lot, and also leads several channels on Telegram and social networks.


Vyacheslav Utochkin , director of educational programs for the gaming industry at the Higher School of Business Informatics of the Higher School of Economics. Through our platform, with his direct participation, technological lectures and meetings on game development and development are regularly held, where interesting speakers are invited.


Evgeny Zhdanov , Leading Expert, Department of Scientific Research and Innovation, Yaroslavl State University. Through our Leader-ID alone,he delivered over two hundred public lectures.


Online / offline


Before talking about the specifics, we decide on the focus. Our tips apply to both online and offline events. But under the current conditions, we focused on online - on webinars.

Against the background of classical lectures, webinars have a number of features. On the one hand, people from other regions who otherwise could not physically be present could come to them. On the other hand, it is more difficult for speakers to deliver a lecture in the void. During the usual classroom activities, they instantly receive feedback, but here the sensations and the format of preparation are completely different. There are differences in the so-called networking. Offline events are often served by catering, so that people who are interested in the topic of a lecture communicate with each other over coffee or another drink, and expand their circle of contacts. Alas, only general chatiks are available online.

Despite the differences, these forms of speaking to the audience have common features. Therefore, further, if there is no reservation on the format, we assume that the advice applies to both situations.

Tip 1. Define the purpose and audience.


First, we note a couple of captain's things that are needed to complete the picture.

Any lecture, both offline and online, should have a goal, however, it is absolutely not necessary with commercial roots. Perhaps this is training, and in this case it would be more correct to talk not about the goal as such, but about what task the material presented in the lecture will help to solve (what knowledge and skills the student should have in the end). The success of the event can be assessed by whether this goal is ultimately achieved.

The goal in many respects determines the audience in front of which one has to crucify. It is better if the audience will have approximately the same level of training. Otherwise, an unpleasant situation may arise when a third of the audience does not understand the lecture, and another third consider the time wasted, because the obvious things are stated.

Kirill Anastasin:
“You will not be able to equally interestingly talk for a graduate of a kindergarten, and for a candidate of science at the same time. The group should be whole - with the same level of knowledge and understanding. You can do input testing, if we are talking about a whole training course. But for the sake of one lecture, this hardly makes sense. ”

Tip 2. About content


People spend their time to learn something useful for themselves. Therefore, when preparing for content, you should focus on the maximum.

If several people participate in the preparation of the lecture, it is important to discuss expectations at this stage - not just the topic that the speaker will talk about, but how the organizers and the speaker see the whole process. It is necessary to determine the main points that are supposed to be disclosed, because good content must also be correctly presented.

Evgeny Zhdanov:
“A speaker can be a profound professional in his field, but if he is not interested in telling the audience, the lecture will not be pleasant. We need to focus on the interests and level of the audience, as well as on the speaker’s oratory skills. ”

Tip 3. About time


Properly selected time of the event, of course, will not ensure success, but will protect against a possible failure.

Kirill Anastasin:
“A wrong date will ruin the event. Once I tried to conduct a lesson before the May holidays. I did not take into account that many people went on vacation in advance. As a result, I had to cancel everything, because the number of people who wanted to come was small. ”

Before announcing the date, we recommend that you find out if any major industry events are taking place at the same time. With the massive transition to online conferences and forums began to stretch for several days or even weeks. Such layering by dates can distract the audience from your story, even if you do not coincide in time. It is difficult to listen to several meaningful lectures in one day.

In choosing a convenient time of day for a lecture, it is better to rely on your own knowledge about the audience.

Vyacheslav Utochkin:
“According to my observations, less people come to a lecture in the morning than in the evening. But it all depends on the target audience. ”

Tip 4. About the duration


Vyacheslav Utochkin:
“It is believed that the optimal duration is like on TED: up to half an hour along with questions. But our lectures differ in format, they are more specialized. I am not a fan of surface lectures at all. It seems to me that they should bring some understandable benefit to the person who allocates time for it, a structured package of knowledge. Therefore, I try to give reports for 45 minutes, providing for another 15 minutes of questions and answers. ”

If there is a lot of material, it is better to plan a lecture cycle. Of course, organizing it is more difficult, but if the cycle turns out to be interesting, it will help to simplify the involvement of the audience in the second and subsequent lectures.

Evgeny Zhdanov:
“Series lectures form a specific community. If you collect all the material in one story for 2-3 hours, then people will begin to leave the room or disconnect (unless, of course, we are talking about some strategic sessions and project work, where people interact in a team of interested colleagues). And in a series of lectures there is an opportunity to break the material into comfortable 45-minute lectures, reducing the load, and the audience already knows what to expect. ”

Tip 5. About choosing a site for an offline lecture


The formula of a good site has been described more than once.

Vyacheslav Utochkin:
“It must be consistent with the goals that you set for your lecture. For example, if you are speaking to some elite closed audience, then the platform is its design, location, etc. - must comply with the declared level. "

Do not forget about:

  • comfortable armchairs;
  • ventilation;
  • normal sound;
  • lack of illumination of the image from the projector.


Lecture at one of the Points. Photo: Evgeny Zhdanov

Tip 6. Take care of the technical platform for the webinar


Speaking about choosing a platform for webinars, they usually compare functionality. But it is much more important that the technical platform should be convenient for the target audience and take into account its features. Roughly speaking, if everyone uses an iPhone, then the platform should work under the iPhone. And if the audience is the personnel of a company with a serious security system, then the platform should at least not be blocked by this security.

Vyacheslav Utochkin:
« , . , Zoom . — 1000 — YouTube. Zoom YouTube. Facebook , , , ».

Even if the webinar is not planned to be uploaded anywhere, it should be done using the platform tools, so that later you can review and think about the errors: where could the idea be opened deeper or, conversely, not be distracted by examples. This is also a form of feedback.

Broadcasting and relaying webinars to third-party services is an independent process, which, ideally, should be monitored by an individual so that the speaker is not distracted. Although, of course, you can prepare a simple webinar alone.

Tip 7. Don’t drag the principles of organizing an offline lecture online


We are used to taking offline lectures complete with presentations from slides. From a static slide with several text bullets, we look at the speaker, who ignites with his charisma, so that the lecture does not seem boring. Many leading webinars carry the practice of presentations with boring slides to online. But a direct attempt to copy here does not work in the best way, since the speaker in a small window is not so fascinating.

Kirill Anastasin:
« , ? , , . , . — , , . . , ».

8.


In fact, the picture and sound in the webinar is the same sound and light at the blackboard in the lecture hall, but with its own technical features.

For the speaker to be heard normally, include headphones and a microphone. It’s better to use wired ones, as the Bluetooth connection starts to fall off at the most inopportune moment. The sound level and microphone settings should be checked in advance.

In order for the speaker to be clearly visible, it is better to get additional light and provide some kind of background - without garbage and t-shirts hanging from the ceiling. It is also better for the speaker not to sit down so that the light hits the camera from behind, otherwise the audience will be forced to look at the black silhouette for an hour. Entourage can be made even from improvised means, sitting on self-isolation. You can arrange a corner in which you will not be ashamed to appear on the camera.

The speaker’s clothing should be appropriate

Kirill Anastasin:
“In order to feel in good shape, I would recommend that you dress completely, as if you were offline, that is, do not limit yourself to just a shirt according to the principle“ you will not be visible below the waist anyway. ” Such half measures dampen. And suddenly you have to stand in front of the camera? Cowards in the frame will not look very good. By the way, some speakers prefer to work standing up, because that way the voice sounds different, and the gestures are different. The format of the webinar does not prohibit this. It’s enough to put the laptop on any stand - and even on a stack of books - and move a meter. ”

Tip 9. Sometimes it’s better to write


Kirill Anastasin:
“When people try to do everything only alive, this is a one-sided approach. Online provides a ton of alternatives, and you need to use them. It makes no sense to chase live broadcasts, because the audience still does not watch the webinar live. You can distribute some lecture material in advance by submitting it in the form of a video monologue by the speaker or even in the form of text articles, and arrange webinars on accumulated issues. So only those who have these questions will definitely come to them. ”

If you record a lecture and post it on YouTube, maybe your audience will take it better?

Tip 10. Take care of newsletters and notifications.


In anticipation of the event, you need to warm up interest in it, counting back the time until the selected date. The first time to talk about plans is in 3–6 weeks. However, at this point, the reaction to notifications will be rather passive. The closer to the point, the more it is worth adding a twinkle to your marketing activity. And the main attack on all fronts can begin in 10-14 days. In less than 5 days, actively announcing is already pointless - for a young audience this is the minimum time frame for making plans.

Evgeny Zhdanov:
“In our practice, if 40 people signed up for a face-to-face lecture, then, at best, 17 will come to it without a reminder. If you recall, then 25–29 people will reach the lecture.”

If this is a webinar, then it is better to recall also on the day of the broadcast (and immediately before its start, by sending a link for connecting 5 minutes before the start).

Kirill Anastasin:
“I am now conducting painting lessons with my parents and children. The day before, I remind them of how we will conduct classes and what we need to have with us to participate. ”

If a lecture or a webinar forms a series for the same audience, then such a large-scale marketing attack is not required - you can start sending reminders in 3 days.

Evgeny Zhdanov:
« , ( ). , . , . — , , . , , ».

11.


To anticipate potential problems, it is best to test the lecture in advance. This applies to both the test run of the intramural lecture and the trial inclusion of the webinar. In the online version, by the way, it is worth conducting a rehearsal with the speaker at the same time of the day when the webinar itself is planned. And it is strongly recommended to use the same devices from which the broadcast will then go.

Our experts recommend starting the broadcast early on to a limited circle of people. This allows you to identify problems with the settings, etc. For example, you may find that the sound of the speaker is much quieter than expected (and this was imperceptible on tĂŞte-Ă -tĂŞte calls).

Kirill Anastasin:
« — . , . , , , , . 15 , , , - , 25–30. , , , ».


. :

12.


Complaints of listeners about technical difficulties following the results of the webinar are quite common. The speaker’s image may be highlighted, it may be hard to hear, or the speaker himself says: “Oh, I don’t understand how to do it.” All this distracts viewers from the main topic. You should consider how to behave in such situations, where to get a backup presentation or even a backup speaker.

Evgeny Zhdanov:
“If something goes wrong, the organizers should take the initiative and look for alternatives. You should not let the speaker blush and say that the presentation has fallen off, so there will be no lecture. “We need to inform the audience that there are technical difficulties, introduce the speaker and, for example, invite him to start the story in a different format.”

Tip 13. Provide a global fakap


There are situations when everything falls - for example, the organizer cuts off electricity. And then we can only hope for the best, unless, of course, you are prepared for this in advance. Here are a few life hacks as our experts prepare for the webinar apocalypse.

Vyacheslav Utochkin:
“I always agree with someone so that when I turn off the Internet at my place a person can catch the broadcast. This means that he must be given all accesses in advance. ”

Kirill Anastasin:
« , , . — , , , . , , . , , , — ».


It is advisable to have a backup communication channel in order to warn a partner or an audience that something has gone wrong. It is worth thinking about who should be at the other end of the backup channel in advance. Not all of your audience should read your broadcast messages. It may be worth organizing two chats - only with the organizers, if there are several, and with the entire audience. So you can manage the expectations of both the first and second. The first chat will be useful for voicing thoughts that are not worth opening at all.

Kirill Anastasin:
« — , . , Zoom YouTube. . . ».

In the same channel, by the way, you can recall about the main milestones of timing - the beginning of the lecture, the beginning and end of the break, if it is provided.

Broadcast insurance can be arranged without assistance through the telephone. You can just call the same webinar by turning off the camera and sound. If necessary, you can quickly turn on and fill in the ether.

Kirill Anastasin:
“You can even make some jokes so that the audience understands what is happening and realizes that you are doing something to rectify the situation. In parallel with the restart of a suspended computer, you can continue to read your lecture through the telephone. ”

Tip 14. Think Breaks


If you want to fit a lot of information into one lecture and cannot be split up in any way, it is better to consider breaks.

Online breaks must be arranged so that in the process people do not continue to chat in the main “room” - so that there is no desire to ignore the break.

Kirill Anastasin:
« . , , . . . , . , . , … , , , , . . , , ».

15.


Questions enliven the lecture, add a real-time feel to online.

Someone likes to maintain communication with the audience during the report, and the audience itself is convenient to get answers to the most pressing questions, as they say, without leaving the box office. In this case, you can warn the audience about how it is more convenient to interrupt the speaker.

Kirill Anastasin:
“If you break the lecture with a discussion with the audience and answers to questions, set a hard limit and keep track of time. Otherwise, chat half the lecture. For example, plan ahead 5 minutes in the middle of the lecture on questions on the first part. ”

If in the middle of the lecture there is no room for questions from the audience, you can plan another interactive one - a couple of questions to the audience from the speaker. So the audience listens better, participates in the process. Short inserts allow you to return scattered attention.

Evgeny Zhdanov:
“On-line, the speaker is tempted to take the whole broadcast with himself, especially if he knows and loves what he is talking about. Therefore, we work with speakers on the mechanics of involving the audience in the lecture and provide tools for this. For example, Mentimeter, which allows you to collect feedback online, or Miro, which also stimulates group engagement. ”

Vyacheslav Utochkin:
“As a speaker, I like to interact with the audience, so during a lecture I usually ask questions in the hall or make a small vote (for example, ask to raise your hand or put a plus on those involved in game development).”


In an offline lecture, the speaker can handle the questions on his own. It's as simple as that: people raise their hands and voice questions. And for the questions section in the webinar, it’s useful to have an assistant who moderates the comments from the chat and selects the most interesting questions.


Offline assistance will also not be superfluous. In the photo Vyacheslav Utochkin with Richard Gray (Levelord)

Kirill Anastasin:
“When you announce the start of the Q & A section and get to read the chat, you are likely to lose the audience’s attention. Few people can competently ask questions in chat rooms. You can begin to read out the question, and it will turn out to be a comment or some kind of nonsense. It is advisable that the assistant conduct some kind of pre-moderation, including selecting 1-2 questions for discussion in the middle of the lecture. ”

By the way, the practice of gifts for the most interesting question is ambiguous. When there are gifts, there are always many questions - you can not worry about it. However ...

Kirill Anastasin:
« . , , , , , . ».

16.


:
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You can evaluate the event by feedback from the audience. You can ask a random sample in informal communication what you liked and what didn't. An alternative way is to fill out questionnaires based on the results.

Evgeny Zhdanov:
“For full-time lectures, we looked at repeated attendance. Our city is small, there are not so many experts on each of the issues. Therefore, we constantly analyze who the audience likes and try to attract them again, excluding from the list of speakers with poor feedback. ”

And remember, you will succeed.

Evgeny Zhdanov:
“The key to a good event is a few failures. If you make mistakes, but analyze why everything went wrong and what you could change, you can take your lectures and webinars to the class level. It is customary to ask us: why was such a decision made in preparation? This allows a deeper look at the process itself, at the factors that influenced this decision. ”

Kirill Anastasin:
“You will receive a real feedback after six months or more. Since during this time people will apply the knowledge they have received and will write letters of gratitude to you. ”


Previous part :
- How to assemble a cool mitap: 16 tips from three “serial mitapers”. Leader-IT events # 1

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